Research
Dr. EpsteinDr. Epstein's research includes both basic and applied research in behavioral medicine. Basic research includes research on factors that influence why children overeat or why they choose to engage in physical activity or be sedentary. Basic research programs include how habituation influences satiation and energy intake, how the reinforcing value of physical activity influences the choice to be active or sedentary, and how genetics and the environment interact to influence eating behavior. Applied research includes studying factors that moderate the relationship between changes in sedentary behaviors and physical activity and energy intake, and how price changes influence food purchases of healthy versus less healthy foods. Clinical research includes a randomized controlled study on the efficacy and cost-benefit of treating parents and children together for pediatric obesity, versus treating the parents and children separately. To view Dr. Epstein's research opportunities, click here.
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Dr. Roemmich
Dr. Roemmich's programs of research focus on basic laboratory and field studies of increasing physical activity of youth and adults and basic research on the effect of psychological stress on health behaviors and cardiovascular health. Physical activity research includes basic studies on manipulating the properties of physical activity such as intensity and duration to determine which properties children find most reinforcing. Field trials focus on how environmental attributes influence children's and adult's choices to be physically active. Physical activity field trials include studies to determine the duration and intensity of activity at various land parcel types including parks and the amount of physical activity associated with various park elements. A second trial is determining whether neighborhood environment characteristics, particularly access to parks, influences how readily overweight children and their parents increase their physical activity when their access to television is reduced by 50%. Current studies on psychological stress are focused on whether children who are most reactive to stress have early thickening of their arteries and whether they are more impulsive to eat comfort foods in response to stress, and whether exercise can act to protect against stress reactivity. To view Dr. Roemmich's research opportunities, click here.
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Dr. Salvy
Dr. Salvy's areas of interest relate to food choices (selection), food intake (regulation), and activity choices (physical or sedentary) in both children and adolescents. Her research focuses on the effects of social influence on eating and activities in overweight and non-overweight youth. She has been conducting several studies assessing how peer relationships, or the lack thereof, impact youth's eating and physical activity. The long-term objective is to better understand how social isolation resulting from teasing and weight criticism may decrease the motivation to be physically active and involvement with peers and increase the reinforcing value of eating and sedentary activities. She is now conducting studies assessing whether a validated social-skills training intervention increases overweight youths' social involvement and, as a result, increases children's time allocation to physically active leisure activities. To view Dr. Salvy's research opportunities, click here.
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Dr. Temple
Dr. Temple's research focuses on identifying and understanding factors that influence the reinforcing value of food and beverages. One study is aimed at determining how habitual caffeine consumption alters the reinforcing value of sweet foods and beverages in adolescents. The other study is testing food-related factors that reduce food reinforcement in adults in order to try and improve weight reduction strategies. This approach uses daily intake of small portions of food to decrease food reinforcement and will, eventually, be applied to a weight loss program for overweight and obese adults.
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