| Send E-mail to: dmetz@usc.edu | |
| Telephone: 626-457-6631 | Fax: 626-457-4012 |
| Office: HAS 4101 | Mail Code: 0000 OTH |
Education:
BFA 1974 Music- California Institute of the Arts, California
MFA 1976 Flute (Performance)- California Institute of the Arts, California
MFA 1980 Flute (Pedagogy)- Royal Conservatory Den Haag, The Netherlands
BS 1986 Psychology- University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
MS 1991 Psychology (Research Methods)- University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
PhD 1996 Adolescent Health/Medical Ethics- Free University, Amsterdam
Started at USC: 1999
Research Topics: Cancer Prevention/Epidemiology, Developmental Biology, Diabetes/Metabolic Diseases, Disease Prevention
Research Description
Our research focuses on human motivation and adolescent health, particularly in the areas of diet and physical activity. Why do adolescents participate in behaviors that they know may negatively impact their health and well being (such as eating junk food), and shun behaviors that they know might help them reach their personal goals (such as physical activity)? Current studies include a longitudinal study of the impact of puberty on insulin dynamics, mood and physical activity in African American and Latina girls. This study was recently funded by NCI and is part of the new TREC center here at USC and part of a national study involving 4 centers. Another ongoing study looks at the acute impact of simple carbohydrate versus complex carbohydrate meals on behavior, insulin dynamics, select gut peptides, and psychosocial measures in our unique observation laboratory. We are also interested in how stress effects the lives of adolescents, with a current focus on emotional eating and body image concerns. Intervention modalities that we are exploring with colleagues in Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics include Guided Imagery and motivational interviewing in combination with home-based and group based nutrition and physical activity interventions. Another ongoing study is on motivations for drug and alcohol use in college students. Our work is funded by the Baxter Foundation, NIDDK and NCI.
Selected Publications
Goran MI, Davis J, Kelly L, Shaibi G, Spruijt-Metz D, Soni SM, Weigensberg M. - Low Prevalence of Pediatric Type 2 Diabetes: Where's the Epidemic? - J Pediatr [ 2008 ] Jun;152(6):753-5 . PubMed
Hsia FN, Spruijt-Metz D. - Gender differences in smoking and meanings of smoking in asian-american college students. - J Health Psychol [ 2008 ] May;13(4):459-63 . PubMed
Nguyen-Rodriguez ST, Chou CP, Unger JB, Spruijt-Metz D. - BMI as a moderator of perceived stress and emotional eating in adolescents. - Eat Behav [ 2008 ] Apr;9(2):238-46 . PubMed
Davis JN, Ventura EE, Shaibi GQ, Weigensberg MJ, Spruijt-Metz D, Watanabe RM, Goran MI. - Reduction in added sugar intake and improvement in insulin secretion in overweight latina adolescents. - Metab Syndr Relat Disord [ 2007 ] Jun;5(2):183-93 . PubMed
Byrd-Williams C, Kelly LA, Davis JN, Spruijt-Metz D, Goran MI. - Influence of gender, BMI and Hispanic ethnicity on physical activity in children. - Int J Pediatr Obes [ 2007 ] 2(3):159-66 . PubMed
Davis JN, Alexander KE, Ventura EE, Kelly LA, Lane CJ, Byrd-Williams CE, Toledo-Corral CM, Roberts CK, Spruijt-Metz D, Weigensberg MJ, Goran MI. - Associations of dietary sugar and glycemic index with adiposity and insulin dynamics in overweight Latino youth. - Am J Clin Nutr [ 2007 ] Nov;86(5):1331-8 . PubMed
Davis JN, Ventura EE, Alexander KE, Salguero LE, Weigensberg MJ, Crespo NC, Spruijt-Metz D, Goran MI. - Feasibility of a home-based versus classroom-based nutrition intervention to reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes in Latino youth. - Int J Pediatr Obes [ 2007 ] 2(1):22-30 . PubMed
Xie B, Chou CP, Spruijt-Metz D, Reynolds K, Clark F, Palmer PH, Gallaher P, Sun P, Guo Q, Johnson CA. - Socio-demographic and economic correlates of overweight status in Chinese adolescents. - Am J Health Behav [ 2007 ] Jul-Aug;31(4):339-52 . PubMed
Nguyen-Michel ST, Unger JB, Spruijt-Metz D. - Dietary correlates of emotional eating in adolescence. - Appetite [ 2007 ] Sep;49(2):494-9 . PubMed
Hsia FN, Spruijt-Metz D. - Acculturation and meanings of smoking among Asian--American college students. - Addict Behav [ 2007 ] Oct;32(10):2292-6 . PubMed
