Education

  • 2019 - M.S. (Clinical Research) Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
  • 2012 - Ph.D. (Sociology) Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
  • 2007 - M.A. (Sociology) Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
  • 2005 - B.A. (Sociology) Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA

Research Interests

Dr. Myers is director of the Social Determinants and Health Disparities Laboratory. Her research currently focuses on food insecurity as a key social determinant of health and source of health disparities, with a specific focus on its complex relationship with obesity and cardiovascular health. Dr. Myers also studies the impact of place on health disparities and intervention response using multilevel theories and methodologies. She also has extensive research expertise in spatially modeling geographic disparities in obesity and diabetes prevalence across the United States.

Selected Publications

  1. Myers, C.A., Beyl, R.A., Martin, C.K., Broyles, S.T., Katzmarzyk, P.T. Psychological Mechanisms Associated with Food Security Status and Body Mass Index in Adults: A Mixed-Methods Study. Public Health Nutrition. 2020 Oct;23(14):2501-2511. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980020000889. Epub 2020 Jun 29. PubMed PMID: 32597739; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7483214.
  2. Myers C.A., Mire E.F., Katzmarzyk P.T. Trends in Adiposity and Food Insecurity among US Adults. JAMA Network Open. 2020 Aug 3;3(8):e2012767. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.12767. PubMed PMID: 32766803; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7414390.
  3. Myers C.A. Food Insecurity and Psychological Distress: a Review of the Recent Literature. Current Nutrition Reports. 2020 2020 Jun;9(2):107-118. DOI: 10.1007/s13668-020-00309-1. Review. PubMed PMID: 32240534; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7282962.
  4. Myers, C.A., Broyles, S.T., Martin, C.K. Socioeconomic Position Disparities in Cardiovascular Health Before and After the Examination of Mechanisms of Exercise-Induced Weight Compensation Randomized Controlled Trial. Health Equity. 2019;3(1):390-394. DOI: 10.1089/heq.2019.0019. eCollection 2019. PubMed PMID: 31482147; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6716189.
  5. Myers, C.A., Martin, C.K., Newton Jr., R.L., Apolzan, J.W., Arnold, C.L., Davis, T.C., Price-Haywood, E.G., Katzmarzyk, P.T. Cardiovascular Health, Adiposity, and Food Insecurity in an Underserved Population. Nutrients. 2019 Jun 19;11(6). DOI: 10.3390/nu11061376. PubMed PMID: 31248113; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6628173.
  6. Myers, C.A. Understanding the Importance of Food Insecurity among Populations with Diabetes. Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications. 2019 Apr;33(4):340-341. DOI: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2018.12.008. Epub 2018 Dec 22. PubMed PMID: 30717894; PMCID: PMC6615549.
  7. Myers, C.A., Martin, C.K., Apolzan, J.W. Food Cravings and Body Weight: A Conditioning Response. Current Opinion Endocrinology Diabetes and Obesity. 2018 Oct;25(5):298-302. DOI: 10.1097/MED.0000000000000434. PubMed PMID: 30048258; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6411047.
  8. Myers, C.A., Slack, T., Martin, C.K., Broyles, S.T., Heymsfield, S.B., Church, T.S., & Martin, C.K. (2017). Diabetes Prevalence and Its Association with Different Community Factors between the Diabetes Belt and the Remainder of the United States. Obesity (Silver Spring). Feb; 25(2):452-459. DOI: 10.1002/oby.21725. PubMed PMID: 28009108; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5269515.

    Myers, C.A. (2016). Influence of the Civic Community Religious Environment on Family Poverty: A Multilevel Analysis. Cogent Social Sciences. 2(1), 1234670. DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2016.1234670. NIHMSID: NIHMS828022.

    Myers, C.A., Denstel, K.D., & Broyles, S.T. (2016). The Context of Context: Examining the Associations between Healthy and Unhealthy Measures of Neighborhood Food, Physical Activity, and Social Environments. Preventive Medicine. Dec:93:21-26. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.09.009. PubMed PMID: 27612577; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5118080.

    Broyles, S.T., Myers, C.A., Drazba, K., Marker, A., & Church, T.S. (2016) The Influence of Neighborhood Crime on Increases in Physical Activity during a Pilot Physical Activity Intervention in Children. Journal of Urban Health Apr;93(2):271-8. DOI: 10.1007/s11524-016-0033-1. PubMed PMID: 26951242; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4835351.
  9. Myers, C.A., Slack, T., Martin, C.K., Broyles, S.T., & Heymsfield, S.B. (2016). Change in Obesity Prevalence across the United States is Influenced by Recreational and Healthcare Contexts, Food Environments, and Hispanic Populations. PLoS One. Feb 5;11(2):e0148394. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148394. eCollection 2016. PubMed PMID: 26849803; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4743954.
  10. Myers, C.A., Slack, T., Martin, C.K., Broyles, S.T., & Heymsfield, S.B. (2015). Regional Disparities in Obesity Prevalence in the United States Associated with Varying Factors: A Spatial Regime Analysis. Obesity (Silver Spring). Feb;23(2):481-7. DOI: 10.1002/oby.20963. PubMed PMID: 25521074; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4310761.
  11. Slack, T, & Myers, C.A. (2014). The Great Recession and the Changing Geography of Food Stamp Receipt. Population Research and Policy Review. 33(1):63-79. DOI: 10.1007/s11113-013-9310-
  12. Slack, T., Myers, C.A., Martin, C.K., & Heymsfield, S.B. (2014).The Geographic Concentration of U.S. Adult Obesity Prevalence and Associated Social, Economic, and Environmental Factors. Obesity (Silver Spring). Mar;22(3):868-74. DOI: 10.1002/oby.20502. PubMed PMID: 23630100.
  13. Slack, T., & Myers, C. A. (2012). Understanding the Geography of Food Stamp Program Participation: Do Space and Place Matter?. Social Science Research. 41(2), 263-275.
  14. Myers, C. A. (2010). Black-White Wage Inequality among Women in the South. International Journal of Sociological Research. 3(1-2), 47-63.
  15. Myers, C. A., Slack, T., & Singelmann, J. (2008). Social Vulnerability and Migration in the Wake of Disaster: The Case of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Population and Environment. 29(6), 271-291.