Dr. Tovar is an Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences in the Brown University School of Public Health. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Dr. Tovar received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Northeastern University in 2001, a Master’s in Public Health from Tufts University School of Medicine in 2005, and her Ph.D. from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in 2009. Dr. Tovar was a faculty in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at The University of Rhode Island from 2012-2021 and joined Brown University in 2022.
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| Vinitchagoon T, Hennessy E, Zhang FF, Fauth RC, Must A, Tovar A, Choumenkovitch SF, Economos CD. "A Dietary Pattern With More Fruits and Vegetables in Children of Mothers Who Immigrated to the United States From Latin America Is Associated With Healthful Nutrient Intake and Weight Status." Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 124, no. 8, 2024, pp. 947-956.e1. |
| Frank, Hannah E., Guzman, Linda E., Ayalasomayajula, Shivani, Albanese, Ariana, Dunklee, Brady, Harvey, Matthew, Bouchard, Kelly, Vadiveloo, Maya, Yaroch, Amy L., Scott, Kelli, Tovar, Alison. "Developing and testing a produce prescription implementation blueprint to improve food security in a clinical setting: a pilot study protocol." Pilot and Feasibility Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, 2024, pp. 51. |
| Ramirez A, Fox K, Melo Herrera Y, Gans KM, Risica PM, McCurdy K, Jennings E, Tovar A. "Goals, Barriers, and Facilitators of Caregivers Who Participated in an In-Home Intervention to Improve Food Parenting Practices and Child Diet Quality." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 56, no. 8, 2024, pp. 521-531. |
| Owens BA, Sabik NJ, Tovar A, Ward-Ritacco CL, Melanson K, Guerrieo Z, Oaks BM. "Higher morning cortisol is associated with lower intuitive eating in midlife women." Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 162, 2024, pp. 106958. |
| Chacón V, Chung M, Folta SC, Hennessy E, Macfarlane H, Roberto CA, Tovar A, Wilson NLW, Economos CD. "The longitudinal association between caregivers' perceived competence and autonomy and children's dietary consumption before and 10 months into the COVID-19 pandemic." Appetite, vol. 195, 2024, pp. 107205. |
| Goldstein, Stephanie P., Tovar, Alison, Espel-Huynh, Hallie M., Stowers, Kristen Cooksey. "Applying a Social Determinants of Health Framework to Guide Digital Innovations that Reduce Disparities in Chronic Disease." Psychosomatic Medicine, vol. Publish Ahead of Print, 2023. |
| Melo Herrera Y, Tovar A, Oaks BM, Quashie NT, Vadiveloo M. "Associations between Participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Maternal Diet Quality." Journal of Nutrition, vol. 153, no. 11, 2023, pp. 3317-3326. |
| Economos CD, Calancie L, Korn AR, Allender S, Appel JM, Bakun P, Hennessy E, Hovmand PS, Kasman M, Nichols M, Pachucki MC, Swinburn BA, Tovar A, Hammond RA. "Community coalition efforts to prevent childhood obesity: two-year results of the Shape Up Under 5 study." BMC Public Health, vol. 23, no. 1, 2023, pp. 529. |
| Fox K, Vadiveloo M, McCurdy K, Risica PM, Gans KM, Tovar A. "Control and Chaos: Caregiver's Basic Psychological Need Frustration is Associated With the Socioemotional Climate When Feeding." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 55, no. 5, 2023, pp. 363-370. |
| Ramirez A, Mathis KJ, Moore AM, Tovar A. "Developing Motivational Interviewing Skills Among Undergraduate Nursing Students." Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, vol. 61, no. 5, 2023, pp. 17-24. |
| Jiang Q, Risica PM, Tovar A, Stowers KC, Schwartz MB, Lombardi C, Alhassan S, Gans KM. "Effect of Applying Best Practices for Physical Activity and Screen Time to Family Childcare Homes." Preventing Chronic Disease, vol. 20, 2023, pp. E60. |
| Owens BA, Sabik NJ, Tovar A, Ward-Ritacco CL, Oaks BM. "Higher intuitive eating is associated with lower adiposity in midlife women." Eating Behaviors, vol. 50, 2023, pp. 101796. |
| Jiang Q, Risica PM, Tovar A, Cooksey Stowers K, Schwartz MB, Lombardi C, Gans KM. "Mediation of the association between social environmental characteristics of family childcare home and weight status in children by diet quality." BMC Public Health, vol. 23, no. 1, 2023, pp. 2301. |
