Research

The faculty of the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health are actively involved in many research projects.   Currently funded projects include:

Pilot grant Harsohena Kaur   (PI) 11/06- 10/08
Viking's Childrens Fund, University of Minnesota  
Preventing Childhood Obesity through Computer-Tailored Guidance to Parents
Project goal: To develop and test an interactive computer system to collect data from parents related to their child¿s eating and activity patterns which will lead to the generation of a printed handout containing tailored recommendations for childhood obesity prevention for parents of pre-school children, and to pilot test the intervention to evaluate its feasibility, acceptability and impact. 

Pilot grant Harsohena Kaur   (PI) 9/06- 6/07     
Obesity Prevention Center, University of Minnesota             
Preventing Childhood Obesity through Improved Parental Perception of Child Weight Status
The goal of this pilot study is to develop a process and materials to aid pediatricians in informing parents of preschoolers about their child¿s weight status and provide appropriate recommendations to promote behaviors for healthy weight management. Parents will be surveyed to assess whether the materials were acceptable and effective in developing a realistic awareness of their child¿s weight.              

U48/DP00063 Resnick (PI) 9/30/2004-9/30/2009
CDC
Healthy Youth Development Prevention Research Center
Project goal: Community-partnered education, fellowship education, research, and the translation and dissemination of information on best practices regarding promotion of healthy adolescent development and the prevention and reduction of adolescent risk factors.

MCJ-000985 Singh (PI) 07/01/2002-06/30/2007
MCHB
Leadership Education in Adolescent Health Training Program
Project goal: Interdisciplinary research and training for health professionals working with adolescents.

R01 MH6258601 Saewyc (PI) 9/20/2001-8/31/2004
NIH/NIMH
Bisexual Youth in Risk and Resilience Studies
Research goal: to empirically derive operational definitions of bisexuality and to explore patterns of demographics factors, mental health symptoms, health indicators, risk behaviors, and associated protective factors among bisexual adolescents as compared to their heterosexual or gay/lesbian peers.

U88/CCU522128 Nelson (Project PI); Resnick (Subcontract PI) 9/01/2002-8/31/2005
CDC
Coalition Capacity-Building for Teen Pregnancy Prevention
Project goal: to increase the understanding and implementation of science-based strategies to prevent teen pregnancy and promote adolescent reproductive health, including abstinence and the prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections.

APHPA002029 Mullett (Project PI); Resnick (Subcontract PI) 7/15/2001-7/14/2006
Office of Adolescent Pregnancy Programs, Office of Population Affairs, DHHS
Minneapolis Public Schools Teen Parent Case Management Project
Project goal: to promote school completion and delay of repeat pregnancies by providing comprehensive, integrated school and community-based services to pregnant and parenting students in two high schools.

R03 MH0703020-1 Boutelle (PI) 2004-2006
NIMH
Obesity as a risk factor for adolescent psychopathology
Goals of this secondary data analyses project are, 1) to examine the longitudinal relationships between obesity and onset of new psychopathology in two longitudinal data sets, 2) to examine the impact of chronic obesity on the development of psychopathology, and 3) to examine potential mediators in the relationships between obesity and psychopathology.

University of Minnesota Vikings Boutelle (PI) 2004-2006
Children's Fund
An examination of adolescents who have successfully lost weight
Goals of this pilot project are, 1) recruit 50 overweight adolescents who have lost weight, and 50 overweight adolescents who have not lost weight and their parents for surveys and anthropomorphic measures, and 2) compare the two groups on strategies for managing weight, eating behavior, physical activity, home environment, depression, anxiety, parent interventions for weight loss, and parent psychological functioning.

2T80 MC000021 7/03 - 6/08
MCHB, HRSA, DHHS
Center for Adolescent Health Nursing
To support a center of excellence for M.S. and Ph.D programs, faculty development/C.E. offerings, technical assistance, and dissemination.

CDC Bearinger (PI) 10/04-9/07
Adolescent Health Prevention Research Training
To support pre- and post-doctoral training in adolescent health prevention research for nursing, nutrition, and medicine.

J. Wyman (PI) 2/05-1/10
NIMR, NIH Diss Dir (Bearinger)
Center for Health Trajectory Research
Exploratory center (P20) to develop a cadre of focused pilot studies with newer investigations.

Sieving (PI) 6/04-6/05
General Mills Foundation
Community Problem Solvers: PATH Service Learing
To develop PATH middle school service learning curriculum, school and community service projects.

Sieving (PI) 6/04-6/05
UMN Cetner for Urban Regional Affairs
Partners in Action for Teen Health
Start-up funds to develop aspects of PATH, community-partnered intervention research focused on prevention multiple risk behaviors among middle school students.

Borowsky (PI) 11/03-10/05
Vikings Children's Fund
Evaluation of a Telephone-Based Parenting Education Program to Reduce Youth Violence
Collaboration with UCare Minnesota, a health maintenance organization that serves low-income families in Minnesota, to implement a telephone-based parenting education program for culturally diverse parents.

HRSA Borowsky (PI) 9/04-6/07
Physician Faculty Development in Primary Care
Health Resources and Services Administration, 9/04 - 6/07, Principal Investigator.
A training program designed to prepare a cadre of pediatric clinician researchers for leadership roles in the Academic sector through the development of functional capabilities in research, education, program development, outcomes evaluation, policy and advocacy, with a focus on serving children from historically underserved communities.

Minnesota Legislature Anne Kelly 1996-2005
U Special Kids
A critical focus of the U Special Kids program is to avoid repeated, costly hospitalizations through early management of acute illnesses utilizing pre-planned treatment instructions, telephone triage, home visits and close collaboration with core specialists.

T01 DP000112 Beringer (PI) 9/30/2004-9/29/2007
CDC
Adolescent Health Protection Research Training
The purpose of this program is to prepare scientists with the capacity to conduct public health research that advances evidence-based programs, practices, and policies for addressing health disparities and improving the health of all adolescents.

Sieving (Co-PI) 10/2003-9/2006
CDC/AAMC
Religiosity and Adolescent Sexual Behaviors
Study goal: to examine longitudinal relationship between religious practices and beliefs and teen sexual behaviors, using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth.

S360A020212 Kyle (PI); NcNeely (SubCon) 10/1/02-9/30/05
US DOE
Minneapolis Public Schools Dropout Prevention Project
Project Goal: to strengthen and expand school dropout prevention initiatives by assisting school re-entry for those who have dropped out, making school relevant, and retaining at-risk students, with a special emphasis on teen parents.

Publications

Advocacy and information dissemination have been identified as a core part of the training mission and priorities throughout the Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health.

The Division has developed monographs and newsletters, presentations, and World Wide Web sites in conjunction with various projects housed in the Division.

The center offers a broad array of communication assistance and support:

• Provide for the translation and dissemination of research conducted by the Division through publications,
• The World Wide Web and computerized presentations;
• Participate in work groups of core Division projects and develop detailed dissemination plans;
• Provide ongoing training of staff and fellows in the areas of popularized publications and presentations.