Author: ucbmchnutrition

UC Berkeley Trainee Spotlight: Christopher Viya Chau

Chris is a trainee at the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in public health, with an emphasis in public health nutrition, and is graduating in May 2018. This blog highlights his current research on childhood obesity prevention among black and white preadolescent girls.

 

Continuing the Fight Against Childhood Obesity

 

While the childhood obesity rates have appeared to plateau, the current prevalence is still alarmingly high in the US. The racial disparity persists as black youth are disproportionately obese compared to their white counterparts. My current research broadly examines racial and socioeconomic disparities in cardiovascular risk among black and white girls who participated in the longitudinal National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS). More specifically, I have investigated the modifiable risk factors associated with eating disturbances, abdominal obesity, and cardiovascular biomarkers.

 

My research in the field of obesity prevention aims to expand the current literature and inform future policy. One of my studies has examined the influence of sugary beverage intake and abdominal obesity from childhood to late adolescence. My other study aims to extend the current knowledge on the association between abdominal obesity measures and cardiovascular biomarkers among minority youth—an area with limited research using longitudinal data.

 

While my doctoral experience had focused heavily on epidemiology and statistics, my overarching goal is to conduct applied research in obesity prevention to inform public health practice, policies, and interventions among communities of color. In the future, I would like to collaborate with community stakeholders, technology experts, and behavioral economists to develop creative environmental strategies that nudge children to improve their diet and physical activity.

 

 

–Christopher Viya Chau, MCH Nutrition Trainee, University of California, Berkeley

 

 

UC Berkeley Nutrition Spotlight: Ronli Levi

At the end of February, the second year Public Health Nutrition students had the opportunity to present their final capstone projects. Over the course of the last year, students have been working tirelessly with faculty, preceptors, and one another to conduct literature reviews, analyze data and develop a framework of recommendations for complex Public Health Nutrition problems.

Among the presenters were a number of second year MCH nutrition trainees.
Trainees presented on a wide range of topics, drawing on both original research and case study analyses. Examples of projects included a quantitative analysis of the diet quality of breakfast in school-aged children before and after the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, a global case study on the maternal nutrition needs of Syrian refugees and an examination of the association between environmental risk factors and BMI. After many months of work, it was inspiring to hear all of the research being done on so many different aspects of MCH nutrition.

I was also able to present my own research findings on a study that examined the association between food security status and health care use among low income Californians. Food insecurity has been increasingly associated with the development of chronic diseases and poor disease management. Furthermore, evidence has shown many patients are being forced to choose between purchasing food or their medications. The goal of this research was to better understand the extent to which food insecurity contributes to healthcare use in order to inform policies that better align our healthcare system with social determinants of health interventions. In the future, I hope to continue exploring ways in which we can create better access to food in order to improve the overall health and wellbeing of individuals and families.

 

UC Berkeley Trainee Spotlight: Lilly Nhan

Lilly Nhan is a trainee at University of California, Berkeley. She is currently working on research examining the association between characteristics of community and school-level programs and policies and children’s dietary intake and weight status. In this blog post, she highlights her team’s research approach.

With the rise in childhood obesity over the past several decades, numerous programs and interventions have been implemented with the goal of improving children’s diet and overall health. Efforts have spanned from the federal level, such as the USDA’s Healthier U.S. Schools Challenge, to community-based interventions, such as Shape Up Somerville. Furthermore, at the local level communities and school can also implement their own health and wellness related policies.

Thus, children across the US are living in communities with varying numbers and intensities of these programs and policies aimed at improving their health. Instead of focusing on a single intervention, this research seeks to understand across these varying types of interventions, what characteristics of programs and policies are associated with the most beneficial dietary and health outcomes in children. Examples of such characteristics include the amount or combinations of community programs and policies, their intensity, or duration.

This research will (a) characterize the breadth and scope of programs and policies aimed at tackling childhood obesity across multiple US communities, (b) identify the characteristics of these programs and policies that are associated with the best dietary and health outcomes, and (c) help inform best practices for the design and implementation of future childhood obesity interventions.

Working on this project has shown me the importance of research that acknowledges the dynamic interplay between an individual and their environment. People’s eating behaviors are shaped by their physical, social, and economic environments. Consequently, in order for interventions to be effective, they must recognize and meet the needs of their target population and their environment.

I have been inspired by this experience to continue working in childhood obesity research. Through this research, I hope to serve as an advocate for the equitable health and well-being of children across the U.S.

– Lilly Nhan, MCH Nutrition Trainee, University of California, Berkeley