The CPARG team has been funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to undertake a multi-center study entitled, “Understanding Community Obesity Initiatives and Informing Tailored Community Interventions to Reduce Childhood Obesity.”  This study will apply novel data analytic strategies to a large dataset that was created by the Healthy Communities Study which studied obesity prevention initiatives in over 400 U.S. communities. The CPARG team at UofSC will collaborate with groups at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Kansas.  The three university-based research groups were participants in the Healthy Communities Study, and this new grant from NIH will enable them to address research questions that were not pursued in the parent study. The overarching goal is to identify strategies for prevention of childhood obesity that are unique to specific sub-groups of communities, schools, families, and children. Study investigators at UofSC include Ed Frongillo, Alex McLain, and Marsha Dowda. Russ Pate is the study’s Principal Investigator and Dale Murrie serves as Project Coordinator.