About

Alison Tovar is an Associate Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the Brown University School of Public Health. She serves as the Interim Director of the Center for Health Promotion and Health Equity. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, Dr. Tovar earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Northeastern University in 2001, a Master’s in Public Health from Tufts University School of Medicine in 2005, and her Ph.D. from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in 2009. Her research focuses on health disparities and health equity, behavioral interventions, community engagement, feeding behaviors, and nutrition. She has previously been a faculty member at the University of Rhode Island from 2012 to 2021 before joining Brown University in 2022. Her work emphasizes understanding and addressing social determinants of health, particularly in relation to childhood nutrition, food security, and caregiver practices.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Computer Science
• Gerontology
• Physical therapy
• Family medicine
• Database
• Virology
• Psychiatry
• Environmental health
• Nursing
• Pediatrics

Selected publications

• Abstract TU174: UPF Intake Patterns in the Context of Overall Diet are Differently Associated with Self-Reported Health Status

  Circulation · 2026-03-24

  article

  Introduction: Excess ultra-processed food (UPF) intake has been consistently associated with adverse health. Yet, UPFs are heterogeneous ranging from possibly beneficial (e.g., whole-grain bread) to harmful (e.g., sugary drinks). Dietary guidance should consider UPF subgroups’ contribution to diet, as their convenience, affordability, and shelf stability may support healthy eating, especially in low income households. Objectives: To evaluate how patterns of UPF subgroups intake relate to diet quality and self-reported health status. Methods: We conducted a secondary cross-sectional analysis of 1,118 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance-participating adults in New England in Summer 2023. Using a 155-item FFQ, we calculated Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015 total and component scores and categorized foods into 4 NOVA groups and 19 mutually exclusive UPF subgroups. We used k-means cluster analysis to group UPF subgroups and 12 Dietary Guidelines-based food groups, selecting 4 clusters based on relevant metrics. We compared UPF subgroups, food groups, diet quality, and health status across clusters using chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests; logistic regressions assessed associations between clusters and self-reported health status. Results: Across 4 clusters, participants in healthier clusters were older, but food insecurity was highest in the Sweet Tooth cluster (Tbl 1). HEI-2015 scores (57-73) and UPF intake (40-70% of calories) varied. The Sweet Tooth and Convenience-Seeking Carnivores clusters had the lowest HEI-2015 scores and highest UPF intake, characterized either by high intake of sugary UPFs (e.g. sugary drinks/dairy based desserts) or ready-to-eat UPFs, processed meats/cheeses, and lean meat, respectively. Despite differing UPF intake, Mindful UPF Moderates and Traditional Healthy clusters had higher HEI-2015 scores, with the former reporting the highest dairy and whole grain sub-scores (Fig 1). Compared to the Sweet Tooth cluster, the 3 other clusters had 1.7-2.0 greater odds of very good/excellent health (Tbl 2). Conclusion: We identified 4 clusters with varied intake of UPF subgroups. Despite high UPF intake in 3 clusters, only the Sweet Tooth cluster was associated with worse health compared to the healthiest cluster, indicating that the pairing of UPF subtypes and less processed foods may be important to consider for UPF dietary guidance. Our findings suggest not all UPF patterns carry equal health risks and that UPF subgroup intake may modify health effects.

  PublisherDOI

• Lessons from Smart Cart 2.0: Considerations for integrating purchasing data into healthy eating interventions with AI approaches

  Journal of Nutrition · 2026-05-01

  articleOpen access

  The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases related to suboptimal diet quality in the US and worldwide contributes to burgeoning healthcare costs and excess death and disability. Changing dietary intake is essential but difficult because dietary behaviors stem from interconnected biological, psychological, environmental, and social factors that are rarely comprehensively addressed in interventions. Emerging digital technologies present a paradox in food environments: some facilitate healthier eating while other practices, like targeted marketing and price manipulation, exploit behavioral vulnerabilities and promote poor dietary habits. Smart Cart 2.0 - a personalized digital healthy eating intervention using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to detect patterns and influence dietary choices - offers critical lessons for health technology design. This perspective contends that improving digital dietary behavior interventions hinges on responsible implementation: fully leveraging technology's promise while establishing safeguards against premature adoption. With appropriate guardrails, digital technologies provide tremendous opportunity to improve the delivery, personalization, and scalability of healthy eating interventions.

