The term, "energy balance" as applied to human health, typically refers to the integrated effects of diet, physical activity, and genetics on growth and body weight over an individual’s lifetime.
Increasingly, evidence supports the importance of understanding the effects of energy balance on cancer prevention, development, and progression, and on cancer survivors’ quality of life. Weight, body composition, physical activity, and diet affect numerous physiological systems and can influence the cancer process at many points.
The Health Behaviors Research Branch supports research that explores the effect of energy balance (obesity and overweight) on cancer prevention and relevant approaches with broad population impact.
Projects and Initiatives
Trans-NCI Obesity & Cancer Working Group
The goal of this working group is to identify questions, needs, gaps, priorities in areas related to obesity and cancer.
The Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict obesity Treatment (ADOPT) Project
The NHLBI- and NCI-led Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict obesity Treatment (ADOPT) project resulted in the development of a set of recommended measures to further understand variation in responses to weight loss interventions.
A new data resource facilitating use of the environmental measures recommended by the ADOPT team is now available on the NCI GIS Portal for Cancer Research. The environmental domain web resource presents and describes methods to facilitate use of area-level environmental constructs concerning walkability, food outlet accessibility, socioeconomic deprivation, personal safety, and urbanicity. Block-group and/or tract-level data for walkability, neighborhood deprivation, and urbanicity/rurality are available for download. Methods are described to obtain safety and food environment related variables. These data layers should facilitate analysis of whether environmental features moderate responses to weight loss interventions.
National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research – (NCCOR)
The National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) brings together four of the nation’s leading research funders – the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) – to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and application of childhood obesity research and to produce positive changes more rapidly through enhanced coordination and collaboration.
Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC)
The Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) initiative fosters collaboration among transdisciplinary teams of scientists with the goal of accelerating progress toward reducing cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality associated with obesity, low levels of physical activity, and poor diet. It also provides training opportunities for new and established scientists to carry out integrative research on energetics and energy balance. The TREC initiative complements NCI ’s other energy balance research endeavors and efforts of the NIH Obesity Task Force.
Special issue about childhood obesity prevention across borders
This special issue of Obesity articulates a research agenda to address childhood obesity prevention in Latin America and among Latino populations in the U.S. The issue was coordinated by the NIH Fogarty International Center and co-funded by NCI and other NIH Institutes and Offices. It is a component of a larger initiative to catalyze research collaborations between the U.S. and Latin American countries. More information about this initiative.
- Childhood obesity prevention across borders: The promise of U.S.–Latin American research collaboration - Abby C. King, Rafael Perez-Escamilla, Susan Vorkoper, Nalini Anand, and Juan Rivera
- Food environment solutions for childhood obesity in Latin America and among Latinos living in the United States - Ana Clara Duran, Melissa Mialon, Eric Crosbie, Melissa Lorena Jensen, Jennifer L. Harris, Carolina Batis, Camila Corvalán, and Lindsey Smith Taillie
- Built environment in programs to promote physical activity among Latino children and youth living in the United States and in Latin America - Olga L. Sarmiento, María Alejandra Rubio, Abby C. King, Natalicio Serrano, Adriano Akira F. Hino, Ruth F. Hunter, Nicolas Aguilar-Farias, Diana C. Parra, Deborah Salvo, Alejandra Jáuregui, Rebecca E. Lee, and Bill Kohl
- The social environment and childhood obesity: Implications for research and practice in the United States and countries in Latin America - Guadalupe X. Ayala, Rafael Monge-Rojas, Abby C. King, Ruth Hunter, and Jerica M. Berge
- Migration as a determinant of childhood obesity in the United States and Latin America - Mireya Vilar-Compte, Arturo V. Bustamante, Nancy López-Olmedo, Pablo Gaitán-Rossi, Jaqueline Torres, Karen E. Peterson, Graciela Teruel, and Rafael Pérez-Escamilla
- Exposure to obesogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals and obesity among youth of Latino or Hispanic origin in the United States and Latin America: A lifecourse perspective - Wei Perng, Alejandra Cantoral, Diana C. Soria-Contreras, Larissa Betanzos-Robledo, Katarzyna Kordas, Yun Liu, Ana M. Mora, Camila Corvalan, Anita Pereira, Marly Augusto Cardoso, Jorge E. Chavarro, Carrie V. Breton, John D. Meeker, Kim G. Harley, Brenda Eskenazi, Karen E. Peterson, and Martha Maria Tellez-Rojo
- Measurement challenges for childhood obesity research within and between Latin America and the United States - David Berrigan, S. Sonia Arteaga, Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, Lisa G. Rosas, Rafael Monge-Rojas, Teresia M. O'Connor, Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, Elizabeth F. S. Roberts, Brisa Sanchez, Martha Maria Téllez-Rojo, Susan Vorkoper, and the Cross Borders Working Group
- Capacity for childhood obesity research in Latin American and US Latino populations: State of the field, challenges, opportunities, and future directions - Deborah Salvo, Diana C. Parra, Alejandra Jáuregui, Eugen Reséndiz, Armando Garcia-Olvera, Daniel Velazquez, Nicolas Aguilar-Farias, Uriyoán Colón-Ramos, Adriano A. Hino, Harold W. ( Bill) Kohl III, Michael Pratt, Andrea Ramirez Varela, Manuel Ramirez-Zea, and Juan A. Rivera
