Childhood Obesity Study

Obesity in children is a big problem in the general population.  Obese children are more likely to develop diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease later in life. In the Amish Children's Study, we have found that childhood obesity is much less common in the Amish. The investigators of the childhood obesity study have gathered exciting data from the accelerometers (the devices worn on the hip to measure physical activity over a week). We have compared the activity in Amish children with children from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, who are not Amish but live in a rural setting.