On September 15, 2015, Dr. Chelsea Rose successfully defended her doctoral dissertation research, which explored factors that are associated with infant feeding practices and childhood obesity. Dr. Rose was co-advised by Dr. Leann Birch and Dr. Jennifer Savage Williams.
Dr. Chelsea Rose at her dissertation defense
Dr. Rose’s second dissertation paper, Patterns of early dietary exposures have implications for later maternal and child weight outcomes, was accepted this month for publication in the Obesity journal.
Findings from Chelsea’s dissertation research revealed that combinations of foods fed in infancy were associated with differences in infant and child weight status and foods fed later in childhood. The findings also identified certain groups of mothers, including first-time mothers and mothers with low levels of education, who may need additional support to meet current guidance on infant feeding. Overall, Chelsea’s work highlights the importance of infancy as critical period for mothers to develop nutritious, age-appropriate feeding practices for their children.
Chelsea is currently seeking a postdoctoral fellowship, and hopes to continue to research childhood obesity and maternal and infant nutrition in the first 2 years of life.