Arkansas researchers get $9.4M to study childhood obesity

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas Children's Research Institute says it will create a center for the study of childhood obesity, thanks to a $9.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The grant will create the ACRI Center for Childhood Obesity Prevention and will support its creation and operation for the next five years.

The new center will be led by Judith Weber. She and her colleagues will work to better understand the origins of childhood obesity and develop interventions aimed at prevention and reducing complications associated with obesity.

The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement says nearly 39 percent of Arkansas children are considered overweight or obese. The center's goal is to reduce this rate significantly over the next five to 10 years.