April

Bowling

Academic Title

Vice President, Research & Associate Professor, Nutrition & Public Health

Research Interests
  • Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
  • Epidemiology
  • Exercise and Behavioral Health
  • Nutrition, Exercise and Childhood Obesity
Research Summary

My current research is focused on nutrition and exercise interventions that elicit sustained changes in behavioral health among children with neurodevelopmental and affective disorders such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety. I am also involved in research on effects of ADHD and stimulant use on BMI trajectory in late adolescence. Other research interests include exploring the role of physical activity in children’s neuropsychological development, and complex systems model development to aid in the design and evaluation interventions.

Education
  • Sc.D., Nutrition and Obesity Epidemiology, Harvard University
  • M.A., Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University
  • B.A., Environmental and Earth Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
Areas of Expertise
  • Effects of Exercise on Children’s Mental and Physical Health
  • Family- and School-Based Child Health Interventions
  • Pediatric Psychiatric and Obesity Epidemiology
Recent Publications

References

Ash, T., Bowling, A., Davison, K. and Garcia, J. (2017). “Physical Activity Interventions for Children with Social, Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, p.1.

Bowling, A., Davison, K., Haneuse, S., Beardslee, W. and Miller, D. (2017). “ADHD Medication, Dietary Patterns, Physical Activity and BMI in Children: A Longitudinal Analysis of the ECLS-K Study.” Obesity, 25(10), pp.1802-1808.

Bowling, A., Moretti, M., Ringelheim, K., Tran, A. and Davison, K. (2016). “Healthy Foods, Healthy Families: Combining Incentives and Exposure Interventions at Urban Farmers’ Markets to Improve Nutrition Among Recipients of U.S. Federal Food Assistance.” Health Promotion Perspectives, 6(1), pp.10-16.

Bowling, A., Slavet, J. and Davison, K. (2016). “Implementation Fidelity of a Cybercycling Curriculum Among Children With Behavioral Health Disorders.” Translational Journal of the ACSM, 1(9), pp.82-89.

Bowling, A., Slavet, J., Miller, D., Haneuse, S., Beardslee, W. and Davison, K. (2017). “Cybercycling Effects on Classroom Behavior in Children With Behavioral Health Disorders: An RCT.” Pediatrics, 139(2), p.e20161985.

Bowling, A., Slavet, J., Miller, D., Haneuse, S., Beardslee, W. and Davison, K. (2017). “Dose-Response Effects of Exercise on Behavioral Health in Children and Adolescents.” Mental Health and Physical Activity, 12, pp.110-115.

Davison, K., Bowling, A., Garcia, J., Wood, B., Hermesch, R., Prince, J., Hayes, A., Kow, R., Newlan, S. and Slavet, J. (2016). “A Cybercycling Intervention to Improve Behavioral Regulation and Classroom Functioning Among Children With Behavioral Health Disorders: Pragmatic Randomized Trial Design for Manville Moves.” Contemporary Clinical Trials, 49, pp.40-46.

Honors and Awards
  • Award for Outstanding Research in Child and Family Health, Society of Behavioral Medicine, Family and Child Health SIG, 2016
  • Derek Bok Center Certificate of Excellence in Teaching, Harvard University, 2014
  • Simon J. and Arpi A. Simonian Research Excellence in Nutrition Prize, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health