People
Research Interests
My research focuses on promoting healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among children and adolescents, particularly those from underserved communities, to address health disparities. I work across various settings, including schools, summer camps, youth employment programs, and other community-based organizations.
Contact me via email if you are:
- A student seeking an internship in community-based health promotion research
- A community organization looking to partner on initiatives to improve youth health and well-being
- A researcher interested in collaborating on studies aligned with my research interests
Recent Publications and Research Activity
Please visit my google scholar profile for an updated list of publications.
Cepni AB, Walsh DW, Hanjoe K, Yoon CY, Hughes SO, Ledoux TA & Johnston CA. Assessing the Efficacy of Sport-Based Physical Education on Children's Activity Behaviors: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Physical Activity and Health.2024
Cepni AB, Vilson R, Helbing RR, Walsh DW, Johnston CA, Yoon CY, Hughes SO, Ledoux TA. The most optimal school recruitment strategies for school-based obesity prevention and health promotion research in the United States: A systematic review with Delphi study. Obes Rev. 2024 Jul 20;:e13808. doi: 10.1111/obr.13808. [Epub ahead of print] Review. PubMed PMID: 39032149.
Cepni AB, Power TG, Ledoux TA, Vollrath K, Hughes SO. The longitudinal relationship between diet quality and executive functioning development of Hispanic preschoolers in Houston, Texas. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2024 May 31;. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2024.05.014. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 38825045.
Finnegan OL, Weaver RG, Yang H, White JW, Nelakuditi S, Zhong Z, Ghosal R, Tong Y, Cepni AB, Adams EL, Burkart S. Advancing Objective Mobile Device Use Measurement in Children Ages 6–11 Through Built-In Device Sensors: A Proof-of-Concept Study. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies. 2024;2024(1):5860114.
Weaver RG, Chandrashekhar MVS, Armstrong B, White JW 3rd, Finnegan O, Cepni AB, Burkart S, Beets M, Adams EL, de Zambotti M, Welk GJ, Nelakuditi S, Brown D 3rd, Pate R, Wang Y, Ghosal R, Zhong Z, Yang H. Jerks are Useful: Extracting pulse rate from wrist-placed accelerometry jerk during sleep in children. Sleep. 2024 May 3;. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsae099. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 38700932.
Varghese V, Cepni AB, Chang J, Kim H, Moran NE, & Ledoux TA (2023). Skin Carotenoids Measured by Reflection Spectroscopy Correlate with Dietary Carotenoid Intake in Diverse US Toddlers. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Crumbley C, Cepni AB, Taylor A, Thompson D, Moran NE, Olvera N, O'Connor DP, Johnston CA, Ledoux TA. Exploring Factors Associated With Accelerometer Validity Among Ethnically Diverse Toddlers. Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2023 Sep 27;:1-9. doi: 10.1123/pes.2022-0114. PubMed PMID: 37758263.
Vaughan EM, Cepni AB, Le UPN, Johnston CA. The Rationale and Logistics for Incorporating Community Health Workers Into the Multidisciplinary Team. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2023;0(0). doi:10.1177/15598276231151866
Arlinghaus KR, Cepni AB, Helbing RR, Goodman LP, Ledoux TA, Johnston CA. Response to schoolbased interventions for overweight and obesity: A systematic scoping review. Clin Obes. 2022 Sep 21;:e12557. doi: 10.1111/cob.12557. Review. PubMed PMID: 36128952.
Cepni AB, Crumbley C, Nadeem S, Ledoux TA, Johnston CA. Incorporating Nutrition Counseling into Lifestyle Medicine. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2022 May-Jun;16(3):291-294. doi: 10.1177/15598276221077224. eCollection 2022 May-Jun. PubMed PMID: 35706592; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9189585.
Cepni AB, Taylor A, Crumbley C, Thompson D, Moran NE, Olvera N, O'Connor DP, Arlinghaus KR, Johnston CA, Ledoux TA. Feasibility and Efficacy of the "FUNPALs Playgroup" Intervention to Improve Toddler Dietary and Activity Behaviors: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 23;18(15). doi: 10.3390/ijerph18157828. PubMed PMID:34360118; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8345510.
Cepni AB, Taylor A, Thompson D, Moran NE, Olvera N, O'Connor DP, Johnston CA, Ledoux TA. Exploring qualities of ethnically diverse parents related to the healthy home environment of toddlers. Appetite.2021 Dec 1;167:105608. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105608. Epub 2021 Jul 21. PubMed PMID: 34302899.
Cepni AB, Hatem C, Ledoux TA, Johnston CA. The Importance of Health Values Among Health Care Providers. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2021 May-Jun;15(3):224-226. doi: 10.1177/1559827621992271. eCollection 2021 May-Jun. Review. PubMed PMID: 34025310; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8120612.
Reesor-Oyer L, Cepni AB, Lee CY, Zhao X, Hernandez DC. Disentangling food insecurity and maternal depression: which comes first?. Public Health Nutr. 2021 Nov;24(16):5506-5513. doi: 10.1017/S1368980021000434. Epub 2021 Feb 1. PubMed PMID: 33517950.
Lee CY, Zhao X, Reesor-Oyer L, Cepni AB, Hernandez DC. Bidirectional Relationship Between Food Insecurity and Housing Instability. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2021 Jan;121(1):84-91. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2020.08.081. Epub 2020 Oct 12. PubMed PMID: 33060025.
Cepni AB, Ledoux TA, Johnston CA. Screen Media: A Powerful Reinforcement. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2020 Mar-Apr;14(2):126-129. doi: 10.1177/1559827619892543. eCollection 2020 Mar-Apr. Review. PubMed PMID: 32231475; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7092392.
Education
BS in Nutrition and Dietetics at Hacettepe University, Ankara, TR, 2018
Ph.D in Kinesiology at University of Houston, Houston, TX, 2023
Post doctorate in Exercise Science at University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 2024