About

Abby C. King is the David and Susan Heckerman Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health and of Medicine at Stanford University, with a focus on public health interventions aimed at reducing chronic disease both in the United States and globally. Her research emphasizes expanding the reach and generalizability of evidence-based health interventions through the use of advanced communication technologies, community-based participatory research methods, and policy-level approaches to health promotion. She has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Outstanding Scientific Contributions in Health Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association, and has served on various government taskforces such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Scientific Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020, and the Science Board of the U.S. President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. Dr. King is also the founder and Faculty Director of the OUR VOICE Global Citizen Science Research Initiative and Network, and has received international recognition for her work on global Citizen Science engagement to promote healthful environments and communities.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Medicine
• Sociology
• Gerontology
• Psychology
• Public relations
• Computer Science
• Environmental health
• Geography
• Psychiatry
• Physical therapy
• Nursing
• Social Science
• Business
• Social psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Environmental science
• Internal medicine
• Engineering
• Medical education
• Ecology
• Pathology
• Environmental resource management
• Environmental planning

Selected publications

• Bloom: Designing for LLM-Augmented Behavior Change Interactions

  2026-04-13 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Large language models (LLMs) offer novel opportunities to support health behavior change, yet existing work has narrowly focused on text-only interactions. Building on decades of HCI research on effective behavior change interactions, we present Bloom, an application for physical activity promotion that integrates an LLM-based health coaching chatbot with existing design strategies and UI elements. As part of Bloom’s development, we conducted a redteaming evaluation and contribute a safety benchmark dataset. In a four-week randomized field study (N=54) comparing Bloom to a no-LLM control, we observed important shifts in psychological outcomes: participants in the LLM condition reported stronger beliefs that activity was beneficial, greater enjoyment, and more self-compassion. Both conditions significantly increased physical activity levels, doubling the proportion of participants meeting recommended weekly guidelines, though descriptively, we observed no advantage for the LLM condition in short-term physical activity levels. Instead, our findings suggest that LLMs may be more effective at shifting mindsets that precede longer-term behavior change.

  PublisherDOI

• Community voices to understand and promote liveability in the Green Corridor urban transformation project in Bogotá, Colombia

  BMC Public Health · 2026-05-16

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Latin American cities are transforming in response to climate change, yet residents' liveability experiences before these transformations begin are rarely documented. In Bogotá, the 2022-2035 Land Use Master Plan's Green Corridors aim to promote sustainable mobility and integrate green infrastructure in urban design, with the first corridor planned along 7th Street. This study provides a baseline evaluation of liveability conditions along 7th Street before construction, aiming to (i) identify perceptions of social and built environment factors that facilitate or hinder liveability and (ii) document potential solutions to identified barriers. METHODS: We employed a multi-method approach. A cross-sectional household survey described residents' sociodemographic profile and perceptions of the Green Corridor's expected effects on liveability. The Our Voice citizen science method engaged residents and commuters in identifying perceived facilitators and barriers, proposing potential solutions, and exchanging knowledge with policymakers. RESULTS: Residents' most expected improvements included increased vegetation, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and public space upgrades, while the most anticipated deteriorations included difficulty in car use and worsening public transport operations. Through the Our Voice method, 66 citizen scientists captured 1123 photo-narratives, documenting access to essential services, green areas, and urban trees as the most mentioned facilitators, while poor pedestrian infrastructure and safety concerns as the most mentioned barriers. Proposed solutions included infrastructure improvements, educational campaigns, and evidence-based policymaking. The process increased environmental awareness among citizen scientists and supported knowledge exchange with policymakers. CONCLUSION: This study underscores the importance of grounding climate mitigation and adaptation efforts in baseline assessments of urban residents' liveability experiences. Built environment factors were widely valued as facilitators, while social environment factors emerged as persistent barriers, a pattern that the Our Voice method deepened by revealing the conditions that underpin these perceptions. The participatory process generated practical solutions, deepened citizen scientists' awareness of their surroundings, and enabled meaningful engagement with policymakers. As cities pursue climate goals, these findings offer a foundation for understanding and evaluating the effects of a Green Corridor on residents' everyday liveability as the intervention unfolds.

