Research and Personnel at the WELL Center
Obesity, sedentariness and eating disorders are among the most critical health issues facing our society. 70% of the country is now overweight or obese and 50% achieve so little physical activity they are considered sedentary. Obesity, poor diet and sedentariness are associated with severe health consequences such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Other forms of problematic eating such as binge eating disorder and bulimia are associated with a host of serious health conditions, and anorexia nervosa is the number one most deadly mental health condition. We are still a long way from understanding how to prevent and reverse obesity, sedentariness and eating disorders. This scientific endeavor is a national and global priority.
The research mission of the WELL Center is to identify the core risk and maintenance factors for eating disorders, obesity and sedentary behavior, and to develop, evaluate and disseminate new behavioral and technological solutions to these challenging-to-treat concerns.
The Center’s research labs include numerous NIH-funded and other agency-funded intervention studies for obesity and eating disorders, as well as basic research. These studies make use of new behavioral and technological approaches to these serious health problems, including smartphone apps, sensor technology, artificial intelligence, video gaming and virtual reality.
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