| Jiang Q, Risica PM, Tovar A, Cooksey Stowers K, Schwartz MB, Lombardi C, Gans K. "Nutrition Practices of Family Child Care Home Providers and Children's Diet Quality." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 55, no. 7, 2023, pp. 480-492. |
| LoBuono DL, Shea KS, Reed M, Tovar A, Leedahl SN, Xu F, Mahler L, Lofgren IE. "The Facilitators and Barriers to Digital Health for Managing Nutrition in People With Parkinson's Disease and Their Caregivers: A Formative, Qualitative Study." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 55, no. 8, 2023, pp. 553-563. |
| LoBuono DL, Shea KS, Tovar A, Leedahl SN, Mahler L, Xu F, Lofgren IE. "Diet Quality and Nutrition Concerns of People with Parkinson's Disease and Their Informal Caregivers: A Mixed Methods Study." Journal of nutrition in gerontology and geriatrics, vol. 41, no. 1, 2022, pp. 1-21. |
| Risica PM, Karpowicz JM, von Ash T, Gans KM, Cooksey-Stowers K, Tovar A. "Feeding and Activity Environments for Infants and Toddlers in Childcare Centers and Family Childcare Homes in Southeastern New England." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 15, 2022, pp. 9702. |
| McCurdy, Karen, Gans, Kim M., Risica, Patricia Markham, Fox, Katelyn, Tovar, Alison. "Food insecurity, food parenting practices, and child eating behaviors among low-income Hispanic families of young children." Appetite, vol. 169, 2022, pp. 105857. |
| Ramirez, Andrea, Tovar, Alison, Garcia, Gretel, Nieri, Tanya, Hernandez, Stephanie, Sastre, Myrna, Cheney, Ann M. "Involvement of Non-Parental Caregivers in Obesity Prevention Interventions among 0–3-Year-Old Children: A Scoping Review." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 8, 2022, pp. 4910. |
| Dooyema, Carrie A., Hall, Kelly, Tovar, Alison, Bauer, Katherine W., Lowry-Warnock, Amy, Blanck, Heidi M. "Leveraging Federal, State, and Facility-Level Early Care and Education Systems and Providers Toward Optimal Child Nutrition in the First 1000 Days." American Journal of Public Health, vol. 112, no. S8, 2022, pp. S779-S784. |
| Bouchard, Kelly Lynn, Grigsby-Toussaint, Diana S., Fox, Katelyn, Amin, Sarah, Vadiveloo, Maya, Greaney, Mary L., Tovar, Alison. "Maternal Experiences with Discussing Complementary Feeding in Primary Care." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 19, 2022, pp. 12061. |
| Fox K, Vadiveloo M, McCurdy K, Benjamin-Neelon SE, Østbye T, Tovar A. "Maternal Stress and Excessive Weight Gain in Infancy." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 9, 2022. |
| Gans, Kim M., Jiang, Qianxia, Tovar, Alison, Kang, Augustine, McCardle, Meagan, Risica, Patricia M. "Physical Activity and Screen Time Practices of Family Child Care Providers: Do They Meet Best Practice Guidelines?." Childhood Obesity, vol. 18, no. 4, 2022, pp. 281-290. |
| Hernandez, Erika, Moore, Amy M., Rollins, Brandi Y., Tovar, Alison, Savage, Jennifer S. "Sorry Parents, Children Consume High Amounts of Candy before and after a Meal: Within-Person Comparisons of Children’s Candy Intake and Associations with Temperament and Appetite." Children, vol. 10, no. 1, 2022, pp. 52. |
| Perraud, Elie, Parker, Haley W., Tovar, Alison, Kaar, Jill, Vadiveloo, Maya. "The relationship between maternal prenatal and postnatal vegetable intake and repeated measures of infant vegetable intake frequency in a national U.S. sample." Appetite, vol. 168, 2022, pp. 105781. |
| Moore, Amy M., Vadiveloo, Maya, McCurdy, Karen, Bouchard, Kelly, Tovar, Alison. "A recurrent cross-sectional qualitative study exploring how low-income mothers define snacks and reasons for offering snacks during infancy." Appetite, vol. 162, 2021, pp. 105169. |
| Bauer, Katherine W., Chriqui, Jamie F., Andreyeva, Tatiana, Kenney, Erica L., Stage, Virginia C., Dev, Dipti, Lessard, Laura, Cotwright, Caree J., Tovar, Alison. "A Safety Net Unraveling: Feeding Young Children During COVID-19." American Journal of Public Health, vol. 111, no. 1, 2021, pp. 116-120. |
| LoBuono, Dara L., Shea, Kyla S., Tovar, Alison, Leedahl, Skye N., Mahler, Leslie, Xu, Furong, Lofgren, Ingrid E. "Acceptance and perception of digital health for managing nutrition in people with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers and their digital competence in the United States: A mixed‐methods study." Health Science Reports, vol. 4, no. 4, 2021. |
