Queen’s is Canadian lead on international team addressing obesity in Mexican children
Friday March 09, 2007
A new federal government initiative that partners Canadian researchers with researchers in the developing world is investing up to $1.6 million in collaborative research aimed at reducing obesity in Mexican children.
Queen’s collaborators led by Kinesiology and Health Studies researcher, Peter Katzmarzyk, and researchers from the University of Guadalajara in Mexico will address childhood obesity and healthy body weights in Mexico. This multi-disciplinary research will inform the development of programs and policies aimed at combating obesity as it relates to under-nutrition in Mexico and in other developing countries that are beginning to experience similar problems.
"Canada is a world leader in the field of obesity research, and this represents a valuable opportunity for us to share our knowledge and experience with a country that is beginning to experience problems similar to those we’ve already been through," says Dr. Katzmarzyk.
The complex nature of health problems in Mexico due to rapid economic and social changes are placing a severe burden on public health.
"We hope that by engaging researchers in Mexico, we will be able to have a lasting positive influence on the health of their country's children and youth," adds Katzmarzyk.
The research collaboration is one of 13 projects pairing Canadian health researchers with counterparts in the developing world that will receive more than $20 million in funding through the Teasdale-Corti Team Grants.
“This is very exciting news,” says Vice-Principal (Research) Kerry Rowe. “The Teasdale-Corti Team Grant will provide Dr. Katzmarzyk and his colleagues with a significant opportunity to make a genuine international contribution both by increasing research capacity in Mexico, and by combating the dual problem of obesity and under-nutrition in developing countries beginning to experience this phenomenon.”
The grants will be awarded through the Global Health Research Initiative (GHRI), a partnership between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Health Canada, and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
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