Racist policies and practices result in inequitable access to health-promoting environments and increase risk for childhood obesity. Known social, environmental, and behavioral determinants of racial/ethnic disparities in childhood obesity exist during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. To achieve child health equity, effective interventions to reduce childhood among disproportionately burdened populations should start early in life.
Jennifer Woo Baidal, MD, MPH is Florence Irving Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Director of Pediatric Weight Management in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. Dr. Woo Baidal is a pediatric weight management provider and health services researcher. Her research focuses on achieving child health equity, with a focus on reducing racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in obesity. Dr. Woo Baidal’s research program translates clinical, community, and epidemiologic findings into population-level interventions during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood to prevent childhood obesity and chronic diseases. As the Principal Investigator on several projects funded through National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Dr. Woo Baidal is leading action-oriented research to prevent early life risk factors for obesity in vulnerable populations.