| Bentil, Helena J., Abreu, Alyssa M., Adu-Afarwuah, Seth, Rossi, Joseph S., Tovar, Alison, Oaks, Brietta M. "Association between Dietary Magnesium Intake and Glycemic Markers in Ghanaian Women of Reproductive Age: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study." Nutrients, vol. 13, no. 11, 2021, pp. 4141. |
| Tovar, Alison, Miller, M. Elizabeth, Stage, Virginia C., Hoffman, Jessica A., Guseman, Emily Hill, Sisson, Susan, Shefet, Dana, Bejamin-Neelon, Sara E., Swindle, Taren, Hasnin, Saima, Beltran, Marco. "BMI Data Collection and Communication Practices in a Multistate Sample of Head Start Programs." Childhood Obesity, 2021. |
| Jiang, Qianxia, Tovar, Alison, Risica, Patricia M., Cooksey Stowers, Kristen, Schwartz, Marlene, Lombardi, Caitlin, Kang, Augustine, Mena, Noereem Z., Gans, Kim M. "Ethnic Differences in Family Childcare Providers' Nutrition- and Activity-Related Attitudes and Barriers." Journal of Obesity, vol. 2021, 2021, pp. 6697006. |
| Tomayko, Emily J., Tovar, Alison, Fitzgerald, Nurgul, Howe, Carol L., Hingle, Melanie D., Murphy, Michael P., Muzaffar, Henna, Going, Scott B., Hubbs-Tait, Laura. "Parent Involvement in Diet or Physical Activity Interventions to Treat or Prevent Childhood Obesity: An Umbrella Review." Nutrients, vol. 13, no. 9, 2021, pp. 3227. |
| Kang AW, Gans KM, von Ash T, Castagneri D, Dionne L, Tovar A, Risica PM. "Physical Activity Levels among Preschool-Aged Children in Family Child Care Homes: A Comparison between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Children Using Accelerometry." Children, vol. 8, no. 5, 2021, pp. 349. |
| Dobson P, Burney R, Hales D, Vaughn A, Tovar A, Østbye T, Ward D. "Self-Efficacy for Healthy Eating Moderates the Impact of Stress on Diet Quality Among Family Child Care Home Providers." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 53, no. 4, 2021, pp. 309-315. |
| Mena, Noereem Z., Risica, Patricia Markham, Gans, Kim M., Lofgren, Ingrid E., Gorman, Kathleen, Tobar, Fatima K., Tovar, Alison. "Communication With Family Child Care Providers and Feeding Preschool-Aged Children: Parental Perspectives." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 52, no. 1, 2020, pp. 10-20. |
| Dev, Dipti A., Garcia, Aileen S., Tovar, Alison, Hatton-Bowers, Holly, Franzen-Castle, Lisa, Rida, Zainab, Reddish, Linda, Smith, Jasmin A., Burger, Christy, Dinkel, Danae, Behrends, Donnia, Hulse, Emily, Sheridan, Susan. "Contextual Factors Influence Professional Development Attendance Among Child Care Providers in Nebraska." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 52, no. 3, 2020, pp. 270-280. |
| Ramirez A, Vadiveloo M, Risica PM, Gans KM, Greaney ML, Mena NZ, Cooksey Stowers K, Tovar A. "Dietary Contributors to Food Group Intake in Preschool Children Attending Family Childcare Homes: Differences between Latino and Non-Latino Providers." Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 12, 2020, pp. 3686. |
| Kang AW, Ash TR, Tovar A, Gans KM, Minkel J, Mena NZ, Risica PM. "Exploring parenting contexts of Latinx 2-to-5-year old children's sleep: Qualitative evidence informing intervention development." Journal of Pediatric Nursing, vol. 54, 2020, pp. 93-100. |
| Tovar, Alison, Risica, Patricia Markham, Ramirez, Andrea, Mena, Noereem, Lofgren, Ingrid E., Cooksey Stowers, Kristen, Gans, Kim M. "Exploring the Provider-Level Socio-Demographic Determinants of Diet Quality of Preschool-Aged Children Attending Family Childcare Homes." Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 5, 2020, pp. 1368. |
| Cheney, Ann M., Nieri, Tanya, Ramirez Zarate, Ana, Garcia, Gretel, Vaca, Lucero, Valencia, Esmirna, Versteeg, Colleen, Molina, Arlene, Castillo, Michael, Tovar, Alison. "Grow well/Crecer bien: a protocol for research on infant feeding practices in low-income families." BMC Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, 2020. |
| Ward, Dianne S., Vaughn, Amber E., Burney, Regan V., Hales, Derek, Benjamin-Neelon, Sara E., Tovar, Alison, Østbye, Truls. "Keys to healthy family child care homes: Results from a cluster randomized trial." Preventive Medicine, vol. 132, 2020, pp. 105974. |
| Hasnin, Saima, Dev, Dipti A., Tovar, Alison. "Participation in the CACFP Ensures Availability but not Intake of Nutritious Foods at Lunch in Preschool Children in Child-Care Centers." Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 120, no. 10, 2020, pp. 1722-1729.e1. |
