This K23 proposal prepares the applicant Ying Meng, PhD, RN, for a clinical and translational nursing research career centered on preventing and reducing childhood obesity and its adverse effects on health. As such, I commit to a career of clinical and translational nursing research that combines an understanding of behavioral, psychosocial, and genetic/biological knowledge to develop observational and interventional research to advance the emerging field of precision health in obesity management. My focus in this K23 application on childhood obesogenic eating behaviors (OEBs) reflects the supporting science and addresses an important gap in my developing expertise. An understanding of OEBs requires knowledge in behavioral, psychosocial, and genetic methods and findings pertaining to obesity. I am extremely well-positioned to contribute to this area of study because I have a strong research foundation in human genetics and molecular biology with enriched training in biostatistics and extensive clinical experience in nursing practice. These skills will be further enhanced by this K23 award under the guidance of my strong mentorship team with expertise in child development, stress exposure, pediatric obesity, genetics, nursing, nutrition, and biostatistics. The specific research aims are to (1) characterize OEBs in young children using observational, parent-report, and child- report methods; (2) identify concurrent psychosocial and physiological stress markers for OEBs in young children; (3) examine associations between previously identified obesity-risk genes and OEBs in young children. We will assess obesogenic eating behaviors in 3-year-old children from families who have been participating in an ongoing longitudinal study of perinatal influences on child health and development. This NIH-funded ?parent? study will offer direct, substantial and long-term support and provide a well-organized infrastructure for my proposal, which makes this K23 application very time- and cost-efficient. This award will enable me to attain essential expertise in behavioral, psychosocial, and biological assessments related to OEBs in young children, research methodology in pediatric clinic samples, and behavioral and intervention- relevant research on childhood obesity. My training goals for this K23 award are to (1) gain experience and didactic learning in study design and execution of human subject research; (2) broaden my knowledge and experience of OEBs and nutrition assessments for the current project and interventions for childhood obesity for future projects; (3) gain experience in early-life stress measurements and stress management strategies in young children; (4) expand my knowledge and analytical skills in advanced human genomics; (5) professional development; and (6) grantsmanship in preparation for subsequent R grant. By the end of the award period, I will be prepared to launch an independent patient-oriented research career to conduct observational and interventional research to reduce the epidemic of pediatric obesity.
This project will delineate the psychosocial and genetic risks of obesogenic eating behaviors in young children to determine the extent to which these eating behaviors, psychosocial stress, and genetic risk contribute to childhood obesity. Obesogenic eating behaviors such as a preference for high calorie foods can increase the risk of obesity and an understanding of obesogenic eating behaviors in young children could provide new avenues of preventing and treating childhood obesity.
