|
SitesConcerned
Counseling
Depression and EventsHealthyplace
Radio
|
|
|
| advertisement |
A Jackson State University professor is recruiting participants for a child obesity study.
Melvin Davis, an associate professor of psychology, is seeking 60 volunteers between the ages of 9 and 11 for the $8,000 study, funded by JSU's Faculty Scholar's Program.
The study will examine parental depression, child depression and other mental problems. It will also look at family environment, child body composition and economic factors to develop a model for predicting childhood obesity.
If doctors can better identify the factors that lead to the disease, Davis said they can better prevent and treat it.
"There are proven methods to get the weight off them, but we can't keep it off them," Davis said. "We're looking at the long term rather than the short term."
Davis expects to find a relationship between obesity and depression, but existing literature is mixed on which is generally a result of the other.
About 30 percent of U.S. children ages 6 to 10 years old are overweight and more than 15 percent are obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Those numbers jump to 36 percent and 20 percent, respectively, for black children.
Percy Davis, who is not related to Melvin Davis, volunteered his son, Austin, 10, for the study after Austin's pediatrician said he was overweight. Austin weighs about 160 pounds, more than twice the average weight for a 10-year-old.
"I'm concerned about him living a long and healthy life," Percy Davis said.
With more than a quarter of its population defined as obese, Mississippi is one of the most overweight states.
Melvin Davis' study is a counterpart to a study completed last month by his wife, Dr. Sheila Davis, at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The two plan to submit their findings for publication when Melvin Davis completes his work in September.
Associated Press
Related Information: |
For the most comprehensive information about Depression, visit our Depression Community Center here, at HealthyPlace.com.
|
Home to HealthyPlace.com Chat
Forums
Communities Healthyplace
Radio
Support
Groups © 2000 HealthyPlace.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Policy Disclaimer |