| Fox, Katelyn, Gans, Kim, McCurdy, Karen, Risica, Patricia Markham, Jennings, Ernestine, Gorin, Amy, Papandonatos, George D., Tovar, Alison. "Rationale, design and study protocol of the ‘Strong Families Start at Home’ feasibility trial to improve the diet quality of low-income, ethnically diverse children by helping parents improve their feeding and food preparation practices." Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, vol. 19, 2020, pp. 100583. |
| Parker, Haley W., Tovar, Alison, McCurdy, Karen, Vadiveloo, Maya. "Associations between pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain, and prenatal diet quality in a national sample." PLOS ONE, vol. 14, no. 10, 2019, pp. e0224034. |
| Vadiveloo, Maya, Tovar, Alison, Østbye, Truls, Benjamin-Neelon, Sara E. "Associations between timing and quality of solid food introduction with infant weight-for-length z-scores at 12 months: Findings from the Nurture cohort." Appetite, vol. 141, 2019, pp. 104299. |
| Moore, Amy M., Vadiveloo, Maya, Tovar, Alison, McCurdy, Karen, Østbye, Truls, Benjamin-Neelon, Sara E. "Associations of Less Healthy Snack Food Consumption with Infant Weight-for-Length Z-Score Trajectories: Findings from the Nurture Cohort Study." Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 11, 2019, pp. 2752. |
| Appel, Julia M., Fullerton, Karen, Hennessy, Erin, Korn, Ariella R., Tovar, Alison, Allender, Steven, Hovmand, Peter S., Kasman, Matt, Swinburn, Boyd A., Hammond, Ross A., Economos, Christina D. "Design and methods of Shape Up Under 5: Integration of systems science and community-engaged research to prevent early childhood obesity." PLOS ONE, vol. 14, no. 8, 2019, pp. e0220169. |
| Risica PM, Tovar A, Palomo V, Dionne L, Mena N, Magid K, Ward DS, Gans KM. "Improving nutrition and physical activity environments of family child care homes: the rationale, design and study protocol of the 'Healthy Start/Comienzos Sanos' cluster randomized trial." BMC Public Health, vol. 19, no. 1, 2019, pp. 419. |
| Tovar, Alison, Vadiveloo, Maya, Østbye, Truls, Benjamin-Neelon, Sara E. "Maternal predictors of infant beverage consumption: results from the Nurture cohort study." Public Health Nutrition, vol. 22, no. 14, 2019, pp. 2591-2597. |
| Tovar, Alison, Kaar, Jill L., McCurdy, Karen, Field, Alison E., Dabelea, Dana, Vadiveloo, Maya. "Maternal vegetable intake during and after pregnancy." BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, vol. 19, no. 1, 2019, pp. 267. |
| Cuadrado-Soto, None, Risica, None, Gans, None, Ellis, None, Araujo, None, Lofgren, None, Stowers, None, Tovar, None. "Micronutrient Adequacy in Preschool Children Attending Family Child Care Homes." Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 9, 2019, pp. 2134. |
| Gans, Kim M., Tovar, Alison, Jiang, Qianxia, Mello, Jennifer, Dionne, Laura, Kang, Augustine, Mena, Noereem Z., Palomo, Vanessa, Risica, Patricia Markham. "Nutrition-Related Practices of Family Child Care Providers and Differences by Ethnicity." Childhood Obesity, vol. 15, no. 3, 2019, pp. 167-184. |
| McCurdy, Karen, Tovar, Alison, Kaar, Jill L., Vadiveloo, Maya. "Pathways between maternal depression, the family environment, and child BMI z scores." Appetite, vol. 134, 2019, pp. 148-154. |
| Balestracci, Kate, Sebelia, Linda, Greene, Geoffrey, Moore, Adam, Chappell, Kelsi, Tovar, Alison. "Perceptions of Low-Income Students Completing a Nutrition Education Program." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 51, no. 7, 2019, pp. 834-842. |
| Parker, Haley W, Tovar, Alison, McCurdy, Karen, Vadiveloo, Maya. "Socio-economic and racial prenatal diet quality disparities in a national US sample." Public Health Nutrition, vol. 23, no. 5, 2019, pp. 894-903. |
| Huang, Yuyao, Tovar, Alison, Taylor, John, Vadiveloo, Maya. "Staple Food Item Availability among Small Retailers in Providence, RI." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 16, no. 6, 2019, pp. 1052. |
| Nobles, Jennifer, McNamara, Jade, Tovar, Alison, Marchand, Stephanie, Xu, Furong, Greene, Geoffrey. "The Effect of a Family-Based Dietary Intervention on Dietary Fiber Density in Children Aged 6 to 11 Years." Topics in Clinical Nutrition, vol. 34, no. 2, 2019, pp. 90-99. |
