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: 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 US 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: A 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
- 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)