Areas of specialization

Childhood and adolescent obesity, physical activity epidemiology

Research interests

Dr. Barr-Anderson's research interests focus on physical activity, sedentary behaviors, and obesity prevention in children and adolescents. She is particularly interested in school- and community-based, environmental interventions that incorporate both physical activity and nutrition to achieve healthy outcomes and to decrease racial/ethnic health inequalities. An area of research she is beginning to explore is how factors within the home activity and food environments interplay with individual and interpersonal factors to contribute to overweight and obesity in children, adolescents, and their families. She was recently awarded a K-12, career development Building Interdisciplinary Careers in Women's Health (BIRCWH) grant to focus specifically on environmental influences of overweight and obesity among African American adolescent girls.

During the next three years as a BIRCWH scholar, Barr-Anderson will conduct a two-phase research project. The first phase (Perceived and objective qualitative assessment of the home, school, and neighborhood physical activity and food environments) is comprised of 1) conducting focus groups with African American adolescent girls and an adult female from each girl’s family to explore family/home, school, and neighborhood environmental factors and 2) conducting a home environmental assessment of physical activity and food resources and opportunities. The second phase of the research project (Perceived and objective quantitative assessment of the home and neighborhood physical activity and food environments) will use information gathered from the focus groups and home assessments to develop a survey that specifically addresses family/home, neighborhood, and school environmental factors related to physical activity and diet relevant to African American adolescent girls. The survey data will be linked to Geographic Information System (GIS) data to answer the overarching question for Dr. Barr-Anderson’s BIRCWH award, What are the perceived and objective environmental factors that influence PA & diet in African American adolescent girls? Upon the completion of her BIRCWH, Dr. Barr-Anderson anticipates having preliminary data to write a competitive, NIH R-series grant for a group-randomized, culturally appropriate obesity prevention trial for African American adolescent girls.**

Academic degrees

• Ph.D., University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 2006
  Major: kinesiology, emphasis: exercise epidemiology
• Masters of Science in Public Health (M.S.P.H.), University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 2000
  Major: epidemiology
• B.S., Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC, 1998
  Major: biology

Professional memberships

• African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network
• American College of Sports Medicine
  • Special Interest Group: Minority Health & Research
• American Council on Exercise
• American Public Health Association
  • Special Interest Group: Epidemiology

Publications

Barr-Anderson DJ, Robinson-O’Brien R, Hannan PJ, Haines J, Neumark-Sztainer D. Parent report vs. child perception of familial support: which is more associated with child’s physical activity and television viewing behavior? Preventive Medicine. Under review.

Fox CK, Barr-Anderson DJ, Neumark-Sztainer D, Wall M. Physical activity and sports participation: Associations with academic outcomes in middle school and high school students. Journal of School Health. Under review.

Nelson MC, Larson NI, Barr-Anderson DJ, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M. Dietary intake, meal patterning and home food environments among emerging adults: Disparities between non-students and two-year and four-year college students. American Journal of Public Health. In press.

Walters S, Barr-Anderson DJ, Wall M, Neumark-Sztainer DR. Do organized sports predict future physical activity for adolescents from diverse economic backgrounds? Journal of Adolescent Health. In press.

Barr-Anderson DJ, Larson NI, Nelson MC, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M. Does television viewing predict dietary intake five years later in high school students and young adults? International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2009;6:7. media coverage report

**Barr-Anderson DJ, Neumark-Sztainer D, Lytle L, Schmitz K, Pratt C, Ward D, Conway T, Strikmiller P, Pate R. But I Like PE: Factors associated with enjoyment of physical education class in middle school girls. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 2008;79:18-27.

Barr-Anderson DJ, van den Berg P, Neumark-Sztainer DR, Story MT. Characteristics associated with older adolescents who have a TV in their bedroom. Pediatrics. 2008;121(4):718-24.

Sirard JR, Barr-Anderson DJ. Physical activity in adolescents: from associations to interventions. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2008;42:327-8.

Barr-Anderson DJ, Young DR, Gittelsohn J, Cohen S, Neumark-Sztainer D, Sallis J, Saunders R, Webber, L.  Structured physical activity and psychosocial correlates in middle school girls. Preventive Medicine. 2007;44(5):404-9.

Lucas JW, Barr-Anderson DJ, Kington RS. Health status of Non-Hispanic US- and foreign-born Black  and White Persons: United States, 1992-95. Vital and Health Statistics 10. 2005;(226):1-20.

Lucas JW, Barr-Anderson DJ, Kington RS. Health status, health insurance, and health care utilization patterns of immigrant Black men. American Journal of Public Health. 2003;93(10):1740-7.

Full Vitae

• Download curriculum vitae [.pdf]

Revised July 2008