| Moore, Amy M., Clair-Michaud, Mary, Melanson, Kathleen J., Tovar, Alison. "A Pilot Feasibility Study to Improve Food Parenting Practices." American Journal of Health Behavior, vol. 42, no. 2, 2018, pp. 61-70. |
| Otterbach, Laura, Mena, Noereem Z., Greene, Geoffrey, Redding, Colleen A., De Groot, Annie, Tovar, Alison. "Community-based childhood obesity prevention intervention for parents improves health behaviors and food parenting practices among Hispanic, low-income parents." BMC Obesity, vol. 5, no. 1, 2018. |
| Korn, Ariella R., Hennessy, Erin, Hammond, Ross A., Allender, Steven, Gillman, Matthew W., Kasman, Matt, McGlashan, Jaimie, Millar, Lynne, Owen, Brynle, Pachucki, Mark C., Swinburn, Boyd, Tovar, Alison, Economos, Christina D. "Development and testing of a novel survey to assess Stakeholder-driven Community Diffusion of childhood obesity prevention efforts." BMC Public Health, vol. 18, no. 1, 2018. |
| Korn, Ariella R., Hennessy, Erin, Tovar, Alison, Finn, Camille, Hammond, Ross A., Economos, Christina D. "Engaging Coalitions in Community-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions: A Mixed Methods Assessment." Childhood Obesity, vol. 14, no. 8, 2018, pp. 537-552. |
| Tovar, Alison, Vaughn, Amber E, Fisher, Jennifer Orlet, Benjamin Neelon, Sara E, Burney, Regan, Webster, Kathleen, Liu, Tao, Ostbye, Truls, Ward, Dianne S. "Modifying the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) to better capture feeding practices of family childcare home providers." Public Health Nutrition, vol. 22, no. 2, 2018, pp. 223-234. |
| Tovar, Alison, Vaughn, Amber E, Fisher, Jennifer Orlet, Benjamin Neelon, Sara E, Burney, Regan, Webster, Kathleen, Liu, Tao, Ostbye, Truls, Ward, Dianne S. "Modifying the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation (EPAO) to better capture feeding practices of family childcare home providers." Public Health Nutrition, vol. 22, no. 2, 2018, pp. 223-234. |
| Halloran, Katherine Marie, Gorman, Kathleen, Fallon, Megan, Tovar, Alison. "Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, and Fruit and Vegetable Intake as Predictors of Head Start Teachers' Classroom Mealtime Behaviors." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 50, no. 4, 2018, pp. 340-348.e1. |
| Tovar, Alison, Benjamin-Neelon, Sara E., Vaughn, Amber E., Tsai, Maggie, Burney, Regan, Østbye, Truls, Ward, Dianne S. "Nutritional Quality of Meals and Snacks Served and Consumed in Family Child Care." Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 118, no. 12, 2018, pp. 2280-2286. |
| Metayer, Nesly, Boulos, Rebecca, Tovar, Alison, Gervis, Julie, Abreu, Joyce, Hval, Erika, Kamins, Christina Luongo, Tofuri, Kerline, Economos, Christina D. "Recruitment of New Immigrants Into a Randomized Controlled Prevention Trial: The Live Well Experience." The Journal of Primary Prevention, vol. 39, no. 5, 2018, pp. 453-468. |
| Fallon, Megan, Halloran, Katherine, Gorman, Kathleen, Ward, Dianne, Greene, Geoffrey, Tovar, Alison. "Self-reported and observed feeding practices of Rhode Island Head Start teachers: Knowing what not to do." Appetite, vol. 120, 2018, pp. 310-317. |
| Kaar JL, Schmiege SJ, Vadiveloo M, Simon SL, Tovar A. "Sleep duration mediates the relationship between health behavior patterns and obesity." Sleep Health, vol. 4, no. 5, 2018, pp. 442-447. |
| Benjamin-Neelon, Sara E., Vaughn, Amber E., Tovar, Alison, Østbye, Truls, Mazzucca, Stephanie, Ward, Dianne S. "The family child care home environment and children's diet quality." Appetite, vol. 126, 2018, pp. 108-113. |
| Vaughn, Amber E., Mazzucca, Stephanie, Burney, Regan, Østbye, Truls, Benjamin Neelon, Sara E., Tovar, Alison, Ward, Dianne S. "Assessment of nutrition and physical activity environments in family child care homes: modification and psychometric testing of the Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation." BMC Public Health, vol. 17, no. 1, 2017. |
| Tovar, Alison, Vaughn, Amber E., Grummon, Anna, Burney, Regan, Erinosho, Temitope, Østbye, Truls, Ward, Dianne S. "Family child care home providers as role models for children: Cause for concern?." Preventive Medicine Reports, vol. 5, 2017, pp. 308-313. |
| Emond, Jennifer A., Tovar, Alison, Li, Zhigang, Lansigan, Reina K., Gilbert-Diamond, Diane. "FTO genotype and weight status among preadolescents: Assessing the mediating effects of obesogenic appetitive traits." Appetite, vol. 117, 2017, pp. 321-329. |
