In the U.S., obesity now affects one in six children and adolescents, and more than one-third (34.9 percent or 78.6 million) of adults are obese. The obesity epidemic has roots in the current food system, and poor nutrition and obesity are not the result of a single cause-effect relationship. Instead, they are born of a complex system of policy, economic, cultural, environmental, social, behavioral and biological factors and relationships. Changing only discrete parts of the system may have little effect or, even worse, unintended consequences. Communities, cities and states across the US are increasingly interconnected via food systems, businesses, transportation, media and the internet.
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Bloomberg American Health Initiative’s Focus Area on Obesity and the Food System will offer a $10,000 seed grant to faculty researchers to collect pilot data or develop tools/instruments or build academic-community collaborations that can impact knowledge, practice, outcome or policy related to obesity and the food system.
Applications are due Monday, September 3, by 5 p.m.
Questions about the seed grant application should be directed to wendy.bennett@jhmi.edu.
