Kannapolis Scholars Conference Focuses on the Role of Exercise in Obesity Prevention

(Download a PDF of the news release.)

The Kannapolis Scholars, a program of N.C. State University at the N.C. Research Campus, is hosting its second conference on how to address the challenges of obesity. “Lost in Translation: A Conversation on Exercise and Obesity” will be held on Friday, July 27, 2012, from 10:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is open to the public through an online webinar or through pre-registration until space is filled. To pre-register, contact Scott Neidich at neidich@live.unc.edu.

Speakers from academia, industry and government, as well as community stakeholders, will converge on the Research Campus to discuss obesity. Over the past 20 years, the U.S. population has become increasingly overweight and obese. In 2010, more than 35 percent of adults and 17 percent of children were obese. Obesity can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. At the Kannapolis Scholars’ conference on childhood obesity last year, the lack of exercise was identified as a key factor in the obesity epidemic. This year’s conference will focus on the role of exercise in obesity prevention and intervention.

“This conference will allow us to continue the conversation we started last year with scientists, government officials, industry representatives, educators and other stakeholders,” said Dr. Jack Odle, Kannapolis Scholars director and William Neal Reynolds Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at N.C. State University. “We hope to foster a conversation about the effectiveness and direction of current wellness research, initiatives and policies. We want to help provide connections as well as transdisciplinary solutions.”

Among the speakers will be Linda Johnson, North Carolina House of Representatives, who will provide the government perspective on how North Carolina can lead the Southeast in the fight against obesity. Brent Gilmore, co-founder of High Five Mobile and FitCampus.com, will discuss how to launch health and fitness websites and mobile apps. Dr. Joe Houmard, professor in the Department of Kinesiology, East Carolina University, will discuss how exercise can influence health risks associated with obesity. Susan Tumbleston, director, BeActive Appalachian Partnership, will discuss the role of the community in obesity prevention. Following each presentation, attendees will participate in roundtable discussions as well as hear from a group of panelists.

View the complete agenda at www.ncsu.edu/kannapolis.

The Kannapolis Scholars program, funded through a $1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture – Agriculture & Food Research Initiative (USDA-AFRI) grant, brings graduate students to the N.C. Research Campus for a unique, transdisciplinary training program. The 14 graduates currently in the program research food science, nutrition and human health under the direction of mentors from each of the seven participating universities: Appalachian State, N.C. A&T, N.C. Central, N.C. State, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Charlotte and UNC Greensboro.

Writer: Leah Chester-Davis