Mansha Mirza and Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar are CO-PIs on new grant funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research

OT assistant professor Mansha Mirza and OT professor Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar are CO-PIs on a new grant funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. This is a 5-year grant to study obesity in Latino children with developmental disabilities.  The title of the project is, PODER: Promoting Obesity prevention among children with Developmental Disabilities and families through Engaged Research (PODER means power).

Evidence indicates that  there are racial and ethnic disparities with respect to children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and obesity. However,  there is extremely limited research on health and obesity among Latino children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This is surprising given the large representation of Latino children in the U.S. population, and the documented rates of obesity among these children and adolescents.  We will address this gap in research by conducting three groundbreaking studies to examine health, obesity, and health behaviors among children and adolescents with IDD and their maternal caregivers, and develop and test an intervention for Latino children and adolescents with IDD and their families to promote healthy lifestyles.

The PI is Sandy Magaña at the University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work. The grant is for a total of $2,364,818 and the UIC portion is $765.680.