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

Please visit Dr. Staiano's lab website: http://labs.pbrc.edu/pediatric-obesity



Dr. Staiano is a developmental psychologist with an interest in family-based healthy lifestyle interventions utilizing innovative technology to decrease pediatric obesity and its comorbidities. Her research has involved over 1500 children and adolescents, including randomized controlled trials and prospective cohorts, to examine the influence of physical activity and sedentary behavior on body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors.

Due to Dr. Staiano's specific interest in using technology to promote physical activity and healthy behaviors, she was recently PI of the GameSquad study, a randomized controlled trial that tested the efficacy of a 6-month physical activity program for children’s weight management delivered via exergaming, wireless activity monitoring, and telehealth counseling, funded by the American Heart Association (AHA 15GRNT24480070). Her other current trials utilize technology for behavior change, including developing and testing a mobile app for parents of preschoolers to increase children’s physical activity and improve self-regulation skills (NIH R21HD095035) and the use of telehealth counseling in a primary care-based pragmatic trial of children with obesity (PCORI PCS-2017C2-7542).

Her previous studies include two large epidemiological studies of children’s physical activity: an NIMHD-funded study of 175 preschool-aged children in daycare centers (U54MD008602-P02UAB) and a USDA-funded study of 342 adolescents 10 to 16 years of age, including 41% ethnic minority and 50% with overweight or obesity (USDA 3092-51000-056-04A). Dr. Staiano's research studies employ a variety of innovative behavioral tools including exergaming, mobile apps, and telehealth counseling, coupled with study designs that utilize dietary recall, remote data collection and intervention delivery, physical activity assessment via accelerometry and heart rate monitors, observational behavioral analysis of activity, the development and implementation of age-specific exercise protocols, and other behavioral and psychological assessments.

Selected Publications

For a complete list of Dr. Staiano’s publications: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=staiano+ae

*indicates mentee

  1. Bowling AB, Slavet J, Hendrick C, Beyl RA, Nauta P, Augustyn M, Mbamalu M, Curtin C, Bandini L, Must A, Staiano AE. The adaptive GameSquad Xbox-based physical activity and health coaching intervention for youth with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric diagnoses: Pilot feasibility study. JMIR Formative Research. (in press).
  2. Okely AD, Kariippanon KE, Guan H, Taylor EK, Suesse T, Cross PL, Chong KH, Suherman A, Turab A, Staiano AE, Ha AS, Hamdouchi AE, Baig A, Poh BK, Del Pozo Cruz B, Chan CHS, Nyström CD, Koh D, Webster EK, Lubree H, Tang HK, Baddou I, del Pozo-Cruz J, Wong JE, Sultoni K, Nacher M, Löf M, Cui M, Hossain MS, Chathurangana P, Calleia R, Ferdous S, Kim TV, Kand U, Wickramasinghe VP, Wang X, Draper C. Global effect of COVID-19 pandemic on physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep among 3- to 5-year-old children: A longitudinal study of 14 countries. BMC Public Health. (in press).
  3. *Kracht, CL, Beyl, R., Maher, J.P., Katzmarzyk, P.T. & Staiano, A.E. Adolescents’ sedentary behavior, affect, and contextual factors: An ecological momentary assessment study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2021;18(1):53.
  4. Fowler LA, Grammer AC, Staiano AE, Fitzsimmons-Craft EE, Chen L, Yaeger LH, Wilfley DE. Harnessing technological innovations for childhood obesity prevention and treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis of current applications. International Journal of Obesity. 2021;21(1):30-40. doi: 10.31486/toj.19.0126
  5. Kepper MM, Walsh-Bailey C, Staiano AE, Fowler L, Gacad A, Blackwood A, Fowler S, Kelley M. Health Information Technology use among healthcare providers treating children and adolescents with obesity: A systematic review. Current Epidemiology Reports. 2021. ePub Ahead of Print. doi: 10.1007/s40471-021-00262-9.
  6. Staiano AE, Shanley JR, Kihm H, Hawkins KR, Self-Brown S, Hӧchsmann C, Osborne M, 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.
  7. Webster EK, *Kracht CL, Newton RL Jr., Beyl RA, Staiano AE. Intervention to improve preschoolers’ fundamental motor skills: Protocol of a parent-focused, mobile app-based comparative effectiveness trial. JMIR Research Protocols. 2020;9(10):e19943.
  8. *Kracht CL, Webster EK, Staiano AE. Relationship between the 24-hour movement guidelines and fundamental motor skills in preschoolers. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2020;23:1185-1190.
  9. *Kracht CL, Webster E, Staiano AE. A natural experiment of state-level physical activity and screen-time policy changes: Early childhood education (ECE) centers and child physical activity. BMC Public Health. 2020;20, Article number: 387.
  10. *Kracht CL, Champagne CM, Hsia DS, Martin CK, Newton RL, Katzmarzyk PT, Staiano AE. Association between meeting physical activity, sleep, and dietary guidelines and cardiometabolic risk factors and adiposity in adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2020;66(6):733‐739.
  11. *Kracht CL, Chaput JP, Martin CK, Champagne CM, Katzmarzyk PT, Staiano AE. Associations of sleep with food cravings, diet, and obesity in adolescence. Nutrients. 2019;11(12):2899.
  12. *Kracht CL, Webster EK, Staiano AE. Sociodemographic differences in young children meeting 24-hour movement guidelines. Journal of Physical Activity & Health. 2019;16(10):908-915.
  13. 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.
  14. Staiano AE, Beyl RA, Hsia DS, Katzmarzyk PT, Mantzor S, Newton RL, *Jarrell A, Tyson P. Step tracking with goals increases children’s weight loss in a behavioral intervention. Childhood Obesity 2017 Aug;13(4):283-290.
  15. Wilfley DE, Staiano AE, Altman M, Lindros J, Lima A, Hassink SG, Dietz WH, Cook S, & Improving Access and Systems of Care for Evidence-Based Childhood Obesity Treatment Conference W. Improving access and systems of care for evidence-based childhood obesity treatment: Conference key findings and next steps. Obesity 2017;25(1):16-29.
  16.  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.
  17. Staiano AE, *Marker AM, *Frelier JM, Hsia DS, & Martin CK. Influence of screen-based peer modeling on preschool children's vegetable consumption and preferences. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 2016;48(5):331-335.e1.
  18. Staiano AE, Gupta AK, & Katzmarzyk PT. Cardiometabolic risk factors and fat distribution in children and adolescents. Journal of Pediatrics 2014;164(3):560-565. PMID: 24315509. PMCID: PMC3943888.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.