| Ward, Dianne S., Welker, Emily, Choate, Ashley, Henderson, Kathryn E., Lott, Megan, Tovar, Alison, Wilson, Amanda, Sallis, James F. "Strength of obesity prevention interventions in early care and education settings: A systematic review." Preventive Medicine, vol. 95, 2017, pp. S37-S52. |
| Tovar, Alison, Emond, Jennifer A., Hennessy, Erin, Gilbert-Diamond, Diane. "An FTO Gene Variant Moderates the Association between Parental Restriction and Child BMI." PLOS ONE, vol. 11, no. 5, 2016, pp. e0155521. |
| Anzman-Frasca, Stephanie, Economos, Christina D., Tovar, Alison, Boulos, Rebecca, Sliwa, Sarah, Gute, David M., Pirie, Alex, Must, Aviva. "Depressive Symptoms and Weight Status Among Women Recently Immigrating to the US." Maternal and Child Health Journal, vol. 20, no. 8, 2016, pp. 1578-1585. |
| Tovar, Alison, Vaughn, Amber E., Fallon, Megan, Hennessy, Erin, Burney, Regan, Østbye, Truls, Ward, Dianne S. "Providers’ response to child eating behaviors: A direct observation study." Appetite, vol. 105, 2016, pp. 534-541. |
| Tandon, Pooja S., Tovar, Alison, Jayasuriya, Avanthi T., Welker, Emily, Schober, Daniel J., Copeland, Kristen, Dev, Dipti A., Murriel, Ashleigh L., Amso, Dima, Ward, Dianne S. "The relationship between physical activity and diet and young children's cognitive development: A systematic review." Preventive Medicine Reports, vol. 3, 2016, pp. 379-390. |
| Tovar, Alison, Risica, Patricia, Mena, Noereem, Lawson, Eliza, Ankoma, Angela, Gans, Kim M. "An Assessment of Nutrition Practices and Attitudes in Family Child-Care Homes: Implications for Policy Implementation." Preventing Chronic Disease, vol. 12, 2015. |
| Mena, Noereem Z., Gorman, Kathleen, Dickin, Kate, Greene, Geoffrey, Tovar, Alison. "Contextual and Cultural Influences on Parental Feeding Practices and Involvement in Child Care Centers among Hispanic Parents." Childhood Obesity, vol. 11, no. 4, 2015, pp. 347-354. |
| Tovar, Alison, Choumenkovitch, Silvina F., Hennessy, Erin, Boulos, Rebecca, Must, Aviva, Hughes, Sheryl O., Gute, David M., Vikre, Emily Kuross, Economos, Christina D. "Low demanding parental feeding style is associated with low consumption of whole grains among children of recent immigrants." Appetite, vol. 95, 2015, pp. 211-218. |
| Tovar A, Mena N, Risica PM, Goram G, Gans KM. "Nutrition and Physical Activity Environments of Home-Based Child Care: What Hispanic Providers Have to Say." Childhood Obesity, vol. 11, no. 5, 2015, pp. 521. |
| Tovar, Alison, Renzaho, Andre M. N., Guerrero, Alma D., Mena, Noereem, Ayala, Guadalupe X. "A Systematic Review of Obesity Prevention Intervention Studies among Immigrant Populations in the US." Current Obesity Reports, vol. 3, no. 2, 2014, pp. 206-222. |
| Fornasaro-Donahue VM, Tovar A, Sebelia L, Greene GW. "Increasing breastfeeding in WIC participants: cost of formula as a motivator." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 46, no. 6, 2014, pp. 560-9. |
| Fornasaro-Donahue, Viviane, Tovar, Alison, Sebelia, Linda, Greene, Geoffrey W. "Response to Letter to the Editor." Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 46, no. 5, 2014, pp. e11. |
| Tovar, Alison, Boulos, Rebecca, Sliwa, Sarah, Must, Aviva, Gute, David M., Metayer, Nesly, Hyatt, Raymond R., Chui, Kenneth, Pirie, Alex, Luongo, Christina Kamis, Economos, Christina. "Baseline Socio-demographic Characteristics and Self-Reported Diet and Physical Activity Shifts Among Recent Immigrants Participating in the Randomized Controlled Lifestyle Intervention: “Live Well”." Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol. 16, no. 3, 2013, pp. 457-465. |
| Tovar, Alison, Hennessy, Erin, Must, Aviva, Hughes, Sheryl O, Gute, David M, Sliwa, Sarah, Boulos, Rebecca J, Vikre, Emily, Kamins, Christina, Tofuri, Kerline, Pirie, Alex, Economos, Christina D. "Feeding styles and evening family meals among recent immigrants." International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 10, no. 1, 2013, pp. 84. |
| Hughes, Sheryl O., Frankel, Leslie A., Beltran, Alicia, Hodges, Eric, Hoerr, Sharon, Lumeng, Julie, Tovar, Alison, Kremers, Stef. "Food Parenting Measurement Issues: Working Group Consensus Report." Childhood Obesity, vol. 9, no. s1, 2013, pp. S-95-S-102. |
