Vision: We study downstream health effects of adolescent and young adult behaviors to inform guidelines and interventions to prevent disease later in adulthood.
Research Summary: We leverage large national epidemiological data sets to understand health consequences of adolescent and young adult behaviors.
- Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study
- The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health)
- The PRIDE Study
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey
- Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study
- Shamba Maisha Study, Kenya
- UCSF Eating Disorders Program Medical Database
Health behaviors we study:
- Nutrition and eating behaviors (eating disorders, disordered eating behaviors particularly in males)
- Physical activity, exercise, sedentary behaviors
- Digital technology use, screen time, social media
- Muscle-enhancing behaviors
- Substance use and misuse (including alcohol, appearance and performance-enhancing substances, androgenic anabolic steroids)
- Sexual risk behaviors
Health outcomes we study:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Mental health
- HIV and sexually transmitted infections
Research Topics
Eating Disorders in Boys and Men
We study the epidemiology, muscularity-oriented behaviors, and medical complications of eating disorders in boys and men. Our book, "Eating Disorders in Boys and Men," was published in 2021.
Featured Studies
- Eating disorders in adolescent boys and young men: an update
- Predictors of muscularity-oriented disordered eating behaviors in U.S. young adults: a prospective cohort study
- The development and validation of the Muscularity-Oriented Eating Test: a novel measure of muscularity-oriented disordered eating
- A call to develop specific medical treatment guidelines for adolescent males with eating disorders
- Emerging trends in eating disorders among adolescent boys: muscles, macronutrients, and biohacking
- Assessment of sex differences in bone deficits among adolescents with anorexia nervosa
- Assessment of sex differences in body composition among adolescents with anorexia nervosa
- Assessment of sex differences in fracture risk among patients with anorexia nervosa: a population-based cohort study using the health improvement network
Featured News
- New York Times: More Adolescent Boys Have Eating Disorders. Two Experts Discuss Why
- New York Times: With Eating Disorders, Looks Can Be Deceiving
- New York Times: What Is ‘Bigorexia’?
- BuzzFeed News: This Is What It’s Like For Men With Eating Disorders
- The Guardian: Gym, eat, repeat: the shocking rise of muscle dysmorphia
- Healthline: Eating Disorders in Men Are Not Talked About Enough — and They’re on the Rise
- Parents: Yes, Boys Can Get Eating Disorders Too
Eating Disorders and Body Image in Sexual and Gender Minority Populations
We study eating disorders and body image in LGBTQ+ populations through The PRIDE Study, a large national cohort of sexual and gender minority people.
Featured Studies
- Emerging trends in eating disorders among sexual and gender minorities
- Community norms for the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire among cisgender gay men
- Eating disorder attitudes and disordered eating behaviors as measured by the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) among cisgender lesbian women
- Community norms for the eating disorder examination questionnaire (EDE-Q) among cisgender bisexual plus women and men
- Community norms for the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) among transgender men and women
- Community norms for the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) among gender-expansive populations
- Community norms of the Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI) among cisgender sexual minority men and women
- Psychometric evaluation of the Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI) among cisgender gay men and cisgender lesbian women
- Does it get better? Change in depressive symptoms from late-adolescence to early-adulthood, disordered eating behaviors, and sexual identity
Featured News
- Medium: Eating Disorders in LGBTQ+ Populations: Findings from The PRIDE Study
- NBC News: Bisexual men more prone to eating disorders than gay or straight men, study finds
- Business Equality Magazine: 40 LGBTQ Leaders Under 40
Screen Time in Adolescents and Young Adults
Featured Studies
- Screen time use among U.S. adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Contemporary screen time modalities among children 9-10 years old and binge-eating disorder at one-year follow-up: A prospective cohort study
- Contemporary screen time usage among children 9-10-years-old is associated with higher body mass index percentile at 1-year follow-up: A prospective cohort study
- Disentangling individual, school, and neighborhood effects on screen time among adolescents and young adults in the United States
- Screen time for children and adolescents during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic
Featured News
- USA Today: Screen time among teenagers during COVID more than doubled outside of virtual school, study finds
- CNN: Kids nearly doubled screen time during the pandemic, but there is something you can do about it
- CNN: More screen time is linked to binge eating in children, US study finds
- US News: Social Media, Binge Eating Often Go Together for Kids
- Fox News: Excessive screen time linked to obesity in US preteens
Food Insecurity and Health
Featured Studies
- Food insecurity, sexual risk, and substance use in young adults
- Food insecurity is associated with poorer mental health and sleep outcomes in young adults
- Food insecurity and chronic disease in US young adults: findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health
- Association between food insecurity and migraine among US young adults
