Previous Research Projects

Candy Study:

Exploring Alternatives to Restriction: A randomized intervention trial aimed at promoting children’s intake of candy in moderation

National Confectioners Association
PI: Dr. Dr. Jennifer Savage Williams, CCOR
CO-PI: Dr. Brandi Y. Rollins, CCOR
In the press: From the children's perspective: What are candy, snacks, and meals?

Girls’ NEEDS Project

National Institute of Health
PI: Dr. Leann L. Birch
In the press: More rapid increase in BMI from age 5-15 is associated with elevated weight status at age 24 among non-Hispanic White females
In the press: Family, friend, and media factors are associated with patterns of weight-control behavior among adolescent girls
In the press: Eating in the absence of hunger during childhood predicts self-reported binge eating in adolescence

Project EMPOWER: Understanding the Mother-Infant Dynamic of Sleep and Stress on Energy Balance and Infant Feeding Practices during Early Infancy

USDA Childhood Obesity Prevention Training Program
PI: Elizabeth Adams, CCOR Ph.D. Student
Co-I's: Drs. Jennifer Savage Williams, CCOR, Ian Paul, Hershey Medical Center, Orfeu Buxton, Biobehavioral Health, Joshua Smyth, Biobehavioral Health, Danielle Downs, Kinesiology

Dynamical Systems Modeling Study

The purpose of the Using Dynamical Systems Modeling to Understand Effects of an Individually Tailored Prenatal Weight Gain Intervention on Fetal Growth and Postnatal Obesity Risk research study is to examine the effect of the intrauterine environment on fetal growth. By using the existing Healthy Mom Zone infrastructure, prospective data collection on the fetal environment will help to clarify how the gestational weight gain intervention impacts fetal growth and development.

Facebook Project Pilot Study

The Facebook Project Pilot study examined Facebook as a platform to engage and provide nutrition education to parents of Head Start children.

Healthy Mom Zone Study

Conventional approaches to manage gestational weight gain (GWG) in overweight/ obese pregnant women (OW/OBPW) have been generally ineffective despite the critical need to control GWG for positive maternal/infant health outcomes. Control Systems Engineering for Optimizing a Prenatal Weight Gain Intervention research s tudy uses dynamical modeling and control systems engineering to develop an individually-tailored (adaptive) behavioral intervention for managing GWG among overweight and obese pregnant women.