About

Kris D. Gutiérrez is the Carol Liu Professor of Education at the Berkeley School of Education, bringing expertise in the learning sciences, literacy, educational policy, and qualitative and design-based inquiry approaches. Her research employs a critical perspective on the Learning Sciences and Cultural Historical Activity Theory, focusing on the cultural dimensions of learning within designed environments, especially for students and families from non-dominant and translingual communities. Gutiérrez's work on Third Spaces explores syncretic literacy practices, new media literacies, STEM learning, and the re-mediation of learning systems. She has developed social design-based experiments (SDBEs) as a democratizing methodology that fosters co-construction among institutional stakeholders and communities, emphasizing the historical, political, and ethical aspects of design research. Her longstanding collaborations with immigrant and migrant communities include programs like Las Redes, El Pueblo Mágico, and the UCLA Migrant Student Leadership Program, which focus on translingual practices and STEM education for youth from migrant backgrounds. Her empirical research is funded by prominent foundations and agencies, and she has published extensively in top academic journals. Gutiérrez has received numerous awards recognizing her influence in the fields of learning, literacy, and social justice, and has served on national advisory committees, including a presidential appointment to the National Board for the Institute of Education Sciences. Her scholarly contributions advance understanding of equity, social design, and cultural practices in education.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Nursing
• Family medicine
• Environmental health
• Psychology
• Dentistry
• Economic growth
• Medical education
• Developmental psychology
• Gerontology
• Geography

Selected publications

• Oral Health Needs Assessment of Pregnant Women/Mothers in Berkeley: A Mixed-Methods Approach

  Journal of the California Dental Association · 2025-03-27

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Background Optimal oral health during pregnancy is important for maternal and child health.Aim To assess the prenatal oral health needs of low-income women in Berkeley, California, and identify barriers and facilitators to dental care.Methods The study surveyed 57 pregnant and post-partum women receiving public health services, and descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. A community focus group further explored dental service utilization, and content analysis identified themes.Results Overall, 43% of women reported dental problems during pregnancy. While 80% of the women reported that their prenatal medical provider recommended a prenatal dental visit and 75% knew that their health insurance covered dental visits, 41% did not have a prenatal dental visit. Women were significantly more likely to have had a prenatal dental visit if they knew that their health insurance covered it. The survey identified barriers to accessing prenatal dental care: financial, difficulty getting timely appointments, lack of awareness, fear and anxiety from dental procedures, time constraints, and not having a dentist. Barriers identified in the focus group were as follows: 1) Dental fear, mistrust, and perceived disrespect in dental settings; 2) Uncertainties and misconceptions about dental services; and 3) Limited dental insurance and access to dental providers/services.Conclusion To improve perinatal oral health and utilization of prenatal dental care, policies and programs are needed to support prenatal medical-dental integration, coverage for Medi-Cal dental services during pregnancy, and recruitment and training of Medi-Cal dental providers in cultural sensitivity, communication, trauma-informed care, and minimally-invasive care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Foods of Low Nutritional Value, and Child Undernutrition in Cambodia

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2024-02-01 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  Child undernutrition persists in Cambodia despite recent progress. As Cambodia undergoes a shift in dietary consumption that coincides with economic, demographic, and epidemiologic changes, there is risk of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages displacing nutrient-dense foods during the critical period of infant growth in the first 24 months. The aim of this study was to assess the introduction and intake of foods of low nutritional value and sugar-sweetened beverages and their association with undernutrition among children 24 months of age in rural and semi-urban Cambodia. Cross-sectional analyses of a 24-h dietary recall from a sample (n = 377) of 24-month-olds found that the majority of infants had been introduced to packaged salty snacks and sweets by 12 months of age and to sugar-sweetened beverages by 15 months. By 24 months of age, 78% of children had consumed foods of low nutritional value and 57% consumed a sugar-sweetened beverage on the previous day. Multivariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that infant intake of a flavored sugary drink on the previous day was associated with over two times the odds of both stunting and wasting, and consumption of packaged sweets on the previous day was associated with over two times the odds of wasting, but no association was found with stunting. These findings underscore the need to improve educational and policy interventions to support healthy feeding practices for infants and young children.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Oral Health Care for Children and Youth With Developmental Disabilities: Clinical Report

  PEDIATRICS · 2024-07-22 · 17 citations

  articleOpen access

  Oral health is an essential component of overall health for all individuals. The oral health of children and youth with developmental disabilities (CYDD) involves unique characteristics and needs of which pediatricians and pediatric clinicians can be aware. Risk for oral disease in CYDD is multifactorial and includes underlying medical conditions, medications, and ability to participate in preventive oral health care and treatment, and lack of access to providers is common for this population despite being eligible for Medicaid. Pediatric clinicians are uniquely positioned to support the oral health needs of CYDD and their families through the medical home. This clinical report aims to inform pediatric clinicians about the unique oral health needs of CYDD. It provides guidance on assessing caries risk and periodontal status using structured screening instruments; understanding dental trauma, the role of diet and caries risk, trauma prevention, and malocclusion; and providing anticipatory guidance on oral hygiene that includes tooth brushing, use of fluoridated toothpaste, assessing community water fluoridation, advocating for a dental home by 1 year of age, and transition to adult dental care as part of adolescent health care. It also highlights special considerations for dental treatment rendered under sedation or general anesthesia that CYDD may need. Pediatric clinicians can help reduce risk of CYDD developing dental disease by understanding the unique needs of their patients and their barriers to accessing oral health care in their community, communicating with the child's dental home, and advocating for safe and accessible dental procedures.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Oral and Dental Aspects of Child Abuse and Neglect: Clinical Report

