Overweight & Obesity Research

Research

Young girl with physical therapist

Current Projects 

Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring to Examine Glycemic Variability in Youth Prescribed Anti-Obesity Medications (PI: Mahsa Babaei, Juan Espinoza, Faculty Advisor)

Food Decision-making in Childhood (PI Mimi Kim; Co-Investigator: Joyce Javier)

Digital Ecosystem Intervention for Pediatric Obesity (PI: Larry Yin, Co-Investigator: Alexis Deavenport-Saman)

Natural History of Obesity Repository (NHOR) (PI: Aliana Vidmar; Co-Investigator: Alexis Deavenport-Saman)

Dog Ownership and Physical Activity among Adolescents Enrolled in BodyWorks (PI: Larry Yin, MD, MSPH, Co-I: Olga Solomon, PhD; Co-I: Alexis Deavenport-Saman, DrPH)

The Role of the Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in the Prevention of Overweight and Obesity in Group Homes Serving Individuals with Developmental Disabilities in California (PI: Cary Kreutzer)

AltaMed STOMP program outcomes retrospective study (Co Investigators: Larry Yin, Alexis Deavenport-Saman)

Developing a Theoretical Framework For Digital Health Obesity Interventions in Underserved Latino Communities: A Grounded Theory Approach (Co-Investigators: Larry Yin, Alexis Deavenport-Saman)

Impact of Anti-Obesity Medication on Dietary Intake and Glycemic Variability in Youth with Obesity (PI: Mahsa Babaei, Juan Espinoza, Faculty Advisor)

Publications

Brennan RA, Larson J, Deavenport-Saman A, Kreutzer C. The role of the registered dietitian nutritionist in California group homes for weight stabilization of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Connections. Dietetics in Health Care Communities a Dietetic Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2022;46(2):18-22.

Cosimini, M., Shah, P., Jung, C., Bennett, A., Fang, K., Solomon, O., & Espinoza, J. (2022). Cute Kid? Patient Obesity Status and the Use of Nonmedical Descriptors in Presentations by Pediatric Residents. Childhood obesity (Print), 10.1089/chi.2022.0157. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2022.0157

Espinoza, J.C., Chen, A.M., Deavenport-Saman, A., Solomon, O., Ponce, A., Sikder, A., ... Yin, L. (2021). Wearable Devices Decrease Attrition among Families Participating in an Obesity Intervention at a Federally Qualified Health Center. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 32(2), 13-24. doi:10.1353/hpu.2021.0048.

Espinoza, JC, Deavenport-Saman A, Solomon O, Chowdhuri S, Wee CP, Azen C, Orozco J, Kreutzer C, Yin L. Not just at school: inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder in a weight management program in a community pediatric setting. Autism. 2021;25(3):642-655. PMID: 33626921.

Polfuss M, Liu T, Smith K, Murphy PS, Ward E, Thibadeau J, Dosa NP, Wang Y, Sawin KJ. Weight status of children participating in the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry. Pediatrics. 2022; 150 (6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-057007.