About

Dr. Christen A. Smith is a Black feminist and African diaspora anthropologist whose work explores the multi-sided dimensions of race, gender, violence, performance, and Blackness in the Americas. Her research focuses on the transnational, gendered politics of anti-Black state violence in Brazil and the broader Americas, with particular attention to policing. She also studies Black women’s intellectual contributions to the Americas, especially in relation to transnational Black feminism. In 2017, she initiated Cite Black Women, a transnational project aimed at raising awareness about society’s tendency to ignore Black women’s intellectual contributions and the importance of citing Black women both inside and outside academia.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Environmental health
• Demography
• Psychology
• Internal medicine
• Biology
• Nursing
• Pediatrics
• Psychiatry

Selected publications

• Associations between adverse childhood experiences and history of weight cycling

  Obesity Science & Practice · 2024-02-01 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st author

  Abstract Background Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) predict obesity onset; however, the relationship between ACEs and history of weight cycling has not been adequately explored. This gap is problematic given the difficulty in weight loss maintenance and the impact of ACEs on obesity development, chronicity, and associated weight stigma. The objective of this study was to examine associations between self‐reported history of ACEs and weight cycling in a sample of weight loss treatment‐seeking adults with overweight/obesity. Methods The number of participants in the analyzed sample was 78, mostly white educated adult women (80% female, 81% Caucasian, 75% ≥ bachelor's degree) with excess adiposity enrolled in the Cognitive and Self‐regulatory Mechanisms of Obesity Study. ACEs were measured at baseline using the ACEs Scale. History of weight cycling was measured using the Weight and Lifestyle Inventory that documented weight loss(es) of 10 or more pounds. Results Higher ACE scores were associated with a greater likelihood of reporting a history of weight cycling. Participants with four or more ACEs had 8 times higher odds (OR = 8.301, 95% CI = 2.271–54.209, p = 0.027) of reporting weight cycling compared with participants with no ACEs. The association of weight cycling for those who endorsed one to three ACEs was not significant (OR = 2.3, 95% CI = 0.771–6.857, p = 0.135) in this sample. Conclusions The role of ACEs in health may be related to associations with weight cycling. Results indicated that those who reported four or more ACEs had significantly higher odds of reporting weight cycling compared with those with no ACEs. Further research is needed to further explore how ACEs predict the likelihood of weight cycling, which may be prognostic for sustained weight loss treatment response and weight stigma impacts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Eating Disorder Symptomatology Among Young Adult Cigarette and E-Cigarette Users

  Substance Use & Misuse · 2024-03-27 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Our findings suggest young adults with ED symptomatology were more likely to be users of e-cigarettes exclusively or dual users. It will be necessary to examine how these associations manifest using longitudinal and clinical populations in future research.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Prevalence of Obesity Among Electronic Cigarette and Tobacco Users in the United States: Results from the 2018 Wave of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

  Substance Use & Misuse · 2024-05-27 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The present study is the first to characterize U.S. obesity prevalence among e-cigarette and tobacco users. Obesity prevalence was lower in the ever vaped, never smoked group; however, this finding appears to be attributable to demographic variables. As e-cigarette use becomes more common, future research should examine the development and maintenance of obesity among users.

  PublisherDOI

• An adaptation and exploratory factor analysis of the smoking-related weight and eating episodes test (SWEET) for electronic cigarette users

  Addictive Behaviors · 2024-07-14 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Comparative efficacy of Aivlosin® and tilmicosin for treatment of swine respiratory disease in nursery-age pigs

  AASV Annual Meeting · 2023-02-19

  article
  PublisherDOI

• E-cigarette weight and appetite control beliefs and e-cigarette initiation in young adults.

  Health Psychology · 2023-06-22 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access

  = 21.2 [0.4]) and 6 months later (January-May 2021). Binary logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association of e-cigarette weight control beliefs (i.e., perceptions that e-cigarettes help people lose weight and satisfy hunger and desire to eat unhealthy foods) with new onset e-cigarette use at follow-up. All models were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics. Among individuals who had never used e-cigarettes at baseline, those who agreed (vs. disagreed) that e-cigarettes help people lose weight had more than three times the odds of initiating e-cigarette use by follow-up (OR [95% CI]: 3.24 [1.52, 6.62]). Similarly, those who agreed (vs. disagreed) that vaping certain e-cigarette flavors help satisfy hunger and desire to eat unhealthy foods had more than twice the odds of initiating e-cigarette use by follow-up (OR [95% CI]: 2.40 [1.15, 4.82]). Findings highlight that e-cigarette weight control beliefs are an important risk factor for vaping initiation. Future interventions and policies aiming to prevent vaping among young adults should address e-cigarette weight control beliefs and long-term health consequences from related use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Development and Pilot Testing of a Telehealth Weight Loss Program

  Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine · 2023-03-15

  article

  ABSTRACT Introduction/Purpose Behaviorally based in-person multidisciplinary programs for weight loss have been studied for decades; however, delivery, scalability, and accessibility remain a challenge. We report pilot findings from a new asynchronous protocol-based telehealth weight loss program. Methods This 12-wk single-arm pilot study included adults (18–65 yr old) with body mass index (BMI) of 25–40 kg·m −2 . The Home Weight Loss (HWL) program consisted of weekly app- and e-mail-delivered lesson modules covering traditional diet, exercise, and behavioral topics for weight loss. Daily weight and activity level were monitored automatically via a wireless scale and an activity tracker, and participants logged their caloric intake into the system. Monitoring data were reviewed weekly by clinicians who provided brief video-recorded feedback for participants to view at their convenience. Weight and height were measured in person at baseline and postintervention. Postintervention participants completed a satisfaction survey. Results Thirty participants (70% female; 80% White; mean age = 41 yr, standard deviation (SD) = 13.7 yr; mean BMI = 32.4 kg·m −2 , SD = 4.3 kg·m −2 ) were enrolled, and 27 provided posttreatment data. Percent weight loss was 4.12% (SD = 4.22%). Overall, 93% of participants reported being satisfied with their overall experience in the program, and 59% cited individualized feedback as a benefit of the program. Conclusions The HWL program produced modest weight loss and demonstrated feasibility and participant acceptability. This model appears to be generally scalable for broader use and can be used to extend weight loss services for those not residing near medical centers and those in need of asynchronous and virtual feedback.

  PublisherDOI

• Predictors of early weight loss in post‐bariatric surgery patients receiving adjunctive behavioural treatments for loss‐of‐control eating

  Clinical Obesity · 2023-05-31 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This study examined baseline patient characteristics as predictors of early weight loss, defined as any weight loss within the first month of treatment, among patients receiving adjunctive behavioural treatments for loss-of-control (LOC) eating about 6 months after bariatric surgery. Participants were 126 patients in a treatment trial for LOC-eating (roughly 6 months postoperatively) categorized by early weight change following 1 month of treatment. Early weight-loss, defined as any weight loss following 1 month of treatment, and weight-gain, defined as any weight gain, groups were compared on sociodemographic and clinical variables assessed using a battery of reliably administered diagnostic and clinical interviews and established self-report measures, and on surgery-related variables (time since surgery, percent total [%TWL], and percent excess weight loss). Most patients (n = 99; 78.6%) lost weight after the first month of adjunctive treatments. Black patients (n = 24; 61.5%) were significantly less likely to achieve early weight loss compared to patients identifying as White (n = 60; 83%) or 'other' (n = 15; 100%) which was not predicted by any other sociodemographic variable. Severity of eating-disorder psychopathology, psychiatric comorbidity, and a broad range of psychosocial measures were not significantly predictive of early weight changes. Duration since surgery and percent weight loss from time of surgery to study enrolment 6-months post-surgery differed by early weight-loss and weight-gain groups. Findings suggest that among post-bariatric surgery patients receiving adjunctive behavioural treatments for LOC-eating, baseline patient characteristics, aside from race and surgery-related variables, do not predict early weight loss.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effects of Exercise Structure and Modality on Physiological and Perceptual Responses to Exercise

  The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · 2021-07-20 · 10 citations

  article

  ABSTRACT: Bogdanis, GC, Mallios, VJ, Katsikas, C, Fouseki, T, Holman, I, Smith, C, and Astorino, TA. Effects of exercise structure and modality on physiological and perceptual responses to exercise. J Strength Cond Res 35(9): 2427-2432, 2021-This study examined the effect of exercise mode and intensity on physiological and perceptual responses to exercise. Twelve active adults (6 men and 6 women, age = 21.7 ± 1.6 years) initially performed incremental testing on the treadmill (TM) and cycle ergometer (CE) to assess maximal oxygen uptake (V̇o2max) and ventilatory threshold (VT). During the next 4 visits in a randomized order, subjects performed 20 minutes of moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) at an intensity 20% below VT on the TM (TMMICE) and cycle ergometer (CEMICE) as well as time-matched high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE; 10 1-minute bouts at workload equal to 20% above VT followed by 1-minute active recovery) on both modes (TMHIIE and CEHIIE). During exercise, gas exchange data, blood lactate concentration, and perceptual responses (rating of perceived exertion, affective valence, and enjoyment) were assessed. Heart rate (p < 0.001) and V̇o2 (p < 0.001) were higher in response to TMHIIE vs. CEHIIE as well as TMMICE vs. CEMICE. Blood lactate concentration was higher (p = 0.003) in response to CEHIIE vs. TMHIIE. The rating of perceived exertion was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in TMMICE compared with CEMICE which showed the most positive affective valence (p = 0.009). Enjoyment was similar across all bouts (p = 0.11). Treadmill-based HIIE leads to higher heart rate and V̇o2 vs. CEHIIE, although there was no difference in affective valence or enjoyment. Practitioners aiming to optimize the cardiorespiratory response to moderate or interval exercise in their clientele should recommend TM running rather than cycling.

  PublisherDOI

• SPIROMETRY IN COVID-19 PNEUMONIA PATIENTS ON CONTINUOUS REMOTE PATIENT MONITORING

  CHEST Journal · 2021-10-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Samantha Wallace

  Indiana University School of Medicine

  10 shared

• Misty A.W. Hawkins

  10 shared

• Alayna P. Tackett

  The Ohio State University

  9 shared

• Natalie G. Keirns

  8 shared

• Madison E. Stout

  Oklahoma State University

  6 shared

• William R. Lovallo

  Medical Center Hospital

  6 shared

• Theodore L. Wagener

  The Ohio State University

  5 shared

• Elizabeth L. McQuaid

  5 shared

Education

• Clinical Psychology Intern, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

  Medical University of South Carolina

  2021

• Doctor of Philosophy, Psychology

  Oklahoma State University

  2021