Leann Birch Explained

Leann L. Birch
Alma Mater:California State University
University of Michigan
Workplaces:University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Pennsylvania State University
University of Georgia
Birth Date:June 25, 1946
Birth Place:Owosso, Michigan

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

Early life and education

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

Career

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, where she remained for 21 years.[4] At Penn State, she was the director of the Center for Childhood Obesity Research. In 2014, she joined the faculty at the Department of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Georgia.

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. 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.

Research

Birch is credited with being a pioneer in the field of childhood eating behavior. 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.[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. This research was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.[13]

Personal life

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

Honors and awards

Selected works

See also

References

  1. News: Leann Birch, scientist who came to the aid of picky eaters and their parents, dies at 72. Langer. Emily. 2019-06-12. Washington Post. en. 2019-12-12.
  2. News: Leann Birch, Who Knew How to Get a Child to Eat Peas, Dies at 72. Genzlinger. Neil. 2019-06-02. The New York Times. 2019-12-16. en-US. 0362-4331.
  3. Web site: Leann Birch, pioneer in study of children's eating behaviors and former ACES department head, passes away. Office of Marketing Communications. College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois. en. 2019-12-13.
  4. Web site: Leann Birch retires after 21 years Penn State University. news.psu.edu. en. 2019-12-16.
  5. Web site: College of Family and Consumer Sciences. College mourns the loss of acclaimed researcher. 2019-12-16. University of Georgia.
  6. News: Tennison. Patricia. 1986-10-02. Dieticians tell parents to include a big helping of patience on menu. 138. Chicago Tribune. 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. en. 9. 3. 171–178. 10.1016/S0195-6663(87)80011-9. 3435134. 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. en. 30. 3. 283–295. 10.1006/appe.1997.0146. 9632459. 34888193.
  9. Can Babies Learn to Love Vegetables?. Bilger. Burkhard. The New Yorker. 2019-11-18. 2019-12-16. en. 0028-792X.
  10. Web site: Want Your Child To Eat (Almost) Everything? There Is A Way. Goody. Maria. 2018-06-08. NPR.org. en. 2019-12-16.
  11. Web site: Parents seek ways to make kids eat vegetables. Fulmer. Melinda. 2008-06-23. Los Angeles Times. en-US. 2019-12-16.
  12. Web site: Parenting intervention can result in lower BMIs. Bohn. Katie. 2018-08-07. UGA Today. en-US. 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. en. 320. 5. 461–468. 10.1001/jama.2018.9432. 0098-7484. 6142990. 30088009.

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