Maternal and Child Public Health Research in the Division is concerned with the health of women, infants, children and families. including youth health behavior and promotion.
Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health
The Maternal and Child Health Training Program, funded by the MCH Bureau, began in 1954 under the part-time stewardship of Dr. Ruth Boynton, after whom the University's Health Service is named.
Since that time, under the direction of three more charismatic leaders –
Dr. Helen Wallace, Dr. Allyn Bridge, and Robert W. ten Bensel, MD - MCH has
become one of the School's best known programs.
The goal of the Center for Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Public Health is to share best practices and professional resources.
The Leadership, Education and Training (LET) Program
The Leadership, Education and Training (LET) Program in Maternal and Child Nutrition provides graduate education and training and continuing education programs for Registered Dietitians, nutritionists and other health professionals who are interested in
developing a specialization in maternal and child nutrition. The LET program is part of the graduate program in public health nutrition.
Principal Investigator: Ellen W. Demerath PhD
Investigators: Ellen Demerath, PI
John Blangero (Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research)
Joanne Curren (Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research)
Bradford Towne (Wright State University)
Stefan Czerwinski (Wright State University)
Funding Agency: NICHD
This project uses serial growth and maturity data from 650 subjects in the Fels Longitudinal Study who have been followed from birth to adolescence in order to examine the relationship between rapid rate of growth in infancy to later obesity risk, and to test the hypothesis that there are genetic influences on infant growth and obesity in adolescence using genetic linkage analysis and SNP association testing.
Last Updated: 11/12/2007 10:01:41 AM
Pregnancy Feelings and Attitudes Among Native American Youth
Principal Investigator: Wendy Hellerstedt Ph.D., M.P.H
Investigators: Ann Garwick, PhD
Funding Agency: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Association of Schools of Public Health
To identify correlates of positive and negative feelings about pregnancy and childbearing among native youth and understand the nature of pregnancy and childbearing intention among young native females and males. See website: www.ntv.umn.edu
Last Updated: 5/14/2007 2:34:07 PM
Smoke-Free Saturday Nights for 18-24 Year-olds
Principal Investigator: Deborah Hennrikus Ph.D.
Investigators: Jean Forster, PhD
Michael Oakes, PhD
Ed Felien, PhD
Funding Agency: Minnesota Partners for Action Against Tobacco
Young adulthood is a period of transition in smoking patterns and therefore a stage of development that offers an important window of opportunity for intervention. Few studies have focussed on young adults, but there is some indication that smoking is strongly linked to social situations for this age group. Therefore, a promising tobacco control approach for young adults might be to provide desirable entertainment options that are smoke-free. Campaigns for smoke-free events at entertainment venues such as restaurants and bars have been hard-fought, however. Owners are typically concerned that smoke-free events will alienate smokers and lead to a downturn in business. In this study, an alternative weekly newspaper, the Pulse of the Twin Cities, has partnered with researchers at the Division of Epidemiology, to produce, promote and evaluate weekly Smoke-Free Saturday Night events in Twin Cities music venues that target young adults. It is anticipated that this project will provide Minnesota restaurant, clubs, and bar owners concrete demonstrations in their own market area that smoke-free venues can be successful and profitable.
Last Updated: 12/20/2006 3:34:18 PM
The Influence of Health Confidants on Smoking and Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Pregnancy and Postpartum
Principal Investigator: Deborah Hennrikus Ph.D.
Investigators: Deborah Hennrikus
Harry A. Lando
Wendy Hellerstedt
Caroline Dunn
Phyllis Pirie
Jeanne Steele
Funding Agency: Robert Wood Johnson
To conduct an intervention with health confidantes to decrease prenatal and postpartum smoking.
Last Updated: 12/20/2006 3:26:42 PM
Leadership Education in Maternal and Child Health
Principal Investigator: Wendy Hellerstedt Ph.D., M.P.H
Investigators: Joan Patterson, PhD; Chuck Oberg, MD; Mary Story PhD; Deborah Hennrikus, PhD; Jean Forster, PhD
Funding Agency: Maternal and Child Health Bureau
To improve and enhance the health of mothers, infants, children, adolescents and their families by training health professionals for leadership roles. See website: www.epi.umn.edu/mch
Last Updated: 12/15/2006 3:14:33 PM
Promoting a healthy body image among elementary school children (V.I.K. Very Important Kids)
The objective of this study is to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a pilot program, V.I.K. (Very Important Kids), designed to reduce weight-related teasing, dieting behaviors, and media internalization, and to improve body image in order to prevent the spectrum of weight-related disorders. The V.I.K. intervention was developed as a collaborative project involving the YMCA of Greater Saint Paul - East Branch, John A. Johnson Achievement Plus Elementary School, the University of Minnesota - Division of Epidemiology, and the Illusion Theatre. The intervention ran for one year and included four components; 1) an after-school program for students, 2) school outreach activities focused on changing social norms regarding teasing and weight; 3) a family outreach component; and 4) a theater program.
