Lenka H. Shriver

Professor

Nutrition

Email Address: lhshrive@uncg.edu

Phone: 336.256.0320

BRIEF BIO

Dr. Shriver’s research is concentrated in the area of child nutrition/obesity and nutrition & exercise. Her research efforts target a variety of social, behavioral and environmental factors that impact dietary intakes and obesity risk among children. Specifically, her research examines how parenting style, feeding practices and household food availability influence dietary intakes and weight status among children of various ages, from preschoolers to adolescents.

Dr. Shriver’s recent efforts are focused on the development of effective nutrition interventions for parents and teachers of low-income Hispanic preschoolers. This research aims to increase the positive feeding practices and feeding styles used by parents and preschool teachers to create optimal feeding environments both at home and at preschool. Because low-income minority families experience significant health disparities, Dr. Shriver plans to continue her efforts with these vulnerable populations in the future. Much of her work on childhood obesity is multidisciplinary. She collaborates closely with experts from human development and family sciences, psychology and exercise science and she publishes her work regularly in multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Shriver’s research efforts in the area of child nutrition and obesity are supported by close collaborations with Head Start and other programs in the community.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

  • Child nutrition & childhood obesity
  • Nutrition & exercise

CURRENT PROJECTS

  • Influences of feeding practices, parenting style and emotion regulation on dietary intake and weight status in preschool-aged children
  • Parental weight concerns and body esteem in young children
  • Disordered eating and emotion regulation in female athletes

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • Porter L,* Shriver LH, Ramsay S. Perceptions and Concerns Related to Healthy Eating Among Low-income African American Mothers of Preschoolers. Maternal and Child Health. 2016. Advance online publication. doi:10.1007/s10995-016-2082-1
  • Shriver LH, Buehler C. Promoting Fruit and Vegetables in Young Children: What Advice Can Pediatricians Give to Parents? Clinical Pediatrics. 2016; 55:209-213.
  • Harrist AW, Swindle TM, Hubbs-Tait L, Topham GL, Shriver LH, Page MC. The Social and Emotional Lives of Severely Obese, Obese, and Overweight 1st Graders. Child Development. 2016. Advance online publication. doi:10.1111/cdev.12548
  • Shriver LH, Wollenberg G,* Gates G. Prevalence of Disordered Eating its Association with Emotion Regulation in Female College Athletes. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2016; 26(3): 240-248.
  • Shriver LH, Hubbs-Tait L, Harrist AW, Topham G, Page M. Child Weight Status Moderates the Relationship between Maternal Feeding Practices and Body Esteem among 1st Grade Girls. Appetite. 2015; 89:62-69.
  • Wollenberg G,* Shriver LH, Gates G. Comparison of Disordered Eating Symptoms and Emotion Regulation Difficulties between Female College Athletes and Non-athletes. Eating Behaviors. 2015; 18:1-6.
  • Vignerova J, Shriver LH, Paulová M, Brabec M, Schneidrová D, Růžková R, Procházka, Riedlová J. Growth Assessment of Breastfed Infants: National References versus the World Health Organization Growth Standards. Central European Journal of Public Health. 2015; 23:32-38.
  • Shriver LH, Harrist AW, Page M, Hubbs-Tait L, Moulton MM,* Topham G. Differences in Body Esteem by Weight Status, Gender and Physical Activity among Young Elementary School-aged Children. Body Image. 2013;10(1):78-84.
  • Shriver LH, Betts NM, Wollenberg G.* Dietary Intakes and Eating Habits of College Athletes: Are Female College Athletes Following the Current Sports Nutrition Standards? Journal of American College Health. 2013;61(1):10-6.
  • Harrist AW, Hubbs-Tait L, Topham GL, Page MC, Shriver LH. Emotion Regulation is Related to Children’s Emotional and External Eating. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. 2013; 34:557-565.
  • Harrist AW, Topham GL, Hubbs-Tait L, Page MC, Kennedy TS, Shriver LH. What Developmental Science Can Contribute to a Multidisciplinary Understanding of Child Obesity. Child Development Perspectives. 2012;6:445-465.
  • Vignerova J, Paulova M, Shriver LH, Riedlova J, Schneidrova D, Kudlova E, Lhotska L. Prevalence of wasting in Czech infants according to the national Czech Growth References and WHO Growth Standards. Maternal and Child Nutrition. 2012;8(2):249-258.
  • Shriver LH, Harrist AW, Hubbs-Tait L, Topham G, Page M, Barrett A.* Weight Status, Physical Activity, and Fitness among 3rd Grade Rural Children. Journal of School Health. 2011;81(9):536-544.
  • Topham GL, Hubbs-Tait L, Rutledge JM,* Page MC, Kennedy TS, Shriver LH & Harrist AH. Parenting styles, parental response to child emotion, and family emotional expressiveness are related to child emotional eating. Appetite. 2011;56(2):261-264.
  • Shriver LH, Hildebrand D, Austin HD.* Determinants of Fruit and Vegetable Availability in Hispanic Head Start Families with Preschool-aged Children Living in an Urban Midwestern Area. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2010;42(5):299-306.
  • Hildebrand D, Shriver LH. A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach to Understanding Fruit and Vegetable Availability in Low-Income African American Families with Children Enrolled in an Urban Head Start Program. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2010;110(5):710-718.
  • Topham GL, Harrist AW, Page MC, Rutledge JM,* Kennedy TS, Shriver LH, Hubbs-Tait L. Maternal Depression and Socioeconomic Status Moderate the Parenting Style/Child Obesity Association. Public Health Nutrition. 2010;13(8):1237-1244.
  • Merten MJ, Williams AL*, Shriver LH. Breakfast consumption in adolescence and young adulthood: Parental presence, community context, and obesity. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2009;109(8):1384-91.
  • Shriver LH, Betts NM, Payton ME. Changes in Body Weight, Body Composition, and Eating Attitudes in High-School Wrestlers. International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2009;19(4):424-32
  • Shriver LH, Gates G. A Cross-cultural Comparison of Dietary Intakes and Physical Activity between American and Czech School-aged Children. Public Health Nutrition. 2008;12(7):986-990.
  • Vignerova J, Humenikova (Shriver) L, Paulova M, Blaha P. Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity and Low Weight in Czech Child Population Up to 18 Years of Age in Last 50 Years. Journal of Public Health. 2008;16(6):413-420.
  • Humenikova (Shriver) L, Gates G. Social and Physical Environmental Factors and Child Overweight in a Sample of American and Czech School-aged Children: A Pilot Study. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2008; 40(4):251-257.