Obese adolescents have their most rapid weight gain before the age of five and are usually already obese by that age. Due to limited pediatric obesity research and lack of appropriate body composition technologies, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center researcher John Shepherd was awarded $3.1 million from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to discover body composition technologies that can detect health outcomes of obesity among young children.
Shepherd’s team hopes to recruit 360 children ages 0 to 5 years old for a study, Shape Up! Keiki, to create advanced body shape models using 3D scans.
Learn more about Shape Up! Keiki and how to join at shapeup.shepherdresearchlab.org/for-keiki