Understanding Childhood Obesity and Heart Health in Mexican American Youth
Official title: Childhood Obesity and Cardiometabolic Health among Impoverished Mexican Americans
Funded at Arizona State University-Tempe Campus · NIH-11088893 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at existing information to understand why obesity and heart-related health issues are common in Mexican American children and teenagers from low-income families.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Arizona State University-Tempe Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scottsdale, United States) |
| Project start | August 7, 2017 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $594,455 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MD011599-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11088893 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This project focuses on understanding health trends in Mexican American children and adolescents from low-income backgrounds who were part of a previous long-term health tracking effort.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not of Mexican American descent or not within the specified age range and socioeconomic background would not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
We are looking closely at information collected over many years from Mexican American mothers and their children, starting from before birth up to age 10. This includes details about their weight and other health markers. We plan to continue following these children as they grow into their teenage years, specifically at ages 12-13 and 15-16, to see how their weight changes and how it affects their heart health. Our goal is to find out what factors in their lives, both personal and environmental, might protect them or put them at risk for these health challenges.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help create better public health programs to prevent obesity and heart problems in Mexican American youth.
How similar studies have gone: Longitudinal studies tracking health over time have been successful in identifying risk factors for various conditions, though this specific focus on impoverished Mexican American youth provides unique insights.
Where this research is happening
-
Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
Scottsdale, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Perez, Marisol — Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
- Study coordinator: Perez, Marisol
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Childhood obesity and cardiometabolic health in Latino youth from low-income families
This project follows Mexican American kids from birth through mid-adolescence to understand how weight and heart health develop over time.
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Understanding how where you live and personal factors during pregnancy affect a child’s risk for obesity and metabolic problems
This project looks at how neighborhood conditions and individual factors during pregnancy may influence a child’s risk of obesity and metabolic health as they grow.
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A hybrid mobile-family program to prevent obesity in preschoolers
A neighborhood-friendly program uses in-person meetings plus mobile phone support to help Latino families with 2- to 5-year-olds adopt healthier eating, less screen time, and more activity to prevent obesity.
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Adapting a proven kids’ lifestyle program to boost reach and impact
A study from Stanford aims to spread and improve a well-proven healthy-lifestyle program for children with obesity so more families can use it effectively.
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Strengthening obesity risk screening and referrals in early childhood
A 3-year study in New York aims to make it easier to find and connect families with social supports to prevent obesity from infancy into later childhood.
-
Prenatal exercise modes and how they affect child obesity risk
This study tests which exercise type during pregnancy best protects children from obesity and metabolic problems later in life for women who are overweight or obese.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.