Education

  • PhD, Developmental Psychology, Georgetown University, 2010
  • Master of Science in Clinical Research, Tulane University, 2017
  • Master of Public Policy, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University, 2009
  • Bachelor of Science, Psychology, Louisiana State University, 2007

Research Interests

Dr. Staiano is Director of the Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior Laboratory. Her primary interest is adapting and implementing family-based healthy lifestyle interventions utilizing innovative technology to decrease pediatric obesity, improve nutrition, and increase physical activity. She has secured over $22 million in external research funding including from NIH, PCORI, USDA, and American Heart Association.

Dr. Staiano is mPI of a PCORI-funded trial examining dosage of intensive behavioral intervention on child obesity delivered to families in primary care across Louisiana and Tennessee (PCORI BPS-2023C1-31064). She was also Louisiana PI on the “TEAM UP” study that delivered family-based weight management counseling to 730 families with obesity enrolled in 41 clinical practices across four states (PCORI PCS-2017C2-7542). Her trials utilize technology for behavior change, including developing and testing a mobile app for parents of preschoolers to increase children’s motor skill proficiency (mPI, NIH R21HD095035) and developing and testing an exergaming and telehealth coaching program to promote physical activity and sleep for youth with psychiatric disorders (mPI, NIH 1R21HD106465). She also serves as mPI of the Louisiana site for the NIH-funded Environmental influences on Childhood Health Outcomes IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ECHO ISPCTN), which builds capacity for pediatric trials on chronic disease prevention in children. She co-authored the recent American Academy of Pediatrics clinical practice guidelines on the treatment of childhood obesity.

Dr. Staiano has mentored numerous early career researchers including junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, pediatric residents, medical students, and undergraduate students. For this service she was recently awarded the 2023 Mentor Award by the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Please visit Dr. Staiano's lab website: http://labs.pbrc.edu/pediatric-obesity 

Lab: Pediatric Obesity and Health Behavior

Selected Publications

  1. Staiano AE, *Button AM, Baker A, Beyl R, Conn AM, Lima A, Lindros J, Newton RL, Stein RI, Welch RR, Cook S, Wilfley DE, TEAM UP Research Group. A pragmatic trial of a family-centered approach to childhood obesity treatment: Rationale and study design. Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2024; 138: 107459. PMID: 38278478. PMCID: PMC10922779. DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107459.
  2. Hampl SE, Hassink SG, Skinner AC, Armstrong SC, Barlow SE, Bolling CF, Edwards KCA, Eneli I, Hamre R, Joseph MM, Lunsford D, Mendonca E, Michalsky MP, Mirza N, Ochoa ER, Sharifi M, Staiano AE, Weedn AE, Flinn SK, Lindros J, Okechukwu K. Clinical practice guideline for the evaluation and treatment of children and adolescents with obesity. Pediatrics. 2023; e2022060640. PMID: 36622115. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-060640.
  3. Staiano AE & Katzmarzyk PT. Visceral, subcutaneous, and total fat mass accumulation in a prospective cohort of adolescents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2022;116(3):780-785. PMID: 35544287. PMCID: PMC9437989. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac129.
  4. *Hu K, Staiano AE. Trends in obesity prevalence among children and adolescents aged 2-19 years in the United States, 2011-2020. JAMA Pediatrics. 2022;176:1037-1039. PMID: 35877133. PMCID: PMC9315946. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.2052.
  5. Staiano AE, Newton RL Jr, Beyl RA, *Kracht CL, Hendrick CA, Viverito M, Webster EK. mHealth Intervention for motor skills: A randomized controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2022;149(5): e2021053362. PMID: 35415743. PMCID: PMC9648112. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-053362.
  6. Staiano AE, Shanley JR, Kihm H, Hawkins KR, Self-Brown S, Hӧchsmann C, Osborne MC, LeBlanc MM, Apolzan JW, Martin CK. Digital tools to support family-based weight management for children: Mixed methods pilot and feasibility study. JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting. 2021;4(1). e24714. PMID: 33410760. PMCID: PMC7819774. DOI: 10.2196/24714.
  7. Staiano AE, Beyl RA, Guan W, Hendrick CA, Hsia DS, Newton RL. Home-based exergaming among children with overweight and obesity: A randomized clinical trial. Pediatric Obesity 2018;13(11):724-733. PMID: 30027607. PMCID: PMC6203598. DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12438.
  8. Staiano AE, *Marker AM, Beyl RA, Hsia DS, Katzmarzyk PT, & Newton RL. A randomized controlled trial of dance exergaming for exercise training in overweight and obese adolescent girls. Pediatric Obesity 2017;12(2):120-128. PMID: 26918815. PMCID: PMC5191971. DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12117.
  9. Staiano AE, Harrington DM, Broyles ST, Gupta AK, & Katzmarzyk PT. Television, adiposity, and cardiometabolic risk in children and adolescents. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2013;44(1):40-47. PMID: 23253648. PMCID: PMC3527837. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.09.049.
  10. Staiano AE, Abraham AA, & Calvert SL. Adolescent exergame play for weight loss and psychosocial improvement: A controlled physical activity intervention. Obesity 2013;21(3):598-601. PMID: 23592669. PMCID: PMC3473097. DOI: 10.1002/oby.20282.

*indicates mentee

PubMed Bibliography