NSU Newsroom
SharkBytes
Horizons
This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
College of Psychology Team part of Childhood Obesity Research Grant
Jessica Valenzuela, Ph.D.
The faculty and students of NSU’s College of Psychology are part of a team studying methods for improving childhood obesity interventions.
The project is funded by a multi-year grant from the Washington, D.C.-based Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, or PCORI.
“It was an opportunity to develop our community partnerships further and engage families in our partnerships, so we can work together on something that we hope would impact pediatric obesity in Broward County,” said Associate Professor Jessica Valenzuela, Ph.D., of the Department of Clinical and School Psychology.
The Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit group Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth, or FLIPANY, partnered with NSU on the project. Valenzuela said PCORI grants are typically awarded in hospital or clinical settings, rather than the community. In this case, the grant is funding research conducted at Deerfield Beach Middle School.
“It made more sense to work in the community from a public health approach,” Valenzuela said.
The research team includes two Clinical Psychology doctoral students, Roya Amirniroumand and Kristina Tatum. The three-tier grant’s funding included $15,000 for the first year, where the team established relationships with parents, school administrators, and health care providers to gather information about the effectiveness of BMI (body mass index) screenings. Valenzuela noted that BMI screenings have been controversial, with some parents being offended over their children being classified as overweight or obese, but in South Florida there are also cultural nuances at work.
In the second year, with $25,000 from the PCORI grant, the team has focused on narrowing research questions and connecting to national stakeholders. The team is also applying for other grants to expand partnerships. They are also building local capacity through the creation of an advisory board that includes parents, a school administrator, a school nurse, and a community representative according to Kristine Perez-Carrion, FLIPANY’s Director of Programs.
Full story: https://psychology.nova.edu/news-events/2018/pcori-grant-bmi.html.