Dr. Bekelman is a biological anthropologist and research assistant professor of epidemiology in the Colorado School of Public Health and the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity and Diabetes (LEAD) Center. She uses qualitative and quantitative methods to study how biology, culture and the social and physical environments interact to influence lifestyle behaviors and obesity among children and adolescents. Ongoing projects include identifying early life influences on obesity-related disparities, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's lifestyle behaviors, and dietary assessment methodologies among school-aged children.
Areas of Expertise
- Childhood obesity
- Lifestyle behaviors
- Health disparities
- Social determinants of health
- Qualitative research
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- PhD, Biological Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2016
- MA, Biological Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2009
- MPH, International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2003
- BA, Exercise Physiology, University of California, Berkeley, 1998
Publications and Presentations
- Bekelman TA, Martin CK, Johnson SL, et al. Performance of the Remote Food Photography Method relative to the Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Recall for measuring full day dietary intake among school-aged children. British Journal of Nutrition. 2021(June 4):1-26.
- Bekelman TA, Sauder KA, Rockette-Wagner B, Glueck DH, Dabelea D. Sociodemographic Predictors of Adherence to National Diet and Physical Activity Guidelines at Age 5 Years: The Healthy Start Study. Am J Health Promot. 2021;35(4):514-524.
- Bekelman TA, Johnson SL, Taylor CA. Differences in Diet Quality and Snack Intakes Among Non-Hispanic White and Mexican American Adolescents from Different Acculturation Groups. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2020;7(6):1090-1099.
- Bekelman TA, Bellows L, Clark L, et al. An Ecocultural Perspective on Eating-Related Routines Among Low-Income Families With Preschool-Aged Children. Qual Health Res. 2019;29(9):1345-1357.
- Bekelman TA, Santamaría-Ulloa C, Dufour DL, Marín-Arias L, Dengo AL. Using the protein leverage hypothesis to understand socioeconomic variation in obesity. Am J Hum Biol. 2017;29(3).