History and Mission

Mission

The Center for Physical Activity & Weight Management is a broad-based research initiative, that assists the people of Kansas and Missouri in losing and maintaining weight loss through behaviorally based clinics that focus on exercise and energy (calorie) restrictions.

The Center also has a major effort funded by The National Institutes of Health that is aimed at preventing overweight and obesity in individuals across the lifespan. Children based studies focus on increasing physical activity and reducing high-fat, energy-dense foods in elementary schools.

History

The Center for Physical Activity and Weight Management supports research, training, and outreach on weight loss and weight maintenance. The Center's major feature is the Energy Balance Laboratory, located in the Robinson Center. Operating since January 2000, the 8,000-square-foot facility contains state-of-the-art instrumentation to measure energy intake and energy expenditure. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, we investigate exercise, nutrition, prevention of obesity, and weight loss in both adults and children. We maintain four behaviorally based weight loss clinics in Lawrence, Topeka and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

The Center for Physical Activity and Weight Management, one of the Life Span Institute's 12 affiliated research centers, leads major efforts to reduce childhood obesity in elementary and junior schools including local afterschool programs.