Why children are getting and what UB is - University at Buffalo

to do the activities with peers and friends.”
According to Salvy, UB researchers
want to better understand “how social
isolation resulting from teasing and weight
criticism may decrease the motivation
to be physically active and involved with
peers, and increase the time spent eating
and doing sedentary activities.”
She adds: “We are now starting a new
series of studies on the effect of peer rejection
versus peer acceptance on eating in
overweight and non-overweight youth.
We are also interested in examining overweight
youth’s emotional responses to
social conflicts.”
Although it’s impossible to mention
every UB research study on childhood
obesity conducted over 20 years, there
is one other current study that deserves
particular note. This is Roemmich’s work
on “how psychological stress influences
weight status.”
“We have shown that children who
have greater increases in heart rate and
blood pressure when giving a speech about
themselves, increases their eating of comfort
food and reduces their willingness to
be physically active,” Roemmich explains.
“They would rather watch television when
stressed. From these results you would
expect that children who are the most
stress-reactive are more overweight, and
we have shown this association.”
The child obesity research at UB is
funded by the National Institutes of
Health, a grant from the Foundation for
Healthy Living (Blue Cross/Blue Shield)
and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
grant, among other funding sources.
Looking back on his years of research,
Epstein says that he and his treatment
team often hear what happened to some
children once a treatment study is over.
“We get feedback from parents about
children becoming more social and having
more friends; becoming active and joining
and starring on athletic teams,” Epstein
states.
“I am most pleased with the fact that
we had an impact on the quality of life of
these children and their families.”
Susan M. LoTempio has been an editor at
the Buffalo News for 22 years.
16 Winter 2009 UBTODAY www.alumni.buffalo.edu