Education:

• Ph.D., Human Nutrition, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
• M.S., Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
• B.S.,  Food and Nutrition – Dietetics, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
• Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian/Nutritionist

Research Interests:

My research focuses on childhood obesity prevention and family-based interventions for dietary behavior change among low-income culturally-diverse populations.  My primary expertise is in the development and testing of theory-based learner-centered interventions, based on qualitative formative research.  I have led in the development and testing of: CHOICES: Steps Toward Health, the first dialogue-based curriculum for EFNEP and FNP participants; CHALLENGE, an inner-city obesity prevention program for African American adolescents; the Maryland Food for Life and 5-a-Day programs for culturally-diverse WIC participants; and Un Bebe Saludable: Un Regalo Muy Especial (A Healthy Baby: A Very Special Gift), a 14-month home-based curriculum for new Hispanic mothers.  I also played a major role in the development of the Pathways curriculum and food service interventions, which were developed to prevent obesity among American Indian school children.  Currently I am working on Tween POWER, to help low-income Latino and White adolescents make healthier choices in the marketplace.

Selected Publications:

• Nielson J, Gittelsohn J, O’Brien K and Anliker J.  Interventions to improve diet and weight gain among pregnant adolescents. J Amer Diet Assoc. (In press.)
• Gittelsohn J, Anliker J, Sharma S, Vastine A, Caballero B, and Ethelbah B.  “Psychosocial determinants of food purchasing and preparation in American Indian households” J Nutr Ed and Behav. 38(3):163-8, 2006.
• Black MM, Papas MA, Bentley ME, Cureton P, Saunders A, Le K, Anliker J, Robinson N.  Overweight adolescent African American mothers gain weight in spite of intention to lose weight. J Amer Diet Assoc. 106(1):80-87, 2006.
• Curran S, Gittelsohn J, Anliker J, Ethelbah B, Blake K, Sharma S and Caballero B.  Process evaluation of a store-based environmental obesity intervention on two American Indian reservations. Health Educ Res, 20(6):719-29, 2005 . Epub: http://her.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/cyh032v1  
• Vastine, AE, Gittelsohn J, Ethelbah B, Anliker J, and Caballero, B.  Developing an environmental nutrition intervention targeting American Indians: Integrating formative research and stakeholder participation.  Amer Journal of Health Behavior.  Jan-Feb;29(1):57-69, 2005.
• Harnack L, Himes J, Anliker J, Gittelsohn J, Jobe J, Norman J, Ring K, Snyder P, Thompson J, and Weber J.  Intervention-related bias in reporting of food intake by fifth-grade children participating in an obesity prevention study. Am J Epidemiol. Dec 1;160(11):1117-21, 2004.
• Anliker J, Johnson Dumaresq K, Baranek J, Mangan F, Sullivan-Werner L.  Introduction of Brazilian crops to urban farmers’ markets.  Working with Latinos/Hispanics in the USA, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Oct. 25, 2004. Conference Website. http://www.uprm.edu/latinos/PDF/AAnliker1.pdf
• Weber J, Lytle L, Gittelsohn J, Cunningham-Sabo L, Heller K, Anliker J, Stevens J, Hurley J, and Ring K. Validity of self-reported dietary intake by American Indian children: The Pathways Study.  J. Amer. Diet. Assoc. 104(5):746-52, 2004.
• Cunningham-Sabo L, Snyder P, Anliker J, Thompson J, Weber JL, Thomas O, Ring K, Stewart D, Platero H, Nielsen L.  Impact of the Pathways food service intervention on breakfast served in American Indian schools.  Prev Med. 37(6 Pt 2):S46-54, 2003.
