The Arkansas Children's Research Institute has revealed plans to build a childhood obesity research center using $9.4 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, reports Arkansas Matters.
Arkansas Children's Research Institute is a nonprofit corporation owned by Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. Hospital officials said the center is integral to the hospital's statewide expansion plans, according to the article.
NIH funding will support the center's construction and operating costs for the first five years.
About 39 percent of children in Arkansas are either overweight or obese, according to the ArkansasCenter for Health Improvement.