| Tovar, Alison, Chasan-Taber, Lisa, Bermudez, Odilia I, Hyatt, Raymond R, Must, Aviva. "Acculturation and gestational weight gain in a predominantly puerto rican population." BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, vol. 12, no. 1, 2012. |
| Hughes, Sheryl O., Cross, Matthew B., Hennessy, Erin, Tovar, Alison, Economos, Christina D., Power, Thomas G. "Caregiver’s Feeding Styles Questionnaire. Establishing cutoff points." Appetite, vol. 58, no. 1, 2012, pp. 393-395. |
| Tovar, Alison, Vikre, Emily Kuross, Gute, David M., Kamins, Christina Luongo, Pirie, Alex, Boulos, Rebecca, Metayer, Nesly, Economos, Christina D. "Development of the Live Well Curriculum for Recent Immigrants: A Community-Based Participatory Approach." Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, vol. 6, no. 2, 2012, pp. 195-204. |
| Tovar, Alison, Hennessy, Erin, Pirie, Alex, Must, Aviva, Gute, David M, Hyatt, Raymond R, Kamins, Christina, Hughes, Sheryl O, Boulos, Rebecca, Sliwa, Sarah, Galvão, Heloisa, Economos, Christina D. "Feeding styles and child weight status among recent immigrant mother-child dyads." International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 9, no. 1, 2012, pp. 62. |
| Tovar, Alison, Chui, Kenneth, Hyatt, Raymond R, Kuder, Julia, Kraak, Vivica I, Choumenkovitch, Silvina F, Hastings, Alia, Bloom, Julia, Economos, Christina D. "Healthy-lifestyle behaviors associated with overweight and obesity in US rural children." BMC Pediatrics, vol. 12, no. 1, 2012. |
| Tovar, Alison, Must, Aviva, Metayer, Nesly, Gute, David M., Pirie, Alex, Hyatt, Raymond R., Economos, Christina D. "Immigrating to the US: What Brazilian, Latin American and Haitian Women Have to Say About Changes to Their Lifestyle That May be Associated with Obesity." Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, vol. 15, no. 2, 2012, pp. 357-364. |
| Economos, Christina D., Tovar, Alison. "Promoting Health at the Community Level: Thinking Globally, Acting Locally." Childhood Obesity, vol. 8, no. 1, 2012, pp. 19-22. |
| Choumenkovitch, Silvina F, McKeown, Nicola M, Tovar, Alison, Hyatt, Raymond R, Kraak, Vivica I, Hastings, Alia V, Herzog, Julia Bloom, Economos, Christina D. "Whole grain consumption is inversely associated with BMI Z-score in rural school-aged children." Public Health Nutrition, vol. 16, no. 2, 2012, pp. 212-218. |
| Tovar A, Guthrie LB, Platek D, Stuebe A, Herring SJ, Oken E. "Modifiable predictors associated with having a gestational weight gain goal." Maternal and Child Health Journal, vol. 15, no. 7, 2011, pp. 1119-26. |
| Tovar A, Chasan-Taber L, Eggleston E, Oken E. "Postpartum screening for diabetes among women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus." Preventing Chronic Disease, vol. 8, no. 6, 2011, pp. A124. |
| Sliwa S, Goldberg JP, Clark V, Collins J, Edwards R, Hyatt RR, Junot B, Nahar E, Nelson ME, Tovar A, Economos CD. "Using the Community Readiness Model to select communities for a community-wide obesity prevention intervention." Preventing Chronic Disease, vol. 8, no. 6, 2011, pp. A150. |
| Tovar A, Chasan-Taber L, Bermudez OI, Hyatt RR, Must A. "Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding weight gain during pregnancy among Hispanic women." Maternal and Child Health Journal, vol. 14, no. 6, 2010, pp. 938-49. |
| Tovar A, Lividini K, Economos CD, Folta S, Goldberg J, Must A. "School's out: what are urban children doing? The Summer Activity Study of Somerville Youth (SASSY)." BMC Pediatrics, vol. 10, 2010, pp. 16. |
| Marquez DX, Bustamante EE, Bock BC, Markenson G, Tovar A, Chasan-Taber L. "Perspectives of Latina and non-Latina white women on barriers and facilitators to exercise in pregnancy." Women & Health, vol. 49, no. 6, 2009, pp. 505-21. |
| Tovar A, Must A, Bermudez OI, Hyatt RR, Chasan-Taber L. "The impact of gestational weight gain and diet on abnormal glucose tolerance during pregnancy in Hispanic women." Maternal and Child Health Journal, vol. 13, no. 4, 2009, pp. 520-30. |
| Butler DA, Zuehlke JB, Tovar A, Volkening LK, Anderson BJ, Laffel LM. "The impact of modifiable family factors on glycemic control among youth with type 1 diabetes." Pediatric Diabetes, vol. 9, no. 4 Pt 2, 2008, pp. 373-81. |
| Tovar A, Ameho CK, Blumberg JB, Peterson JW, Smith D, Booth SL. "Extrahepatic tissue concentrations of vitamin K are lower in rats fed a high vitamin E diet." Nutrition & metabolism, vol. 3, 2006, pp. 29. |