- Implementation of childhood obesity prevention and control policies in the United States and Latin America: Lessons for cross-border research and practice - Rafael Pérez-Escamilla, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Elizabeth Rhodes, Olga L. Sarmiento, Camila Corvalan, Rachel Sturke, and Susan Vorkoper
- An action-oriented framework for systems-based solutions aimed at childhood obesity prevention in US Latin_x_ and Latin American populations - Leandro M. T. Garcia, Ruth F. Hunter, Kayla de la Haye, Christina D. Economos, and Abby C. King
- Childhood obesity prevention across borders: A National Institutes of Health commentary - Susan Vorkoper, S. Sonia Arteaga, David Berrigan, Kevin Bialy, Andrew A. Bremer, Paul Cotton, Susan Czajkowski, Elizabeth Neilson, Stavroula K. Osganian, Charlotte A. Pratt, Le Shawndra N. Price, Derrick C. Tabor, Jenelle R. Walker, Makeda J. Williams, and Nalini Anand
Funding Opportunities
| Title | Announcement # | Expiration Date | Contact | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanisms and Consequences of Sleep Disparities in the U.S. | PAR-20-164 (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | July 15, 2022 | Kara Hall 240-276-6831 hallka@mail.nih.gov Todd Horowitz 240-276-6963 horowitzts@mail.nih.gov |
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| Notice of Amendment of NCI Participation in PAR-20-164, Mechanisms and Consequences of Sleep Disparities in the U.S. | NOT-CA-20-075 | Kara Hall 240-276-6831 hallka@mail.nih.gov Todd Horowitz 240-276-6963 horowitzts@mail.nih.gov |
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| Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Alcohol and Cancer Control More Information |
NOT-CA-20-034 | September 9, 2023 | Tanya Agurs-Collins 240-276-6956 collinsta@nih.gov David Berrigan 240-276-6752 berrigad@nih.gov |
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| Stimulating Innovations in Behavioral Intervention Research for Cancer Prevention and Control | PAR-19-309 (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | September 8, 2022 | Tanya Agurs-Collins 240-276-6956 collinsta@mail.nih.gov |
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| Time-Sensitive Obesity Policy and Program Evaluation | PAR-21-305 (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | September 11, 2024 | David Berrigan berrigad@mail.nih.gov |
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Data and Tools
National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) Measures Registry
Assess diet, physical activity, and the environments in which these behaviors occur through this searchable database of diet and physical activity measures.
National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR) Catalogue of Surveillance Systems
Access over 100 publicly available datasets relevant to childhood obesity research, including health behaviors, outcomes, and determinants, and policies and environmental factors.
Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict Obesity Treatment (ADOPT) Core Measures Project
This project identified a standard set 50 core measures, or factors, that can be analyzed across studies to better understand the variation in response to obesity treatments.
Learn MoreAutomated Self-Administered 24-Hour (ASA24®) Dietary Assessment Tool
Use this free, web-based tool to collect multiple, automatically coded, self-administered 24-hour diet recalls and/or single or multi-day food records.
Learn MoreClassification of Laws Associated with School Students (CLASS)
Use data from this website to compare state laws on nutrition and physical education between states and policy changes over time.
Learn more about CLASSDiet History Questionnaire (DHQ)
Use this free food questionnaire with adults 19 or more years of age to assess food and dietary supplement intakes.
Learn MoreEvidence-Based Cancer Control Programs
This searchable database of evidence-based cancer control programs provides program planners and public health practitioners easy and immediate access to programs tested in a research study, publication(s) of the study findings, and program materials used with a particular study population in a specific setting.
Learn moreFamily Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating (FLASHE) Study
Understand the lifestyle behaviors that relate to cancer risk with this collection of psychosocial, generational, and environmental survey data.
Learn More About FLASHEFood Attitudes and Behaviors (FAB) Survey
Access the instrument, references, and analytic guide for a survey developed to evaluate a variety of factors that may be related to fruit and vegetable intake among adults.
View The SurveyHealth Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)
Study various aspects of health communication in the U.S. with these publicly available data about the public’s use of cancer-related information.
Obtain HINTS DataHealthy Eating Index (HEI)
Use this scoring metric to determine overall diet quality as well as the quality of a range of dietary components.
Learn MoreThe Interactive Diet and Activity Tracking in AARP (IDATA) Study Data
Access these data for studies of physical activity and nutrition.
Learn MoreNational Health Interview Survey (NHIS) Cancer Control Supplement (CCS)
Use this continuous, nationwide survey on a broad range of health topics as a source of U.S. data for monitoring health patterns and trends, as well as tracking progress toward national goals.
Learn More About The SurveyNational Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
View data and publications from a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States using both interviews and physical examinations.
Learn MoreUpdated Compendium of Physical Activities
View the estimated energy expenditure values for adults for a wide variety of activities. Energy expenditure values are important for connecting physical activity behavior and health.
Berrigan D, Berger N. Geospatial Approaches to Energy Balance and Breast Cancer. Cham, Switzerland: Springer; 2019.
2017 Theme Issue on the FLASHE Study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine
The Accumulating Data to Optimally Predict OBESITY Treatment (ADOPT) Core Measures Project 
. Obesity, 2018;26(S2):S1-S54. doi: 10.1002/oby.22154.
CEBP Focus: Geospatial Approaches to Cancer Control and Population Sciences . CEBP, 2017;26 (4) 472-586; doi:10.1158/1055-9965.
Contacts