Last Updated: 11/14/2006 1:29:47 PM
New Moves: Obesity Prevention Among Adolescent Girls
Principal Investigator: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D.
Investigators: Mary T. Story, Ph.D.
Funding Agency: NIH/NIDDK
New Moves is a school-based program designed to promote increased physical activity, healthy eating behaviors, and a positive self-image among sedentary adolescent girls at risk for overweight. It is being offered to high-school girls for credit during school hours as an alternative to the regular physical education program. The program includes physical activity, nutritional guidance, social support, individual counseling, and maintenance components. Social Cognitive Theory is being used to guide the program development, implementation, and evaluation. The intervention focuses on modifying personal, socio-environmental, and behavioral factors.
Last Updated: 11/14/2006 1:20:12 PM
Eating Among Teens (Project EAT-I and Project EAT-II)
Principal Investigator: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D.
Investigators: Cheryl L. Perry, Ph.D.; Mary T. Story, Ph.D.
Funding Agency: Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services
Dietary patterns developed during adolescence may contribute to obesity and eating disorders and may increase risk for several important chronic diseases later in life. Furthermore, the prevalence of overweight has increased significantly, in particular among minority youth and youth from low socio-economic backgrounds. In order to address these growing problems, it is essential to identify which groups of adolescents need to be targeted for intervention and to identify the factors that need to be addressed in interventions. Large gaps exist in our understanding of the factors associated with nutritional intake, physical activity, and weight status among adolescents. This study aims to identify the socio-environmental, personal, and behavioral determinants of nutritional intake and weight status among a large and ethnically diverse adolescent population. Study components included: 1) focus groups with adolescents, 2) school-based surveys and anthropometric measurements with adolescents, and 3) parental telephone interviews, and 4) a five-year longitudinal follow-up of 2,516 adolescents.
You can also visit the Project EAT website for additional information on Project EAT.
Last Updated: 11/14/2006 1:16:16 PM
National Maternal Nutrition Intensive Course
Principal Investigator: Jamie S Stang PhD, MPH, RD
Investigators: Jamie Stang, PhD
Funding Agency: United State Dept. of Agriculture
To advance the knowledge and skill levels of health professionals serving economically disadvantaged women and families, before, during, and after pregnancy.
Last Updated: 3/10/2006 11:07:58 AM
Effects of Economic Development Activities on Employment, Alcohol Outlet Density and Homicide in Three California Communities
Principal Investigator: Rhonda J. Jones-Webb Dr.P.H.
Investigators: Alexander C. Wagenaar, Samuel Meyers, William Craig
Funding Agency: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The specific aims of this two-year study are to: (1) evaluate the effects of the EZ/EC initiative on employment, alcohol outlet density, and homicide in Oakland and San Francisco from 1993-1998, (2) evaluate the effects of the EZ/EC initiative on employment, alcohol outlet density, and homicide in Santa Ana from 1993-2002, (3) investigate whether the effects of the EZ/EC program on employment, alcohol outlet density and homicide differ by funding level in Oakland and San Francisco, and (4) analyze the interrelationships between employment, alcohol outlet density, and homicide
Last Updated: 9/20/2005 11:14:44 AM
Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls - Field Center
Principal Investigator: Leslie A. Lytle Ph.D., R.D.; Cheryl L. Perry, Ph.D.
Investigators: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, PhD,
Kathryn Schmitz, PhD,
Martha Kubik, PhD
Funding Agency: NIH/NHLBI
This intervention study will develop and evaluate school and community linked approaches to reduce the decline in physical activity in adolescent girls. It is a multicentered trial, being conducted in 36 schools in 6 field centers across the nation.
Last Updated: 6/8/2005
The Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at School (TEENS) Study
Principal Investigator: Leslie A. Lytle Ph.D., R.D.
