Partners Home Page
A collaboration of U.S. government agencies, public health organizations and health sciences libraries
Public Health Topic Pages
Bioterrorism
Dental Public Health
Environmental Health
HIV/AIDS
How to Access Journal Articles
Nutrition
Obesity
Public Health Genomics
Veterinary Public Health
Workforce Development
 
Main Topic Pages
Health Promotion and Health Education
Literature and Guidelines
Health Data Tools and Statistics
Grants and Funding
Education and Training
Legislation and Policy
Conferences and Meetings
Finding People
Discussion and E-mail Lists
Jobs and Careers

Obesity

Associations and Organizations

Federal

  • CDC Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - The mission of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity is to lead strategic public health efforts to prevent and control obesity, chronic disease, and other health conditions though regular physical activity and good nutrition.
  • NIH Obesity Research - (National Institutes of Health (NIH))  - NIH is a key contributor to solving the obesity problem through scientific research on obesity prevention and treatment.

Professional and Research

  • Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center (BNORC) - The Boston Nutrition Obesity Research Center (BNORC) provides resources and support for studies in the area of obesity and nutrition. The site provides access to research, events, and information about the Institute's activities around obesity and nutrition.
  • Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS) - (George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Services)  - Provides up-to-date information for health professionals, educators and families to assist in promoting the health of children through school-connected programs.
  • National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) - The NCCOR brings together four of the nation's leading research funders - the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - to address the problem of childhood obesity in America. NCCOR will focus on efforts that have the potential to benefit children, teens and their families, and the communities in which they live. A special emphasis will be put on the populations and communities in which obesity rates are highest and rising the fastest.
  • The New York Obesity Nutrition Research Center - The New York Obesity Research Center seeks to reduce the incidence of obesity and related diseases through leadership in basic research, clinical research, epidemiology and public health, patient care, and public education.
  • The Obesity Society - The Obesity Society is a leading scientific society dedicated to the study of obesity, committed to encouraging research on the causes and treatment of obesity, and to keeping the medical community and public informed of new advances.
  • Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity - The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity is a non-profit research and public policy organization devoted to improving the world's diet, preventing obesity, and reducing weight stigma.
  • Texas Obesity Research Center - (University of Houston)  - The Texas Obesity Research Center fosters local community collaborations to develop state-of-the-art obesity prevention and control methodologies through cross sectional and longitudinal research investigating psychosocial, environmental and biologic determinants of obesity and its consequences.
  • University of Minnesota Obesity Prevention Center - The University of Minnesota Obesity Prevention Center provides leadership and coordination at the local, national, and international level for multidisciplinary research, policy, and education that focuses on understanding and responding to the pernicious epidemic of excessive weight gain and obesity.

International

  • International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO) - IASO is an umbrella organization for obesity associations from over 50 countries. It works to improve global health by promoting the understanding of obesity and weight-related diseases through scientific research, dialogue, and the development of effective policies for obesity prevention and management.
  • PANacea: Physical Activity and Nutrition Network - (National Heart Forum UK)  - Online network linking the global physical activity and nutrition community. Membership is free and open to those who work in public health, particularly in physical activity and nutrition.

Obesity Information and Resources

  • APA Resources on Obesity - (American Psychological Association)  - Resources, news, and strategies for reducing obesity.
  • APHA Obesity Resources - (American Public Health Association (APHA))  - Tools, reports, and resources on obesity.
  • ASTHO Obesity and Wellness Resources - (Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO))  - Support and resources to states for the development of policies that support healthy eating and active living.
  • CDC Overweight and Obesity Topics - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Provides an overview of obesity in America and links to information resources.
  • FNIC Weight and Obesity - (Food and Nutrition Information Center, National Agricultural Library (FNIC))  - The Food Nutrition Information Center provides a wealth of knowledge on the topic of obesity, including general information and resources, treatment and prevention timelines, evaluating weight control programs, practical healthy weight control, adolescent and childhood obesity and non-diet approaches, and more.
  • Genetics and Genomics of Obesity - National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH Resources about genetic linkages to obesity, including research, funding opportunities, and conferences.
  • Healthfinder: Obesity - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - Government-sponsored information resources on obesity.
  • MedlinePlus - Obesity - (National Library of Medicine (NLM) U.S.)  - Authoritative information and selected links to resources related to obesity.
  • NIFA Obesity & Healthy Weight - (National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA)  - Information on obesity and healthy weight including news, funding opportunities, research results, partnerships, and upcoming events.
  • Obesity and Cancer - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI))  - Information on obesity and its relationship to cancer.
  • Obesity and Genetics: A Public Health Perspective - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - This collection of educational resources contains information and commentary on discoveries of genetic variants, related disease outcomes, and the complex social, legal, and ethical issues surrounding genetic discoveries related to obesity.
  • Obesity and Heart Health - (American Heart Association)  - This page explains the effects of obesity on coronary heart disease.
  • Obesity Learning Centre - (National Heart Forum UK)  - Supports people who work on promoting a healthy weight and tackling obesity. Resources include case studies, tools, policy documents, reports and news.
  • PAHO Obesity Resources - (Pan American Health Organization (PAHO))  - PAHO resources and information on obesity in English and Spanish.
  • Rural Obesity and Weight Control - (Rural Assistance Center (RAC))  - Information and health care provider tools for addressing obesity in rural populations.
  • Weight Control Information Network - (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH (NIDDK))  - In-depth information about the causes, prevention strategies, and treatment of adult obesity.
  • Weight-Control Information Network (WIN) - (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH (NIDDK))  - Provides the general public, health professionals, the media, and Congress with up-to-date, science-based information on weight control, obesity, physical activity, and related nutritional issues.
  • WHO Obesity Page - (World Health Organization (WHO))  - Informational page about the global challenges of obesity.

