4 January 2007

Launch of obesity research group

The dawn of a New Year and it is time for resolutions. For many this will inevitably mean trying to get fitter, eat better and live healthier, often inspired by the emergence of a bulge around the waistline following the festive feasting.

For Scotland as a whole, however, that bulge is not just a festive problem. Obesity is a global epidemic and one that has taken hold in Scotland, where 65% of men and 60% of women are overweight and over a fifth are obese. Of Scottish children born in 2001, over 20% were overweight by the time they reached 3.5 years of age.

Now experts across a wide range of disciplines at the University of Dundee are starting 2007 by pooling their resources in the battle against the obesity epidemic.

The University of Dundee Obesity Research Group has been formed in recognition of the complex nature of the obesity problem and the steps that must be taken to tackle it.

"A multi-faceted problem needs a multi-faceted response," said Professor Annie Anderson, of the University’s Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research, who is chairing the group.

"Obesity is not just a genetic problem or a cultural problem or a clinical problem or a psychological problem - it is all of these things and that needs to be recognised as we try to deal with a global issue which is posing a major health risk in our society."

Obesity poses a major risk for chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and some forms of cancer. Overweight children are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem, behavioural problems and cardiovascular risk factors and, over the longer term, to become obese adults with associated co-morbidities.

The Obesity Research Group will build interdisciplinary networks at Dundee to expand research into the prevention and management of obesity.

"At Dundee we already have an excellent track record of research in a variety of disciplines relating to obesity," said Professor Anderson. "By combining these areas of excellence and forming a solid network of research we can expand the capacity we have to tackle obesity."

The group involves leading experts in areas such as Paediatrics, Genetics, Neurosciences, Nutrition, Clinical Studies and the cultural, social and environmental factors surrounding obesity.

The Obesity Research Group will focus on a range of research challenges including:

• How can individual diet and activity behaviours be managed?
• How can we stop the paediatric obesity time bomb?
• What role can schools play in preventing childhod obesity?
• How do genes influence the development of obesity?
• How can appetite be regulated?
• How can obesity be managed best within the NHS?

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk