Leann Birch

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Leann L. Birch
BornJune 25, 1946
Owosso, Michigan
DiedMay 26, 2019(2019-05-26) (aged 72)
Alma materCalifornia State University
University of Michigan
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Pennsylvania State University
University of Georgia

Leann L. Birch (born Leann Elsie Traub; (1946-06-25)June 25, 1946 – (2019-05-26)May 26, 2019) was an American developmental psychologist, best known for her research on children's eating behaviors.[1][2]

Early life and education[edit]

Birch was born in Owosso, Michigan, and grew up primarily in Southern California.[1] She obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology from California State University, Long Beach in 1971.[1] She completed her graduate studies in psychology at the University of Michigan, earning a master's degree in 1973 and a PhD in 1975.[1]

Career[edit]

From 1972 to 1992, Birch was a faculty member at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where she headed the Department of Human Development and Family Studies.[3] In 1992, she became a professor and department head at Pennsylvania State University,[1][3] where she remained for 21 years.[4] At Penn State, she was the director of the Center for Childhood Obesity Research.[2][4] In 2014, she joined the faculty at the Department of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Georgia.[3]

Birch authored more than 250 publications that have been cited over 51,000 times.[5] She served on a number of committees dedicated to obesity prevention, including a term as the chair of the Committee on Obesity Prevention Policies for Young Children at the Institute of Medicine from 2009 to 2011.[5] Her research program is credited for its influence on policy and position statements from scientific and professional bodies, such as the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research program.[5]

Research[edit]

Birch is credited with being a pioneer in the field of childhood eating behavior.[2][5] She conducted research on a number of subtopics within this area, including selective eating, parental influences on eating behaviors, and psychological aspects of obesity, from infancy through adolescence.[5][6]

One line of Birch's research examined children's food-related neophobia, the fear or dislike of novel items.[7][8] She demonstrated that with repeated exposure, children can learn to like previously rejected foods, such as vegetables.[9][10][11]

Birch co-led a project evaluating an intervention designed to teach first-time parents effective ways to respond to their infants' needs, aside from feeding.[12] At three years old, children in the intervention group had lower BMIs, compared to children in a control group, and a smaller proportion who could be categorized as overweight or obese.[12] This research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.[12][13]

Personal life[edit]

Birch was married to Karl Newell and had two children, Charlotte and Spencer.[1][3] She died on May 26, 2019, in Durham, North Carolina, at the age of 72.[1][3]

Honors and awards[edit]

Selected works[edit]

  • Johnson, S. L.; Birch, L. L. (1994). "Parents' and children's adiposity and eating style". Pediatrics. 94 (5): 653–61. doi:10.1542/peds.94.5.653. PMID 7936891. S2CID 31998214.
  • Birch, L. L.; Fisher, J. O. (1998). "Development of eating behaviors among children and adolescents". Pediatrics. 101 (3 Pt 2): 539–49. doi:10.1542/peds.101.S2.539. PMID 12224660. S2CID 11736286.
  • Birch, Leann L. (1999). "Development of Food Preferences". Annual Review of Nutrition. 19: 41–62. doi:10.1146/annurev.nutr.19.1.41. PMID 10448516. S2CID 27329577.
  • Birch, L.L; Fisher, J.O; Grimm-Thomas, K.; Markey, C.N; Sawyer, R.; Johnson, S.L (2001). "Confirmatory factor analysis of the Child Feeding Questionnaire: A measure of parental attitudes, beliefs and practices about child feeding and obesity proneness". Appetite. 36 (3): 201–210. doi:10.1006/appe.2001.0398. PMID 11358344. S2CID 30842162.
  • Birch, Leann Lipps; Davison, Kirsten Krahnstoever (2001). "Family Environmental Factors Influencing the Developing Behavioral Controls of Food Intake and Childhood Overweight". Pediatric Clinics of North America. 48 (4): 893–907. doi:10.1016/S0031-3955(05)70347-3. PMID 11494642.
  • Davison, K. K.; Birch, L. L. (2001). "Childhood overweight: A contextual model and recommendations for future research". Obesity Reviews. 2 (3): 159–171. doi:10.1046/j.1467-789x.2001.00036.x. PMC 2530932. PMID 12120101.
  • Savage, Jennifer S.; Fisher, Jennifer Orlet; Birch, Leann L. (2007). "Parental Influence on Eating Behavior: Conception to Adolescence". The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics. 35 (1): 22–34. doi:10.1111/j.1748-720X.2007.00111.x. PMC 2531152. PMID 17341215.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Langer, Emily (2019-06-12). "Leann Birch, scientist who came to the aid of picky eaters and their parents, dies at 72". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  2. ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (2019-06-02). "Leann Birch, Who Knew How to Get a Child to Eat Peas, Dies at 72". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  3. ^ a b c d e Office of Marketing Communications. "Leann Birch, pioneer in study of children's eating behaviors and former ACES department head, passes away". College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Leann Birch retires after 21 years | Penn State University". news.psu.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  5. ^ a b c d e College of Family and Consumer Sciences. "College mourns the loss of acclaimed researcher". University of Georgia. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  6. ^ Tennison, Patricia (1986-10-02). "Dieticians tell parents to include a big helping of patience on menu". Chicago Tribune. p. 138. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
  7. ^ Birch, Leann Lipps; McPhee, Linda; Shoba, B.C.; Pirok, Edna; Steinberg, Lois (1987). "What kind of exposure reduces children's food neophobia?". Appetite. 9 (3): 171–178. doi:10.1016/S0195-6663(87)80011-9. PMID 3435134. S2CID 35996513.
  8. ^ Birch, Leann L.; Gunder, Lisa; Grimm-Thomas, Karen; Laing, David G. (1998). "Infants' Consumption of a New Food Enhances Acceptance of Similar Foods". Appetite. 30 (3): 283–295. doi:10.1006/appe.1997.0146. PMID 9632459. S2CID 34888193.
  9. ^ Bilger, Burkhard (2019-11-18). "Can Babies Learn to Love Vegetables?". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  10. ^ Goody, Maria (2018-06-08). "Want Your Child To Eat (Almost) Everything? There Is A Way". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  11. ^ Fulmer, Melinda (2008-06-23). "Parents seek ways to make kids eat vegetables". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  12. ^ a b c Bohn, Katie (2018-08-07). "Parenting intervention can result in lower BMIs". UGA Today. Retrieved 2019-12-16.
  13. ^ Paul, Ian M.; Savage, Jennifer S.; Anzman-Frasca, Stephanie; Marini, Michele E.; Beiler, Jessica S.; Hess, Lindsey B.; Loken, Eric; Birch, Leann L. (2018-08-07). "Effect of a Responsive Parenting Educational Intervention on Childhood Weight Outcomes at 3 Years of Age: The INSIGHT Randomized Clinical Trial". JAMA. 320 (5): 461–468. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.9432. ISSN 0098-7484. PMC 6142990. PMID 30088009.
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