Butterfly Girls Study
The study titled ‘Using Technology to Prevent Obesity Among African American Girls’., also known as Butterfly Girls, was a culturally and developmentally appropriate obesity prevention intervention tailored to African American girls. It was presented as an online 8-episode program and followed a three-group randomized design: story and goal setting (treatment), story only (comparison), and waitlist control. The primary outcome was body mass index. Secondary outcomes included child diet and physical activity. The data is currently being examined to determine the influence of the intervention on the outcomes and moderation by socioeconomic status and severe obesity at baseline. This study was conducted via funds from the National Institute on Health grant #MD005814 (to Dr. Thompson). More information is found on the PI of the study, Dr. Deb Thompson.
Comparison of Body Composition Measures to Assess Childhood Obesity
There are limitations to using body mass index in children to assess unhealthy weight gain and risk for disease such as asthma and cardiovascular disease. We are currently conducting a systematic literature review to examine the nature of different measures used to assess body composition in children and correlate them with objective measures of body fat.
Funding provided in part with federal funds from the USDA/ARS under Cooperative Agreement No. 58-3092-0-001.
Markers of Inflammation and Stress in Mothers and Infants
We are conducting a pilot study in which we are measuring markers of inflammation and stress in human milk and other biological samples. We intend to correlate the markers with measures of maternal stress and maternal and child measures of diet and risk for cardiovascular disease.
Funding provided in part with federal funds from the USDA/ARS under Cooperative Agreement No. 58-3092-0-001.
Social and Demographic Determinants of Maternal and Child Health
We are investigating maternal perceptions and attitudes about feeding and child growth. The ultimate goal is to identify healthy lifestyle strategies that are effective among mothers with children at-risk for obesity. We also conduct secondary data analysis of publicly-available social drivers of health data to develop data-driven tools to promote obesity-interventions applicable to all populations.
Funding provided in part with federal funds from the USDA/ARS under Cooperative Agreement No. 58-3092-0-001.
Methodological Research
Our research is grounded in methods development as we frequently encounter analytical challenges during the course of a study. This includes applying methods to deal with imbalanced data in new areas, machine learning methods to address differences in outcomes across individuals , enhancing rigor and reproducibility in behavioral research, augmenting quantitative with qualitative approaches, and expanding the use of simulations and multilevel models into fields that traditionally use other methods.
Funding provided in part with federal funds from the USDA/ARS under Cooperative Agreement No. 58-3092-0-001.