| Moreland EC, Tovar A, Zuehlke JB, Butler DA, Milaszewski K, Laffel LM. "The impact of physiological, therapeutic and psychosocial variables on glycemic control in youth with type 1 diabetes mellitus." Journal of pediatric endocrinology & metabolism : JPEM, vol. 17, no. 11, 2004, pp. 1533-44. |
Diet-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers are associated with the majority of morbidity, mortality, and health care spending nationally. There is an urgent need to prevent these diseases from developing early in life. My research contributes towards generating evidence on the prevention of chronic diseases by focusing on one of the key contributing behaviors: eating. My work has focused on 1) understanding factors that shape eating behaviors; 2) developing community-based interventions among these populations and 3) Evaluating policies that promote healthy eating.
Current Projects
1. Healthy Start: An innovative, multi-level intervention with family childcare providers and families to improve the dietary behaviors of preschool children (Co-PI). 1R01DK131940-01A1.
2. Strong Families Start at Home/Familias Fuertes Comienzan en Casa: A novel Video and Motivational Interviewing Intervention to improve diet quality of low-income, ethnically diverse children (PI). 1R01 HD108832-01A1
3. WIC Community Innovation and Outreach in Rhode Island. USDA, a cooperative agreement with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service and the Food Research & Action Center (Co-PI).
4. Addressing Early Childhood Obesity in Low-Income Families (Co-I). 5U54MD013368-03
5. Developing and Testing a Produce Prescription Implementation Blueprint to Improve Food Security in a Clinical Setting (PI). Peter G. Peterson Foundation Funding.
6.Understanding and Increasing Water Availability and Accessibility in Family Childcare Homes to Improve Young Children’s Water and Sugary Beverage Intake. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (Co-I)
7.Examining the Routine Use of Digital Technology in the Early Childcare Setting Amid COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Study (Co-I). The Nutrition and Obesity Policy Research and Evaluation Network (NOPREN) Coordinating Center's COVID-19 Response Funds.
8. Elevating Parent Voices to Build an Equitable and Responsive Nutrition Safety Net for Michigan Families (Co-I). Support provided by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to University of Michigan.
| Year | Degree | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | PhD | Tufts University |
| Postdoctoral Research Fellow | Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Nutrition and community engagement | 2009-2012 | Boston, MA, USA |
Dean's Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, Brown University School of Public Health, May 2024.Dean's Award for Excellence in Community Engagement, Brown University School of Public Health, May 2024.
Expert Panel for Healthy Eating Research, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This panel developed evidence-based best practices and guidelines for promoting the development of healthy eating behaviors aligned with optimal nutrition and physical growth among young children, ages 2-8 years, March-December 2020
College of Health Sciences, Nutrition and Food Sciences Chair Award, May 2019.
Rhode Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Carrot Award recipient, May 2018.
University of Rhode Island Early Career Faculty Research Excellence Award in the Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Engineering. May, 2015.
Simon J. Simonian and Arpi A. Simonian Prize for Research Excellence in Nutrition Science and Policy, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, April, 2008.
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Agénor, Madina | Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Associate Professor of Epidemiology |
| Gans, Kim | Adjunct Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences |
| Grigsby, Diana | Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Associate Professor of Epidemiology |
| Risica, Patricia | Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Director of the Undergraduate Public Health Concentration, Associate Professor of Epidemiology |
| PHP 1810 - Community-Engaged Research in Public Health |
| PHP 1998 - Public Health Nutrition |
