HUMAN ENERGY BALANCE CORE: PROJECT SUMMARY The Kansas Center for Metabolism and Obesity REsearch (KC-MORE) Human Energy Balance (HEB) core integrates facilities, equipment, and expertise currently on the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) campus to support research and training on the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity and to evaluate the impact of weight loss on obesity-related co-morbidities in a variety of populations including adults, children, and in special and underserved populations including individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, Alzheimer's disease, and in rural residents. The HEB core will include 3 divisions. The Energy Expenditure and Exercise Physiology Division will support assessments of energy expenditure (laboratory-based and portable indirect calorimetry, stable isotopes, whole-room indirect calorimetry), body weight (calibrated scales), and body composition (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, air displacement plethysmography). This Division will also provide the capability to deliver and document laboratory- based exercise dosed at specific levels of intensity and energy expenditure and to deliver and monitor both weight management and exercise inventions remotely to groups of participants in their homes. The Energy Intake Division will provide assessments of energy, macronutrient and micronutrient intake (direct observation, weighted and digital image plate waste, self-reports), assessments of biomarkers that are indicators of compliance to diet recommendations or nutrient absorption, and analysis of the gut microbiome which may play a role in energy balance. This Division also has the capacity to prepare and serve meals of specific energy and macronutrient intake for controlled feeding trials. The Clinical Weight Management Division will utilize the facilities and staff of our on-going KUMC clinical weight management program to provide training, a venue for pilot research projects, and a mechanism for the delivery of evidence-based weight management interventions developed by KC-MORE COBRE supported and other investigators. In addition to opportunities for training in clinical weight management, our clinical weight management program provides a venue to conduct pilot weight management trials and maintains a registry of data and contact information on over 3,000 previous and current participants for secondary analysis and pilot surveys. The establishment of the HEB core will centralize, for the first time on the KUMC campus, the facilities, equipment, expertise, and training opportunities to provide access to multiple techniques for the assessment of energy intake and energy expenditure suitable for use in weight management trials conducted in both laboratory and community settings. In addition, HEB core will provide training in the conduct of weight management trials in both laboratory and community settings using a variety of strategies for intervention de...