Upcoming Events
2024 Virtual Health Economics Seminar
Featuring Noémi Berlin (University Paris Nanterre), and Lyudmyla (Lucy) Kompaniyets (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Noémi and Lyudmyla (Lucy) will present research on the influence of external factors on dietary behaviors and obesity. Below, you will find abstracts for both presentations for your convenience.
Date and Time:
Friday, November 8th, from 11 AM to 12 PM EST
To obtain the Zoom link, please register for the webinar using the link below:
https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwoduGpqzwiGNUts4a22tDarfoNPcInF6OE
“Children as Receptors and Messengers for Health Education” (ERMES project)
Presenter: Noémi Berlin, CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research) researcher affiliated with the University Paris Nanterre, EconomiX
This interdisciplinary project brings together humanities and social sciences (anthropology, sociology, education sciences), behavioral sciences (psychology, decision sciences, behavioral economics), and computer science (machine learning, knowledge representation). ERMES seeks to understand how children transmit food-related messages and the effects of peer education on eating behaviors compared to traditional teacher-led education.
The presentation will focus on an upcoming randomized controlled trial (RCT) scheduled for 2025-2026 in 10 elementary schools. The study will evaluate the impact of promoting fruit and vegetable consumption using different sources (peer vs. teacher) and content (health-focused vs. environmentally-sensitive) on children’s knowledge, eating intentions, message transmission to parents, and actual eating behaviors in school canteens.
“COVID-19 pandemic on body mass index among US children and adults”
Presenter: Lyudmyla (Lucy) Kompaniyets, senior health economist at the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This research analyzes body mass index (BMI) trends among U.S. children and adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, using deidentified data from IQVIA’s Ambulatory Electronic Medical Records database. The study examines changes in BMI using mixed effects models to compare pre-pandemic (before March 2020) and pandemic periods (after March 2020).
In a cohort of 4.25 million adults aged 18-84, the average weight gain during the first year of the pandemic (March 2020–March 2021) was modest (0.1 kg).
Among children aged 2-19 years, the rate of BMI increase doubled during the pandemic, particularly in those already affected by overweight or obesity. However, follow-up data through November 2021 showed that BMI increases slowed, though childhood obesity prevalence remained high at 22.5%, highlighting the importance of healthy lifestyle interventions, particularly among US children.