  PublisherDOI

• Design and rationale of the my heart counts cardiovascular health study: a large-scale, fully digital biobank, and randomized trial of large language model-driven coaching of physical activity

  American Journal of Preventive Cardiology · 2026-03-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Increasing opportunities for community input in harm reduction program development using iterative engagement

  Harm Reduction Journal · 2025-10-22

  reviewOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Incorporating people who use substances into a community-engaged research process can support the implementation and evaluation of evidence-based harm reduction programs. Attending to their voice ensures those who need these programs will use them. Yet, ongoing co-learning with people who use substances, often the ideal for community engaged research, poses a challenge for recruitment, ongoing participation, and obtaining diverse perspectives. We need novel strategies to support flexibility among populations experiencing legal and social instability so that community engaged work includes more diverse perspectives. In this paper, we describe a novel community engagement approach called Effective Adaptable and Sustainable in Your Community: Operationalizing Program Sustainability (EASY OPS). EASY OPS uses iterative engagement with people with lived/living substance use experience to design and implement harm reduction vending machine and kiosk programs, aiming to increase program use in those who would benefit most. MAIN BODY: The EASY OPS approach addresses two key challenges to access and use of evidence-based harm reduction programs in underrepresented populations: (1) the need for attention to elements of the environment, and (2) ways to navigate challenges to ongoing research collaboration with community members experiencing substance use disorders. EASY OPS uses walking interviews with participants to identify environmental factors contributing to perceived use of services. Iterative engagement with community members-through interviews, surveys, and focus groups-was conducted to inform program development from the community's perspective as feasibility challenges emerged. CONCLUSIONS: This paper describes the novel EASY OPS strategy that facilitates iterative community engagement for harm reduction research and program development to better tailor implementation to the needs of diverse populations with lived/living experience. The potential impact is to reduce disparities by enhancing representative reach and access to substance use service and harm reduction programs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Youth Engagement for Better Outcomes – Social Networks, Physical Activity and Nutrition (YEBO-SPAN): Protocol for “Future-Proofing” South African Adolescents (Preprint)

  2025-10-08

  articleOpen access

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Adolescence represents a critical period where health behaviours emerge that track into adulthood. In South Africa, 22.4% of girls and 10.2% of boys aged 10-14 years are overweight or obese, with only 40% meeting physical activity recommendations. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> This protocol describes an innovative mixed-methods intervention leveraging participatory citizen science and human-centred design to engage South African adolescents in addressing barriers to healthy lifestyle behaviours. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> The YEBO-SPAN study employs a citizen science "by the people" approach based on the Our Voice global citizen science research method, while also integrating human-centred design principles. Eight high schools in Cape Town were invited to participate in the study, with a focus on Grade 9 learners (14-15 years) who have self-select as Citizen Scientist Explorers (completing self-assessment surveys on lifestyle behaviours and social networks) or Discoverers (engaging in the four-step Our Voice process: Discover, Discuss, Activate, Change). The intervention aligns with the Western Cape Education Department's Life Orientation curriculum. Data collection includes validated instruments for physical activity, dietary patterns, sleep quality, mental wellbeing, and egocentric social network analysis. Citizen scientists used mobile technology for geo-tagged photographic and audio-narrative environmental assessments, followed by participatory workshops to analyse findings, prioritize intervention targets, and develop advocacy strategies. Ripple effects mapping evaluates intended and unintended outcomes. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> The intervention started in August 2024 and will conclude in mid-2026. Published study results are expected in early 2026. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> This protocol represents the first integration of citizen science and human-centred design in South African schools, generating actionable insights into how environments shape adolescent health behaviours. By embedding the multi-modal procedures within existing curriculum structures and emphasizing youth-led advocacy, the study creates pathways for systems-level impact and horizontal scaling. The approach addresses critical gaps in theory-based, co-created interventions for adolescent health in low- and middle-income countries while centering voices of those most affected by health inequities. This framework offers a replicable model for youth-engaged health promotion research globally. </sec>

  PublisherDOI

• Exploring Associations Between Outdoor Office Work and Stress Using Digital Tools: A Pilot Study in Sweden (Preprint)

  2025-11-25

  articleOpen access

  <sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> Spending time outdoors can reduce stress, and integrating short, regular outdoor office work into daily routines may be an innovative approach to alleviating workplace stress, which is a growing global concern. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> To evaluate the feasibility of an outdoor office work intervention with stress monitoring among office workers, to examine its associations with perceived and physiological stress and document facilitators and barriers using digital tools. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> In a 2–week pilot study (2022) of office workers in Sweden, participants worked indoors during week 1 (baseline) and outdoors for ≥30 min per day during week 2 (intervention). During work hours, an online digital questionnaire collected daily perceived stress ratings (1–10 scale), while heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded using the Firstbeat Bodyguard 3. Facilitators and barriers to outdoor office work were documented through photographs using the Stanford Our Voice Discovery Tool app. Stress data were analysed with linear mixed model (random intercept for participant). Photographs were coded using a reflexive thematic analysis. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> The protocol was found to be feasible with high data completeness (93%-88%) and adherence to the study protocol (89%). Seven participants provided 10 days of repeated stress measures over the 2-week study period. Mean perceived stress decreased from then baseline week through the end of the outdoor office intervention week, with mean change of −1.0 (95% CI −1.7 to −0.3; P=.01). For HRV, frequency–domain measures decreased during the intervention compared with baseline: very low frequency (VLF) −19.7 ms² (95% CI −38.2 to −1.2; P=.037) and the low frequency (LF) decreased compared with baseline: −98.8 ms² (95% CI −187.6 to −10.0; P=.03). Photo analysis of 70 images yielded five themes—State of Being, Nature Environment, Comfort or Convenience, Current Norms, and Urban Settings—each containing specific elements acting as facilitators or barriers to outdoor office work. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> Overall, this small pilot study’s design using digital tools, and high data completeness and adherence support the feasibility of this intervention in real–world office settings, though some adjustments are required. The reduction in perceived stress in the week where participants were working outdoors suggests that outdoor office work may be a promising strategy for addressing work–related stress and worthy of further exploration. However, HRV indices indicate decreased autonomic system variability and possibly increased physiological stress. Though likely multi-faceted, contextual factors identified through analysis of photographs may help explain this discrepancy. </sec>