Reports, Publications and Guidelines

Guidelines

  • NICE Guidance on Obesity Prevention and Treatment - (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE))  - NICE clinical guidelines on the prevention, identification, assessment, and management of overweight and obesity in adults and children.
  • Screening for Obesity in Adults - (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF))  - This statement summarizes the USPSTF recommendations on screening for obesity in adults based on the USPSTF's examination of evidence specific to obesity and overweight in adults.

Research Reports and Publications

  • Database on Obesity and Sedentary Behaviour Studies - (Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) UK)  - Database of studies from the world over that utilize a variety of designs to explore the association between obesity with sedentary behavior.
  • Healthy People 2010 Information Access Project, Nutrition and Overweight - (National Library of Medicine (NLM) U.S., Public Health Foundation (PHF))  - Provides dynamic, pre-formulated PubMed/MEDLINE searches for selected Healthy People 2010 objectives on nutrition and overweight so that current information and evidence-based strategies are easier to find.
  • Healthy People 2020 Nutrition and Weight Status - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - This chapter of Healthy People 2020 presents national health objectives for improving nutrition and tackling problems with overweight.
  • IOM Reports on Obesity - (Institute of Medicine (IOM))  - Reports and workshop summaries on obesity prevention and related topics.

Programs and Campaigns

  • Eat Healthy ─ Be Active Community Workshops - (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, HHS (ODPHP))  - Six one-hour workshops that include lesson plans, learning objectives, talking points, hands-on activities, and handouts. The workshops are designed for community educators, health promoters, dietitians/nutritionists, cooperative extension agents, and others to teach to adults in a wide variety of community settings.
  • Healthy Weight Collaborative - (National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ))  - Nationwide quality improvement initiative that brings together public health, primary care and other community sectors (such as schools, parks, agriculture, housing, transportation and business), for the prevention and treatment of individuals with overweight and obesity.
  • Let's Move - Comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams.
  • Media Smart Youth: Eat, Think, and Be Active! - (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH (NICHD))  - Interactive after-school education program for young people ages 11 to 13. It is designed to help teach them about the complex media world around them, and how it can affect their health, especially in the areas of nutrition and physical activity.
  • Small Step Campaign - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - This campaign focuses on the importance of eating healthy and being physically active through PSAs and an interactive website.
  • VERB Youth Media Campaign - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - National, multicultural, social marketing campaign that encourages young people ages 9-13 years to be physically active every day.

Childhood Obesity Information

  • CDC Childhood Obesity Facts - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Provides information on childhood obesity including statistics, health effects, and prevention strategies.
  • MedlinePlus: Obesity in Children - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Information for parents, consumers, and health professionals to help understand and cope with childhood obesity.

Data and Statistics

  • Catalogue of Surveillance Systems - (National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR))  - Resource to help researchers and practitioners more easily investigate childhood obesity in America. The catalogue describes and provides access to surveillance systems (national, state, local) that collect data related to childhood obesity.
  • CDC Vital Signs - Adult Obesity - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC))  - Recent data on adult obesity gathered from CDC's national monitoring systems.
  • Global Database on Body Mass Index - (World Health Organization (WHO))  - This database provides both national and sub-national adult underweight, overweight and obesity prevalence rates by country, year of survey and gender.
  • Measures Registry - (National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR))  - The NCCOR Measures Registry is a searchable database of diet and physical activity measures relevant to childhood obesity research. The purpose of this registry is to promote the consistent use of common measures and research methods across childhood obesity prevention and research at the individual, community, and population levels.

Legislation and Policy

  • ACPM Policy Compendium - (American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM))  - Practice policy statements, public policy statements, position statements, and patient education statements consistent with scientific principles of the discipline of preventive medicine.
  • Healthy States: Obesity - (Council of State Governments (CSG) US)  - Publications and resources designed to provide state legislators with concise, up-to-date information on obesity.
  • National Health Policy Forum (NHPF) - (George Washington University)  - The National Health Policy Forum is a participant-driven, nonpartisan information exchange program that works to foster more informed government decision making.

Grants and Funding

  • Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation - The Foundation funds independent scientific research examining the role of metabolism and nutrition in obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer's Disease and other serious health concerns confronting our society today.
  • NCCOR Funding Opportunities - (National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR))  - Funding opportunities to address the problem of childhood obesity in America.
  • NIDDK Obesity Funding Opportunities - (National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH (NIDDK))  - The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) conducts and supports basic and clinical research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health.
  • RAC Obesity Funding Programs - (Rural Assistance Center (RAC))  - Summaries of national, state, and regional funding programs related to obesity.

Training and Continuing Education

  • Who's Leading the Leading Health Indicators? - Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.)  - May 29, 2012, 12:00-12:45 PM, EDT. This session will provide an overview of the Leading Health Indicator (LHI) topic, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, and highlight one program's success at reducing childhood obesity and improving children's and adolescents' physical activity and eating habits in Texas.

Conferences and Events

Upcoming Meetings