Investigators: Cheryl Perry, PhD,
Mary Story, PhD,
Martha Kubik, PhD
Funding Agency: NCI
The Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at School (TEENS) study was a school-based intervention study funded by the National Cancer Institute with the goal of increasing middle school students' intakes of fruits, vegetables and lower fat foods. A student survey was included as an evaluation tool and includes questions assessing student tobacco use. The survey was administered to a cohort of students (approximately 3800) at three time points. The tobacco items are being analyzed with other variables assessing the health behaviors of adolescents.
Last Updated: 6/3/2005
Assessing Health and Eating in Adolescents with Diabetes (AHEAD)
Principal Investigator: Dianne Neumark-Sztainer Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D.
Investigators: Joe Sockalosky, M.D. Children's Hospital and Clinics; Mary T. Story, Ph.D; Joan Patterson Ph.D.
Funding Agency: Children's Hospital and Clinics
Unhealthy weight control behaviors pose risks for the general adolescent population. They have the potential, however, to be particularly harmful for youth with chronic illness. Previous studies by the the investigators have found that youth with chronic illness are more likely to engage in unhealthy weight control behaviors than youth without chronic illness. The question arises as to why youth with chronic illness are at increased risk for unhealthy weight control practices and what can be done to decrease their likelihood for engaging in these behaviors.
Last Updated: 5/11/2005
Adolescent Smoking Cessation in Dental Practices (Nicoteen)
Principal Investigator: Harry A. Lando Ph.D.
Investigators: Raymond G. Boyle, Ph.D., HealthPartners; Deborah J. Hennrikus, Ph.D.; DeAnn Lazovich, Ph.D., M.P.H.; John T. Vessey, Ph.D.
Funding Agency: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Adolescents have increased their smoking rates, and Minnesota adolescent smoking prevalence exceeds the national average. This study attempts to address adolescent smoking in the dental setting. Both dentists and dental hygienists are interested in addressing smoking and other tobacco use. Smoking has important implications for dental health as well as for general health. Adolescents (14 to 17 years) were recruited into the study and randomly assigned to either a systems-based approach alone in which they receive dentist and hygiene advice to quit or not to start smoking, or to an enhanced-systems approach in which they receive in addition tailored motivational counseling and follow-up by a trained dental hygienist. Smoking prevalence was assessed 3 and 12 months after the dental visit to examine the potential incremental effectiveness and cost effectiveness of the more intensive intervention program.
This project is now complete and the outcome manuscript is being prepared for publication.
Last Updated: 5/10/2005
Ecologic Study of Children's Required PE and Obesity
This study will compare the BMI and body fat % of 4th grade children in 10 Minnesota schools that have the highest minutes of PE programming compared to the 10 schools with the least minutes of PE programming to assess whether there are difference in the prevalence of obesity in these 2 sets of schools.
Last Updated: 8/23/2004
Reducing Children’s Exposure to Tobacco Smoke Pollution (BEST for Baby Project)
Principal Investigator: Deborah Hennrikus Ph.D.
Investigators: Larry An, MD
Phyllis Pirie, PhD
Harry Lando, PhD
Raymond Boyle, PhD
Funding Agency: National Cancer Institute
Children’s exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) results in significant mortality and morbidity and excess medical care expenditures. Counseling parents of new infants about how to reduce their children's ETS exposure (without necessarily quitting smoking themselves) has been shown to be a promising strategy for decreasing infants' ETS exposure. For many parents, it also could be the first step in quitting smoking. This project is a five-year clinical trial funded as part of the University of Minnesota Trandisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center that is designed to test this harm reduction strategy and examines the viability of its systematic use by a managed care organization. The study is a collaboration among the University of Minnesota, two health plans, HealthPartners and Medica, and WIC.
Last Updated: 10/10/2003
Young Adult Longitudinal Trends in Antioxidants (YALTA)
Principal Investigator: David R. Jacobs Ph.D.
Investigators: Myron Gross, Ph.D., Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Funding Agency: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
YALTA is an ancillary study to CARDIA. Dr. Myron Gross's laboratory measured serum antioxidants using frozen blood from most CARDIA participants. The blood was collected at the CARDIA examinations of years 0, 7 and 10. The next five years of study will look at trends in the antioxidants, measure various oxidative stress indicators, and various markers of oxidative damage. These will be correlated with existence of coronary calculation to better understand mechanisms underlying early atherosclerosis.
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