STRONG=Synergistic Theory and Research on Nutrition and Obesity Group
Overview
The STRONG Kids Program is a transdisciplinary research and education program that currently includes investigators from nutritional sciences, human development and family studies, kinesiology and community health, and social work. The program uses a cells-to-society approach to nutrition and will provide unique insights into how individual biology interacts with the family environment to promote healthy eating habits in young children. It is one of the first studies to take a longitudinal look at eating habits from a child’s birth, including milk and dairy consumption. The STRONG Kids 2 effort builds upon previous research from the STRONG Kids 1 study.
- Learn about the STRONG Kids 1 study.
- Learn about the STRONG Kids 2 study.
- View photos from the 2022 STRONG Kids Research Symposium.
Subprojects
Several subprojects utilize STRONG Kids data to examine elements such as children’s media exposure and nutritional knowledge, parent-child relationships as potential moderators of health practices, and families’ health literacy as it relates to weight management and body image. The following are subprojects of the STRONG Kids Program.
Ongoing Subprojects
- Body Composition Relationships with Intelligence, Gut Health, and Thinking - Bright Kids
- Children and Maternal Sleep
- Comparison of Dietary Measures
- Dietary and Microbial Predictors of Childhood Obesity Risk
- Follow Through on the Intent to Breastfeed: The Impact of Non-Parental Child Care
- Mealtime Observations, Picky Eating, Temperament, and Household Chaos
- Microbial Interrelationships Between Mothers and Infants by Mode of Feeding
- Microbiome Gut-Brain Axis in Mothers and Their Children
- Protective Parents Project
- SNPs and WFLZ Scores
Completed Subprojects
- Family Health Awareness Study
- Examining Food Marketing and Promotion to Young Children in the Retail Food Store Environment
- Obesity Risk Biomarkers
- Preschoolers' Food Preferences and Nutritional Knowledge
- The Role of Head Start and Child Care Classrooms in Early Childhood Obesity—A Cumulative Risk Model
Research Team
Principal Investigators
- Barbara Fiese, Ph.D., Project Co-Director, Professor Emerita, Human Development and Family Studies
- Sharon Donovan, Ph.D., R.D., Co-Principal Investigator, Professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Margarita Teran-Garcia, Ph.D., Assistant Dean for Integrated Health Disparities Programs, University Extension
Co-Investigators
- Kelly Bost, Ph.D., Co-Investigator, Professor, Human Development and Family Studies
- Naiman Khan, Ph.D., R.D., Co-Investigator, Associate Professor, Kinesiology and Community Health
- Brent McBride, Co-Investigator, Ph.D., Director, Child Development Laboratory, Human Development and Family Studies
- Jacinda Dariotis, Co-Investigator, Ph.D., Director, Family Resiliency Center
- Diana Grigsby-Toussaint, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Epidemiology
- Janet Liechty, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Social Work and College of Medicine
- Margarita Teran-Garcia, Ph.D., MD, Assistant Professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition
- Angela Wiley, Ph.D., Professor, Human Development and Family Science
Contact:
strongkids@illinois.edu