• Story M, Snyder MP, Anliker J, Weber JL, Cunningham-Sabo L, Stone EJ, Chamberlain A, Ethelbah B, Suchindran C, Ring K.  Changes in the nutrient content of school lunches: results from the Pathways study. Prev Med. 37(6 Pt 2):S35-45, 2003.
• Havas S, Anliker J, Greenberg D, Block G, Block T, Blik C, Langenberg P, DiClemente C.  Final results of the Maryland WIC Food for Life Program.  Prev Med. 37(5):406-16, 2003.
• Wallen GR, Feldman RHL, and Anliker J.  Cognitive Interviews Conducted in Spanish: A Method for Enhancing a Hispanic Infant Feeding Questionnaire. Hispanic Health Care International, 1(2), 91-96, 2002.
• Wallen GR, Feldman RHL, and Anliker J. Measuring Acculturation among Central American Women Using a Brief Language Scale.  Journal of Immigrant Health 4(2): 95-102, 2002.
• Lytle L, Dixon LB, Cunningham-Sabo L, Evans M, Gittelsohn J, Hurley J, Snyder P, Stevens J, Weber J, Anliker J, Heller K, and Story M.  Dietary intakes of American Indian children:  Findings from the Pathways feasibility study.  J. Amer. Diet. Assoc. 102(4):555-8, 2002.
• Story M, Snyder P, Anliker J, Cunningham-Sabo L Weber J, Ring K, Platero H, Stone E.  Nutrient content of school meals in elementary schools on Indian reservations: Baseline findings from the Pathways study.  J. Amer. Diet. Assoc. 102(2):253-6, 2002.
• Hersey J, Anliker J, Miller C, Mullis RM, Daugherty S, Das S, Bray C, Dennee P, Sigman-Grant M, and Thomas HO.  Food Shopping Practices are associated with dietary quality in low income households.  J. Nutr. Ed. 2001: 33(S1):S16-S26, 2001.
• Feldman RHL, Damron D, Anliker J, Ballesteros M, Langenberg P, DiClemente C, and Havas S. The effect of the Maryland WIC 5 A Day Promotion Program on participants' stages of change for fruit and vegetable consumption.  Health Education and Behavior 27(5):649-663, 2000.
• Havas S, Anliker J, Damron D, Langenberg P, Feldman RHL, and Ballesteros M.  Uses of process evaluation in the Maryland WIC 5 A Day Promotion Program.  Health Education and Behavior 27(2):254-63, 2000.
• Anliker J, Damron D, Ballesteros M, Feldman RHL, Langenberg P, and Havas S.  Using peer educators in nutrition intervention research: Lessons learned from the Maryland WIC 5 A Day Promotion Program.  J. Nutr. Ed. 31:347-354, 1999.  
• Snyder P, Anliker J, Cunningham-Sabo L, Dixon LB, Altaha J, Chamberlain A, Davis S, Evans M, Hurley J, and Weber J.  Pathways: A model for lowering the fat in school meals.   Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 69 (suppl):810S-815S, 1999.

Current Grants: 

• Massachusetts Family Nutrition Program (Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program).  USDA/FNS.  10/05-9/06.
• Tween POWER:  Preventing Obesity through Wise Expenditures of Resources.  USDA/CSREEES NRI, 4/03-4/07.
• Growth and Development Longitudinal Follow-up, Phase 2 – “Challenge!” – An obesity prevention trial for low income African-American adolescents in Baltimore City.  (University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore). NIH, 8/01-7/06.

Completed Grants:

• Pathways: Obesity Prevention for American Indian School Children – feasibility and full-scale studies (Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore)  NIH NHLBI. 9/93-7/02.
• Maryland WIC Healthy Eating for a Lifetime Project -- “Food for Life” (University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore). NIH/NCI. 6/97-5/01.
• Infant Nutrition for Hispanic WIC Population: a Peer Education Model.  “Un Bebe Saludable: Un Regalo Muy Especial” (University of Maryland, College Park).  USDA 10/93-9/97.
• Maryland WIC 5-a-Day Promotion Program (University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore).  NIH/NCI. 6/93-5/97.