2020 to present

  • Measuring food security in university students: A comparison of the USDA 10-item and six-item food security survey modules
    • We examined discordant classification of food security status between the USDA 10-item and six-item Food Security Survey Modules (FSSMs) among a large sample of students at a U.S. university (N = 2653). Up to 9% of students were discordantly classified (i.e., received different food security status classifications) between the FSSMs, with higher rates of discordant classification among American Indian students, international students, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants, and students with child dependents or housing insecurity.
    • Call et al. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2024 Jan. DOI: 10.1080/19320248.2024.2310485
  • Disordered eating during pregnancy among individuals participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
    • We sought to examine the hypothesis that food assistance programs intended to reduce food insecurity, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), may unintentionally contribute to eating pathology during pregnancy through a “feast-or-famine” cycle (i.e., cyclical periods of food deprivation and food access over the benefit month). In a sample of 210 low income pregnant individuals, we found that WIC participation was associated with higher scores on overall eating pathology as well as dieting and oral control subscales, but not bulimic or food preoccupation subscales, or a binge-eating item.
    • Call et al. Eat Behav 2023 April. DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2023.101726
  • An ethics and social justice approach to collecting and utilizing demographic data for psychological research
    • In this article, we aim to (a) review key ethical and social-justice dilemmas inherent to working with demographic data in psychological research and (b) introduce a framework positioned in ethics and social justice to help psychologists and researchers in social-science fields make thoughtful decisions about the collection and use of demographic data.
    • Call et al. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2022 Dec. DOI: 10.1177/17456916221137350
  • The relation of grit to weight loss maintenance outcomes
    • Acceptance-based behavioral treatment (ABT) supplements standard behavioral treatments (BT) for obesity by teaching skills to accept the discomfort inherent to weight control behaviors and prioritize long term, values-based goals. We sought to test whether grit, the ability to persevere in goal pursuit, which overlaps conceptually with ABT principles, predicted outcomes in ABT vs. BT. We found that lower grit related to higher weight loss at 12 and 24 months, session attendance, and perceived intervention effectiveness in an ABT treatment relative to two BT treatments, suggesting that ABT may be well-suited to those with lower grit levels seeking weight loss.
    • Call et al. J Contextual Behav Sci. 2022 Apr. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.03.008
  • Factors associated with early gestational weight gain among women with pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity
    • The present study aimed to document the prevalence of and identify factors associated with excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) in early pregnancy among women with pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity.
    • Emery et al. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2020 Oct. DOI: 10.1080/01443615.2020.1803242
  • Correlates of Physical Activity Engagement among Pregnant Women with Overweight and Obesity
    • Excess weight during pregnancy increases risk for adverse obstetrical outcomes. Physical activity (PA) may buffer these effects, although it is unclear what factors are associated with PA in women who begin pregnancy with overweight/obesity. The present study sought to characterize the demographic and psychological correlates of PA among women with prepregnancy overweight/obesity.
    • Donofry et al. Womens Health Issues. 2020 Sep. DOI: 10.1016/j.whi.2020.06.001
  • Impulsivity and midlife cardiometabolic risk: The role of maladaptive health behaviors
    • The present study evaluated distinct facets of impulsivity related to cardiometabolic risk (CMR) to identify specific behavioral mechanisms driving these relationships.
    • Emery et al. Health Psychol 2020 Aug. DOI: 10.1037/hea0000884
  • Demographic, Pregnancy-Related, and Health-Related Factors in Association with Changes in Sleep Among Pregnant Women with Overweight or Obesity
    • Women with prepregnancy overweight/obesity are at high risk for obstetric complications and cardiometabolic disease. Poorer sleep quality is associated with obesity in non-pregnant individuals and, during pregnancy, poor sleep predicts negative obstetric and health outcomes. This study examined sleep patterns among women with overweight/obesity and factors associated with different sleep trajectories during pregnancy.
    • Conlon et al. Int J Behav Med. 2020 May. DOI: 10.1007/s12529-020-09887-4
  • Depressive Symptoms Assessed Near the End of Pregnancy Predict Differential Response to Postpartum Smoking Relapse Prevention Intervention
    • Depressive symptoms are prevalent during pregnancy and the postpartum period and affect risk for smoking relapse. Whether and how depression affects response to postpartum interventions designed to sustain smoking abstinence is unknown.
      We examined end-of-pregnancy depressive symptoms as a moderator of response to two postpartum-adapted smoking relapse prevention interventions.
    • Levine et al. Ann Behav Med. 2020 Jan. DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaz026