Objectives are to:
1) understand the role of energy intake, macronutrients, and 
micronutrients in obesity prevention and management throughout 
life, including during the preconceptual period, pregnancy, 
lactation, childhood, adolescence, middle-age, and the older 
adult years; and 
2) identify practical and evidence-based ways for the general 
public and health practitioners to prevent and manage obesity 
safely and effectively in a variety of settings.

Current:
1) Demographics of obesity
  a) Assessment of overweight and obesity
  b) Time trends for prevalence of overweight and obesity 
across the lifespan
  c) Time trends for changes in food and energy intake and 
obesity prevalence

2) Theories of the regulation of energy intake and expenditure
  a) Calorie balance, energy intake, and energy expenditure
  b) Macronutrients in body weight regulation
  c) Micronutrients in body weight regulation
  d) Diet-related satiety factors (macronutrient distribution, 
volumetrics, energy density)
  e) Factors affecting food choice

3) Risk factors and consequences of obesity during
  a) Pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, lactation
  b) Infancy, childhood, adolescence
  c) Adulthood 
  d) Older adult years
 
4) Prevention and management of obesity – policy, environmental, 
and community factors that influence food and energy intake
  a) Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DHHS, USDA), front-of-
package nutrition rating systems (IOM), food marketing and the 
diets of children and youth (IOM), food and nutrition 
assistance programs (Women Infant and Children, Food
Stamps/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, USDA)    
  b) Food and nutrition labeling, nutrition social marketing
  c) Food and beverage environments (food stores, fast food, 
restaurants, food deserts, food advertising)
  d) School food and nutrition (e.g., school breakfast, school 
lunch, school gardens, locally grown initiatives)
  e) Day care and pre-schools 
  f) Work environments   
  g) Healthcare systems
  h) Community-based programs for older adults (e.g., Senior 
Centers)
  i) Integrating nutrition and physical activity into 
community-based prevention programs 

5) Management of obesity – individual factors related to food 
and energy intake
  a) Factors affecting weight loss success (National Weight 
Control Registry)
  b) Bariatric surgery
  c) Pharmacology (diet “pills,” prescription and non-
prescription)
  d) Dietary modification (meal patterns and portion control, 
use of meal replacements (e.g., Slimfast), macronutrient 
distribution)
  e) Theories of behavior management  
  f) Strategies used to promote behavior change (e.g., goal 
setting, motivational interviewing)
  g) Role of dietitian and other health practitioners in 
obesity management and weight loss counseling

6) Obesity prevention and management strategies throughout life 
  a) Health belief theories
  b) Nutrition assessment (food intake, energy intake, body 
weight, BMI)
  c) Practical and evidence-based ways for individuals, 
families, schools, worksites, and communities to control 
energy intake and improve energy expenditure
  d) Examples of successful programs across the lifespan (pre-
pregnancy, pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and 
adolescence, adulthood, older adults)