- Food insecurity is associated with maternal depression and child pervasive developmental symptoms in low-income Latino households
- Around the table: food insecurity, socioeconomic status, and instrumental social support among women living in a rural Kenyan Island community
- Social determinants, lived experiences, and consequences of household food insecurity among persons living with HIV/AIDS on the shore of Lake Victoria, Kenya
Featured News
- The Hill: People experiencing food insufficiency more likely to lack access to mental health services
- Everyday Health: The Pandemic Is Exacerbating Mental Health Problems in Food-Insecure Americans
- UCSF: Food Insecurity in Young Adults Raises Risk for Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Asthma
- US News: Money Worries Around Food May Spur Migraines
COVID-19 Research
Featured Studies
- Food insufficiency and mental health service utilization in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of unmet need for mental health counseling among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Perspective: the convergence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and food insecurity in the United States
- Young adult perspectives on COVID-19 vaccinations
- Food insufficiency and mental health in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Job insecurity and symptoms of anxiety and depression among U.S. young adults during COVID-19
- Associations between anxiety and depression symptoms and medical care avoidance during COVID-19
- Screen time for children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Rapid scale-up of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic and implications for subspecialty care in rural areas
- Supporting young adults to rise to the challenge of COVID-19
Featured News
- NBC: Here are some of the most common reasons behind COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
- US News: 1 in 4 People With Anxiety, Depression Couldn't Get Care During Pandemic
- Wall Street Journal: Eating Disorders Surged Among Adolescents in Pandemic
- KQED/NPR: Another Pandemic-Induced Crisis: Eating Disorders Rise Sharply Among Teens
- WBUR/NPR: Teens' screen time doubled to 8 hours a day during the pandemic — not counting schoolwork
Global Health Research
Global Adolescent Health Research in Collaboration with the World Health Organization
- Research priorities for eight areas of adolescent health in low- and middle-income countries.
- Research priorities for adolescent health in low- and middle-income countries: a mixed-methods synthesis of two separate exercises.
- A global research agenda for adolescents living with HIV
Sub-Saharan Africa Research, Including Shamba Maisha Study (Kenya)
- Drought and child vaccination coverage in 22 countries in sub-Saharan Africa: aA retrospective analysis of national survey data from 2011 to 2019
- Presence of older adolescents in the household is associated with depressive symptoms among women living with HIV in Kenya
- Water insecurity is associated with lack of viral suppression and greater odds of AIDS-defining illnesses among adults with HIV in Western Kenya
- Social determinants, lived experiences, and consequences of household food insecurity among persons living with HIV/AIDS on the shore of Lake Victoria, Kenya
- Descriptive characteristics and health outcomes of the food by prescription nutrition supplementation program for adults living with HIV in Nyanza Province, Kenya
International Collaborations on Eating Disorders and Muscularity-Oriented Disordered Eating
- Argentina: Development and validation of a multicultural Spanish-language version of the Muscularity-Oriented Eating Test (MOET) in Argentina
- Brazil: Validation of the Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory (MDDI) in Brazilian Women
- China: The Muscularity-Oriented Eating Test, Drive for Muscularity Scale, and Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory among Chinese men: confirmatory factor analyses
Narrative Medicine
Personal reflections on medical training
- On the origin of our family
- Until death do us part
- The battle hymn of the tiger child
- The patient rotation
Adolescent health
- Writing through the pandemic and paediatrics
- Migration and malnutrition
- Geriatric paediatrics: reflections on models of adolescent health
- Red velvet
Global health
Lectures
- University of Oxford: Boys, bulk and body ideals: epidemiology of muscle-enhancing and disordered eating behaviours in US adolescents (September 18, 2019)
- International Association for Adolescent Health: Global Adolescent Health Career Development (November 3, 2020)
- Children and Screens: Health Habits: Fostering Physical Health in a Digital World (October 1, 2021)
- Dickinson College: Boys, Biceps, and Body Image (February 8, 2022)
- Children and Screens: Bringing Up Boys in a Digital World (September 20, 2022)
Podcasts
- MGH Clay Center: Boys, Body Image and Eating Disorders (May 16, 2024)
- Impossible Beauty: Why the Rise in Eating Disorders Among Boys and Men? (May 13, 2024)
- Slate: Eating Disorders Are Rising Among Boys. Why? (March 27, 2024)
- NPR/KQED Forum: Why More Boys Are Developing Eating Disorders (March 21, 2024)
- Conspirituality: Eating Disorders in Yogaland (w/Jason Nagata & Chelsea Roff) (October 2021)
- Therapy Rocks: Boys, Biceps, and Bulking (September 8, 2021)
- For You: Interview with UCSF Professor and Pediatrician Dr. Jason Nagata (September 6, 2021)
- WithAll What to Say: How can adults support boys who are struggling with their body image (July 20, 2021)
- The Hunger Trap: Why Do Eating Disorders Explode in Adolescence? (June 21, 2021)
- AAP Pediatrics on Call: Childhood Stress, Performance-enhancing Substances (Septemeber, 2020)
- The Full Bloom: What about boys? (June 21, 2019)
Infographics