Measuring the fat

UNLV professor to lead study on childhood obesity

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For the past several years, various sources have been warning of a growing obesity problem among children in the United States. Yet according to Dr. Lawrence Golding of UNLV, a study has yet to be done on by just how much U.S. children are overweight.

"Obesity in children is a major concern," Golding said. "We decided it was time to do a study on how fat kids are."

Golding, who has a doctorate in exercise physiology and has spent 30 years at UNLV researching adult exercise, said he plans to create a mobile laboratory so he can measure and gather data on hundreds of children in Southern Nevada. He said he has always been interested in physical research, and information from the mobile laboratory would serve as the basis for several studies in the future, as well as bringing more attention to the subject.

"It would be a wake-up call for parents," he said.

Golding said the reason no studies have been done on children is because of the methods used to determine body composition. Skin-fold measurements often are used in composition studies, including in the adult studies Golding has conducted. Skin-fold measurements involve some skin exposure.

"It's a matter of propriety," he said. "Most studies are done on college students or adults."

With the mobile study, as well as the preliminary study, parents could witness the skin-fold measurements.

In order to use the most accurate equipment to determine body composition on the road, Golding purchased a BodPod. The device, which is used by some NFL players, helps to determine a person's volume through air displacement.

In the past, the most valid form of determining body composition was underwater weighing. To do this, an individual is placed in a container of warm water and submerges his or her entire body. The amount of water that overflows denotes the volume of the person. Once the scientist knows the person's volume, that number can be plugged into a formula to determine body composition.

Golding said the method is easy to do with people who have no fear of placing their heads underwater while breathing through a snorkel. However, for field studies and people who fear water, it is difficult or impractical. Therefore, Golding said he hopes to use the BodPod, which uses the same idea as water weighing, but measures air instead of water.

Although the BodPod is reliable in measuring adult body composition, Golding said it has not been tested on children. Golding said he will conduct a study on the effectiveness of the BodPod on children before constructing a mobile laboratory, using children who have been volunteered by UNLV faculty and staff.

"A kid might get a kick out of doing this (sitting in the BodPod). They could pretend to be in a spaceship," Golding said. The BodPod resembles a small space ship often seen in science fiction movies. Currently, Golding also is looking for adults so he could test the accuracy of the BodPod.

Once the effectiveness of the BodPod on children is determined, the main setback is money, Golding said. Currently, the UNLV Foundation is seeking donors.

"I would be happy to call it the Steve Wynn Mobile Lab," Golding joked.

For more information, call 895-3766.