  PublisherDOI

• A Coaching and Feedback Intervention to Improve Responsive Feeding and Child Dietary Intake in Rural Family Child Care Homes: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• How to integrate and leverage digital health modalities for health promotion in early childhood education: Opportunities to improve intervention access and engagement

  Translational Behavioral Medicine · 2025-01-01 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access

  Early childhood education (ECE) settings are important for the development of children's healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Efforts to disseminate and implement health behavior promotion strategies in ECE settings have seldom optimized digital health, a missed opportunity highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this commentary, we discuss previous efforts to shift ECE-based health behavior programs to digital health modalities, notable opportunities for digital health in these settings, and a multilevel perspective to support future efforts. We propose future directions in digital health literacy, reaching various ECE settings, implementation science, and community partnerships to expand the use of digital interventions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Population Recruitment Strategies in the Age of Bots: Insights from the What Is on Your Plate Study

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2025-04-15 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Background: To evaluate state-wide nutrition policies, valid tools are required to gather sufficient sample sizes. Remote data collection, including web-based dietary assessments, offers convenience for participants and researchers and enables faster and more diverse recruitment. However, it presents challenges, including risk of bots compromising data integrity. Objectives: This study describes the technical survey design of an ongoing longitudinal study, which is evaluating a state-wide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) incentive program, discusses strategies to prevent and identify bots, duplicates, fraudulent entries, and implausible data, and provides recommendations to improve future public health nutrition research. Methods: From May to September 2023, SNAP participants from Rhode Island and Connecticut were recruited to complete an online food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a demographic survey. Given the large sample and online format, our interdisciplinary team designed the technical backend to optimize participants' convenience while ensuring data quality through an automated system that assessed FFQ responses. To prevent bots and duplicates, we created duplicate application programming interfaces (API), randomly called participants, and evaluated Completely Automated Public Turing Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart (reCAPTCHA), geotags, and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Results: Using a combination of text blasts and in-person recruitment, we enrolled 1367 participants, with text blasts proving the most effective strategy (∼60% of participants). Midway through recruitment, we identified 544 potential bots that completed the screener, with duplicate IP addresses and geotags from outside the recruitment area serving as strong indicators of bot activity. At baseline, 112 participants failed FFQ data quality checks, prompting follow-up by research assistants. Our automated duplicate and FFQ APIs saved countless hours of staff time. Conclusions: Remote data collection tools were critical for meeting recruitment goals and ensuring our data authenticity. A combination of strategies is necessary to effectively mitigate against bots and ensure plausible responses. Widely available, built-in tools (e.g., reCAPTCHA) are helpful but are insufficient alone. Customized solutions like our automated systems may be critical for future researchers to maintain data integrity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Leveraging Implementation Science to Identify and Address Facilitators and Barriers to WIC Enrollment, Participation, and Retention

  Journal of Nutrition · 2025-02-05 · 7 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Adapting an Evidence-Based Infant Feeding and Nutrition Program to Promote Healthy Growth and Development in Latinx Families of Low Income

