Pennington Generation Cohort

Pennington Biomedical's Greaux Healthy initiative partners with communities to grow healthier generations by expanding the access and reach of Pennington Biomedical's evidence-based practices for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. As part of Greaux Healthy, the Pennington Generation Cohort will help evaluate the impact of the program. A sample of up to 1,500 children and adolescents and their families will be recruited from throughout Louisiana. An initial physical exam will establish a baseline for each family with respect to lifestyle behaviors, genetics, and body size/composition. This longitudinal cohort will also assess the association between participation in several childhood obesity prevention and treatment programs and subsequent obesity and related health outcomes. Members of the longitudinal cohort will be followed in the future through clinical visits, questionnaires, and through optional linkages to electronic medical records and administrative databases such as the National Death Index, Social Security Death Master File, and health registry data.

Inclusion criteria

• Children, adolescents, and young adults (birth through age 24 years) and their nuclear family members* and adults age 25+ who are expectant parents or are trying to conceive
• Self-reported resident of Louisiana
• Ability to understand instructions and complete all study procedures
• Able to provide informed consent (adults aged over 18 years)
• Able to provide assent (children 9 to 17 years)
• Able to communicate (oral and written) in English

Exclusion criteria

• Discretion of the Medical Monitor or Principal Investigator