University of Queensland researchers are taking a unique look at the health of overweight children, who account for nearly one in four young Australians.
Researchers at the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre at the Royal Children’s Hospital are seeking overweight and obese children aged between five and 11 from the Brisbane area to participate in the study.
“Having too much body fat is not good for children and can affect their physical, psychological and social health,” said principal investigator Lisa Atkin, who is completing the research as part of her PhD.
“Some overweight children are even at risk of developing the early stages of Metabolic Syndrome, with symptoms including impaired insulin function, unhealthy cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
“Remaining overweight into adulthood greatly increases the chance of developing the syndrome.
“This is a concern because people with Metabolic Syndrome have a very high risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus.”
The study aims to find syndrome indicators in children and establish whether increased physical activity is an effective treatment or prevention option.
Volunteers will be tested to measure body composition, insulin sensitivity, dietary intake and physical activity level before and after a 12-week exercise program.
Tests and supervised physical activity sessions will be conducted at the Royal Children’s Hospital after school once a week for 14 weeks.
In addition, an exercise instructor will conduct a personal training session at each child’s home once a week during the 12-week exercise program.
The PhD research is being supervised by Associate Professor Peter Davies and Associate Professor Andrew Cotterill from UQ’s School of Medicine.
People interested in participating should contact Lisa Atkin on telephone 07 3636 5243 or email l.atkin@uq.edu.au
Media: For further information, contact Ms Atkin (telephone 07 3636 5243, email l.atkin@uq.edu.au) or Joanne van Zeeland at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2619).
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