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2025-05-06 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: To describe the cultural adaptation of an evidence-based early childhood obesity prevention intervention for Latina mothers and nonmaternal caregivers in families of low income who speak diverse languages. DESIGN: Participatory intervention adaptation methods were used to complete the first and second steps of the cultural adaptation process: (1) gathering information and (2) preliminary intervention adaptations. SETTING: Southern California, US. PARTICIPANTS: Mothers of infants aged 4-6 months and their trusted caregivers (n = 46 mother-caregiver dyads) and members of an intervention workgroup (n = 8). INTERVENTION: Healthy Beginnings Communicating Healthy Beginnings Advice by Telephone was adapted for Latina mothers and nonmaternal caregivers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mother and caregiver recommendations for intervention design. ANALYSIS: We used qualitative approaches to analyze textual data for the cultural adaptation process. Notes and observations from the recorded intervention workgroup meetings were incorporated into the intervention design. RESULTS: Content adaptations included cultural meanings of infant feeding, maternal mental health, and infant feeding practices. Intervention delivery changes included caregiver involvement, reduced in-home session time, increased session frequency, and intervention delivery by the community health workers. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Nonmaternal caregivers play an important role in intervention adaptation by ensuring that early childhood obesity prevention efforts are culturally and linguistically relevant.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Understanding the role of mothers and other caregivers in the context of infant feeding using the family ecological model

  Appetite · 2025-07-02

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Strong Families Start at Home/Familias Fuertes Comienzan en Casa—Improving Child Diet Quality and Parental Feeding Practices: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

  JMIR Research Protocols · 2025-05-05

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Children in the United States have poor diet quality, increasing their risk for chronic disease burden later in life. Caregivers' feeding behaviors are a critical factor in shaping lifelong dietary habits. The Strong Families Start at Home/Familias Fuertes Comienzan en Casa (SFSH) was a 6-month, home-based, pilot randomized-controlled feasibility trial that aimed to improve the diet quality of 2-5-year-old children and promote positive parental feeding practices among a predominantly Hispanic/Latine sample. The pilot saw significant improvements in children's Healthy Eating Index-2015 total and whole fruit scores, as well as multiple food parenting practices, and it was received well by participants. OBJECTIVE: Building on the success of the pilot study, this protocol paper describes the modifications, study design, and procedures for a fully powered randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Caregiver-child dyads are randomized to a "healthy eating" intervention group or a "reading readiness" attention control group. In the intervention group, a trained community health worker conducts monthly home visits or phone calls for 6 months that focus on age-appropriate nutrition recommendations and food parenting practices. There are three home visits that include tailored nutrition education materials that address their child's appetitive traits and eating habits, an interactive cooking activity, and a review of a family meal video with feedback. Community health workers use motivational interviewing and goal setting, which are key components of the program. The control group is similarly structured, with content focusing on reading and language development. Caregivers complete in-person and over-the-phone baseline and 6-month follow-up measurements to capture diet quality (primary outcomes: Healthy Eating Index-2015 scores via two 24-h dietary recalls and dermal carotenoids) and selected parental feeding practices and availability of healthy foods in the home (secondary outcomes). RESULTS: This protocol was approved by the Brown University institutional review board (protocol number 2022003389). As of March 2025, a total of 81 participants were randomized. Of these, 29 participants completed the study, and 8 participants withdrew. Recruitment will continue until 257 participants have been randomized. Data analysis is expected to conclude in 2028. CONCLUSIONS: Findings will determine the efficacy of the intervention to improve child diet quality and parental feeding practices, which will ultimately inform future effectiveness and the real-world of home-based food parenting programs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06099288; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06099288. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/73923.

  PublisherDOI

• Multiple Roles and Children With Mixed-Age Groups Are Primary Challenges for Adoption of Responsive Feeding for Rural Family Child Care Home Providers

  Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior · 2025-05-17

  article
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Kim M. Gans

  University of Connecticut

  79 shared

• Patricia Markham Risica

  Providence College

  76 shared

• Maya Vadiveloo

  University of Rhode Island

  35 shared

• Christina D. Economos

  Tufts University

  33 shared

• Kristen Cooksey Stowers

  Hartford Financial Services (United States)

  32 shared

• Truls Østbye

  Duke University

  26 shared

• Noereem Z. Mena

  25 shared

• Katelyn Fox

  Providence College

  24 shared

Labs

• Alison Tovar's LabPI

  Not provided

Education

• B.S.

  Northeastern University

  2001

• M.S.

  Tufts University School of Medicine

  2005

• Ph.D.

  Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy

  2009