« Back to Faculty & Staff

Lori A. Neighbors, Ph.D., R.D.  

Assistant Professor

 

Interests and Expertise
Broadly, I am interested in the interpretation and management of body size (e.g., body weight, muscularity, fat mass). More specifically, my research interests involve:

• elucidating the influence of romantic partners on body image, eating and activity behavior, and approaches to weight management among members of the couple.
• exploring the impact of major life events (relationship transitions, extreme weight loss, cancer) on body image, dietary intake, physical activity, and weight management.
• examining historical trends in the portrayal and internalization of the "ideal body."
• elucidating the role of body dissatisfaction as a motivator and inhibitor of healthy behavior.
• examining how body weight monitoring affects mental health and weight management behavior; the efficacious use of weight monitoring in weight management interventions.
• designing, implementing, and evaluating theoretically-driven weight management interventions targeting critical periods in the life course.
• exploring the feasibility and efficacy of using Internet-based technology for health promotion research and weight management interventions.

Recent Publications
Neighbors, L., & Sobal, J. (2007). Prevalence and magnitude of body weight and shape dissatisfaction among university students. Eating Behaviors, 9 (4), 429-39.

Levitsky, D., Garay, J., Nausbaum, M., Neighbors, L. , & DellaValle, D. (2006). Monitoring weight daily blocks the freshman weight gain: a model for combating the epidemic of obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 30 (6), 1003-10.

Neighbors, L., & Painter, J. (2002). Online diet analysis tools: a functional comparison. Journal of the American Dietetic Association , 102 (12), 1738-42.

Neighbors, L. Binge eating. InC. Mitchell & J. Reid-Walsh (Eds.), Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia. Westport: Greenwood Press. In press.

Neighbors, L. Disordered eating. In C. Mitchell & J. Reid-Walsh (Eds.), Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia. Westport : Greenwood Press. In press.

Neighbors, L., & Lynch, A. Fat Girls. In C. Mitchell & J. Reid-Walsh (Eds.), Girl Culture: An Encyclopedia. Westport : Greenwood Press. In press.

Neighbors, L., & Sobal, J. Weight and weddings: Women's weight management behaviors in preparation for the wedding day. Currently under review.

Neighbors, L., & Sobal, J. Weighing weight: Trends in body weight evaluation among young adults, 1990 and 2005. Currently under review.

Conference Presentations
Neighbors, L., & Sobal, J. (2007, November). Marital status, body weight perception and weight management among U.S. adults: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999-2002. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.

Sobal, J., Liff, C., Amiraian, D., & Neighbors, L. (2007, August) Is stigmatization of obesity changing? Attitudes towards overweight dating partners in 1990 and 2005. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

Neighbors, L., Sobal, J., Liff, C., & Amiraian, D. (2007, June). Weighing weight: Trends in body weight evaluation among young adults, 1990 and 2005. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Oslo, Norway.

Neighbors, L., & Sobal, J. (2007, June). Weight and weddings: Women's weight ideals and weight management behaviors in preparation for their wedding day. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, Oslo, Norway.

Neighbors, L. , & Sobal, J. (2006, October). Are larger waistlines leading to increased body acceptance? An examination of current body weight and body weight dissatisfaction in male and female university students. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity , Boston , Massachusetts.

Hackbarth, D., Kouba, J., Neighbors, L., & Caygill, M. (2004, March). Body mass index and country of origin: Use of screening data to identify obesity and health risks among health fair participants. Poster presented at the Ruth K. Palmer Annual Research Symposium, Maywood, Illinois.

Speaker Topics
Obesity
Weight Management
Body Image
Eating Behavior
Weight Stigmatization
Eating Disorders
Historical Trends in the Ideal Body

Education
Ph.D., Cornell University, Nutritional Sciences, 2007
M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Food Science-Human Nutrition, 2003
B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Food Science-Human Nutrition, 2000