Work by Dr. Hannah Tavalire using data from the Early Growth and Development Study was featured in the University of Oregon’s Around the O. Here’s a brief summary of the study by Dr. Tavalire; you can also click the link below to access the full Around the O article for more information! In this paper Dr. Tavalire and co-authors asked how much environmental and genetic factors contribute to a child’s obesity risk during childhood and adolescence. Researchers measured body mass index (BMI) in hundreds of sibling pairs that were 5-18 years old. By comparing related pairs who grew up together and apart with unrelated pairs who grew up together, the research team found that in childhood (5-11 years old), along with genetic influences, the home environment is a very important driver of a child’s BMI. This is an exciting finding because while we are ‘stuck’ with our genetics, the home environment can be changed in ways that could decrease obesity risk for children.