  PublisherDOI

• Re-thinking walkability: Synergizing the pedestrian environment and land use patterns to promote physical activity in older adults

  Cities · 2025-09-08 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Abstract P2130: Identifying Predictors of Achieving 150 Minutes of Weekly Walking in Aging Latinx Adults Enrolled in a 12-month Physical Activity RCT: Insights from Signal Detection Analysis

  Circulation · 2025-03-11

  articleSenior author

  Physical activity, a key component of Life’s Essential 8, is critical for cardiovascular health, especially among older Latinx adults—a demographic with a high prevalence of at least one cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor. Despite previous interventions aimed at helping older adults meet age-specific physical activity (PA) guidelines, achieving this objective continues to be a challenge. This study utilized signal detection analysis (SDA) to identify combinations of baseline demographic, clinical, behavioral, and psychosocial factors, alongside intervention type, that predicted meeting the ≥ 150 minutes per week walking goal at the 12-month study endpoint among insufficiently active older Latinx adults enrolled in COMPASS (Computerized Physical Activity Support for Seniors) – a cluster-randomized physical activity (PA) effectiveness trial. From July 2014 to July 2016, a total of 245 participants aged 50 and older from the San Francisco Bay Area were randomly assigned to either a human peer advisor or a virtual advisor intervention arm. The PA goal was assessed using the validated Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) questionnaire. SDA, a recursive partitioning exploratory method, was used to explore subgroups of participants most and least likely to achieve the goal of ≥150 minutes of walking per week, based on the intervention arm and other predictors. Overall, 49.8% of participants met the walking goal. Among those living in smaller households (&lt;3 people), higher acculturation to US media (score of 5) and lower resting systolic blood pressure (&lt;117 mmHg) were the strongest predictors of success. For participants in larger households (≥3 people), fewer hours of sedentary behavior (&lt;33.8 hr/week) and lower resting heart rate (&lt;64 bpm) were key predictors of success. Notably, the intervention arm was not a significant factor in achieving the PA goal. Study findings underscore the need to focus on specific subgroups to optimize PA interventions. Combinations of factors such as acculturation, cardiovascular health markers, and sedentary behavior may play a critical role in achieving PA outcomes among older Latinx adults. These findings support a precision exercise approach to PA interventions that target the unique needs of aging, underactive minority populations.

  PublisherDOI

• Gender and Age Group Differences in the Link Between Sleep Duration and Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Lower-Income Midlife and Older Adults

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2025-05-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Wearable data link urban green space to physical activity

  Nature Health · 2025-11-24 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01HL077141

  NIH · $2.3M · 2010

• NIH Grant R01HL116448

  NIH · $3.0M · 2018

• NIH Grant R01AG012358

  NIH · $1.3M · 2001

• NIH Grant RC1HL099340

  NIH · $967k · 2012

• NIH Grant R01AG016587

  NIH · $2.5M · 2004

Frequent coauthors

• Marco Pahor

  University of Florida

  272 shared

• Roger A. Fielding

  Tufts University

  243 shared

• Thomas M. Gill

  Yale University

  216 shared

• Jack M. Guralnik

  University of Maryland, Baltimore

  200 shared

• Todd M. Manini

  University of Florida

  190 shared

• Andrea L. Dunn

  University of Southampton

  180 shared

• Nancy W. Glynn

  160 shared

• Timothy S. Church

  Pennington Biomedical Research Center

  143 shared

Labs

• Vice Provost for Student AffairsPI

  Not provided

Education

• Ph.D., Epidemiology and Population Health

  Stanford University

• M.D.

  Stanford University

• B.A.

  University of California, Berkeley

Awards & honors

• Outstanding Scientific Contributions in Health Psychology Aw…
• Honors from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AA…
• Stanford Medical School’s inaugural faculty community engage…
• SBM’s 2018 Research to Practice Award
• Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Distinguished Research Ment…