Obesity Research
This page is a research page. For clinical information, please view our Weight management service page on the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network website.
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The Obesity research unit is part of the University of Sydney Westmead Clinical School, based at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. We engage with clinical and research collaborators locally, nationally, and globally, and study the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of child and adolescent obesity.
Objectives
Our aim is the prevention of future health problems associated with unhealthy weight gain in the early years of childhood. We examine the links between disordered eating, eating disorders and obesity, examining the impact of behavioural weight management interventions on eating disorder risk in adolescents and adults. This is paired with the investigation of the psychosocial aspects of food intake, dietary interventions that will prevent and manage serious illness associated with obesity, and the epidemiology of obesity in different communities.
Impact
- We lead EDIT (Eating Disorders In weight-related Therapy), an international initiative improving treatment for people affected by obesity and eating disorders.
- We influence clinical practice guidelines set by national bodies including the National Health and Medical Research Council and the American Academy of Paediatrics.
- We were involved in a highly cited review paper that received more than 6000 citations (Obesity Reviews 2004). It continues to play a major role in raising the issue of childhood obesity as a health priority among WHO member nations.
- We have been involved in the Healthy Beginnings program, which has been incorporated into sustained home visiting programs for high-risk pregnant women and mothers in NSW and adapted into similar programs in the UK and USA, with an app version being trialled in China and also disseminated in NSW.
- Our Fast Track to Health randomised clinical trial compared different eating plans and their impact on young people's weight, risk of chronic disease, eating behaviours and psychological well-being.
Affiliations
For enquires
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Prof Louise Baur
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Dr Natalie Lister
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Dr Hiba Jebeile
