Recent manuscripts and commentary from WashU investigators on interdisciplinary topics of child health and well-being
Identifying data gaps in early childhood physical activity evidence
Wimberly J, Nguyen A, Memoli E, Kasman M, Heerman B, Pate R, Sommer E, Sedlak A, Reader L, Hammond RA, Barkin S. (2024) Frontiers in Pediatrics, 12, art. no. 1485500
Author Keywords
children; contributors; physical activity; screen time; self-efficacy; socioeconomic status
WashU Schools
School of Medicine
Systems approaches for uncovering mechanisms of structural racism impacting children’s environmental health and development
Payne-Sturges DC, Ballard E, Dilworth-Bart J. (2024) Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 69, pp. S91-S101
Author Keywords
Child development; Ecological models; Environmental health; Structural racism; System dynamics; Systems thinking
WashU Schools
Brown School of Social Work
Leveraging group model building to operationalize implementation strategies across implementation phases: an exemplar related to child maltreatment intervention selection
Cruden G, Powell BJ, Frerichs L, Lanier P, Brown CH, Saldana L, Lich KH. (2024) Implementation Science Communications, 5 (1), art. no. 134
Author Keywords
Child maltreatment; Child neglect; Community-engaged research; Evidence-based program; Group model building; Implementation strategy; Prevention; System dynamics; Systems science
WashU Schools
Brown School
School of Medicine
Prenatal social disadvantage is associated with alterations in functional networks at birth
Nielsen AN, Triplett RL, Bernardez LM, Tooley UA, Herzberg MP, Lean RE, Kaplan S, Meyer D, Kenley JK, Alexopoulos D, Losielle D, Latham A, Smyser TA, Agrawal A, Shimony JS, Jackson JJ, Miller JP, Raichle ME, Warner BB, Rogers CE, Sylvester CM, Barch DM, Luby JL, Smyser CD. (2024) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 121 (50), pp. e2405448121
Author Keywords
functional connectivity; infant; prenatal exposure; social disadvantage; socieconomic status
WashU Schools
College of Arts & Sciences
School of Medicine
Maternal Prenatal Stress and the Offspring Gut Microbiome: A Cross-Species Systematic Review
Graf MD, Murgueitio N, Vogel SC, Hicks L, Carlson AL, Propper CB, Kimmel M. (2025) Developmental Psychobiology, 67 (1), art. no. e70005
Author Keywords
animal models; disease susceptibility; gut microbiome; infant; maternal–fetal relations; prenatal exposure delayed effects; stress
WashU Schools
School of Medicine
Factors associated with HIV self-testing and PrEP use among Nigerian youth: Baseline outcomes of a pragmatic, stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized controlled trial
Iwelunmor J, Adeoti E, Gbaja-Biamila T, Nwaozuru U, Obiezu-Umeh C, Musa AZ, Xian H, Tang W, Oladele D , Airhihenbuwa CO, Rosenberg N, Conserve DF, Yates F, Ojo T, Ezechi O, Tucker JD. (2025) Contemporary Clinical Trials, 148, art. no. 107733
Author Keywords
Adolescent and young adult; HIV prevention; Nigeria; Sexually transmitted infections
WashU Schools
School of Medicine
Navigating the services maze: Assessing service needs, referrals, receipts, and child protective services re-report and foster care entry outcomes
Chiang C-J, Kim H, Yang MY, Jonson-Reid M, LaBrenz C, Chen J-H. (2025) Child Abuse and Neglect, 159, art. no. 107164
Author Keywords
Child Protective Services; Foster care entry; Mental health; Needs; Receipt; Referrals; Rereport; Services; Substance misuse
WashU Schools
Brown School of Social Work
Family income and polygenic scores are independently but not interactively associated with cognitive performance among youth genetically similar to European reference populations
Paul SE, Elsayed NM, Colbert SMC, Bogdan R, Hatoum AS, Barch DM. (2024) Development and Psychopathology, 5:1-15.
Author Keywords
cognitive ability; familial income; gene-environment interaction; neighborhood advantage; polygenic risk scores
WashU Schools
College of Arts & Sciences
School of Medicine
Development, usability, and preliminary efficacy of a virtual reality experience to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in children: pilot randomized controlled trial
Fowler LA, Vázquez MM, DePietro B, Wilfley DE, Fitzsimmons-Craft EE. (2024) mHealth, 10, art. no. 29.
Author Keywords
behavioral cognitions; child eating behavior; gamification; user-centered design; Virtual reality (VR)
WashU Schools
College of Arts & Sciences
School of Medicine
Collaboration strategies affecting implementation of a cross-systems intervention for child welfare and substance use treatment: a mixed methods analysis
Chuang E, Bunger A, Smith R, Girth A, Phillips R, Miech E, Lancaster K, Martin J, Gadel F, Himmeger M, McClellan J, Millisor J, Willauer T, Powell BJ, Dellor E, Aarons GA. (2024) Implementation Science Communications, 5 (1), art. no. 127
Author Keywords
Coincidence analysis; Collaboration; Cross-system interventions; Fidelity
WashU Schools
Brown School of Social Work
Humanitarian-specific recommendations for gender-transformative parenting programming: lessons from the field to address gender-based violence
Meinhart M, Seff I, Falb K, Deitch J, Roth D, Poulton C, Stark L. (2024) eClinicalMedicine, 78, art. no. 102954.
Author Keywords
Adolescent girls; Gender-based violence; Humanitarian settings; Parenting; Programming
WashU Schools
Brown School of Social Work
Breaking the cycle between caregiver mental health and child behavioral issues: Does food insecurity matter?
Chen J-H, Helton JJ, Chiang C-J, Wu C-F, Jonson-Reid M, Drake B. (2025) Social Science and Medicine, 364, art. no. 117488.
Author Keywords
Caregiver psychological distress; Child emotional problems; Child hyperactivity symptoms; Family stress model; Food insecurity; Propensity score weight
WashU Schools
Brown School of Social Work