  PEDIATRICS · 2024-08-19 · 9 citations

  reviewOpen access

  In all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, pediatricians, dental professionals, and other physicians are mandated to report suspected cases of abuse and neglect to social service or law enforcement agencies. The purpose of this clinical report is to review the oral aspects of abuse and dental neglect in children and the role of pediatricians, dental professionals, and other physicians in evaluating such conditions. This clinical report addresses recommendations on the evaluation of bite marks, as well as perioral and intraoral injuries, infections, and diseases that may raise suspicion for child abuse or neglect. Some physicians may have received less education pertaining to oral health, dental injury, and oral disease. These physicians may not detect the mouth and gum findings possibly related to abuse or neglect as readily as abuse injuries involving other areas of the body. Therefore, pediatricians, dental professionals, and other physicians are encouraged to collaborate to increase the prevention, detection, and treatment of these conditions in children.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Families’ Perspectives on Social Services Navigation After Pediatric Urgent Care

  The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine · 2024-05-01 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Interest is growing in clinic-based programs that screen for and intervene on patients' social risk factors, including housing, food, and transportation. Though several studies suggest these programs can positively impact health, few examine the mechanisms underlying these effects. This study explores pathways through which identifying and intervening on social risks can impact families' health. METHODS: This qualitative study was embedded in a randomized clinical trial that examined the health impacts of participation in a social services navigation program. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 27 English or Spanish-speaking caregivers of pediatric patients who had participated in the navigation program. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Caregivers described 3 pathways through which the navigation program affected overall child and/or caregiver health: 1) increasing families' knowledge of and access to social services; 2) helping families connect with health care services; and 3) providing emotional support that reduced caregiver isolation and anxiety. Participants suggested that navigation programs can influence health even when they do not directly impact resource access. DISCUSSION: Social care programs may impact health through multiple potential pathways. Program impacts seem to be mediated by the extent to which programs increase knowledge of and access to social and health care services and support positive relationships between families and program personnel.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Pocket money and the risk of dental caries and oral pain in children

  Journal of Medicine Surgery and Public Health · 2024-04-18 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Tooth decay affects 40% to 90% of children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), contributing to adverse consequences, including oral pain, difficulty focusing in school, lifelong dental problems, and overall lower quality of life. Few studies have examined the relationship between pocket money given to children, their purchase of sugary snacks and drinks with that money, and the risk for tooth decay. This secondary cross-sectional analysis utilized data which were collected in 2014 as part of an oral health promotion program in rural El Salvador. A convenience sample of 279 children and their mothers who participated in the program were recruited to complete an interview with trained community health workers, and children received a dental examination from trained and licensed Salvadoran and U.S. dentists. Only children with teeth (primary, mixed, or permanent dentition) were included in this analysis; as such, children ranged in age from 6 months through 14 years. Descriptive, multivariate logistic regression, and Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial analyses were used to identify associations between pocket money given to children and three oral health outcomes: number of decayed, missing/extracted due to decay, and filled teeth (dmft for primary teeth and DMFT for permanent teeth); presence of deep decay; and occurrence of oral pain. Overall, almost two-thirds of children received daily pocket money with which over 70% purchased unhealthy snacks/drinks; 83% of children had tooth decay, with a mean dmft/DMFT of 6.0. After adjusting for covariates, receiving pocket money was associated with 0.18 (95% CI: 0.05-0.54) times the odds of having zero-dmft/DMFT (i.e., being cavity-free) (p = 0.002). Among children with at least one decayed tooth, receiving pocket money was associated with 1.22 (95% CI: 1.01-1.53) times the expected dmft/DMFT count (p = 0.04), 3.39 (95% CI: 1.59-7.22) times the odds of deep decay (p <0.001), and 2.66 (95% CI: 1.24-5.70) times the odds of oral pain (p = 0.007) compared to children who did not receive pocket money. Interventions to reduce the prevalence and severity of tooth decay should include nutrition and oral health education for children and families—including addressing pocket money and healthy vs. unhealthy purchases—in schools, communities, and primary health clinics; school programs to provide healthy foods and beverages for children; and enforcement of policies to prohibit the sale of ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks in and around schools.

  PublisherDOI

• Fewer Children in Families Associated with Lower Odds of Early Childhood Caries: A Sample from Three Countries

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2023-01-26 · 15 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Childhood caries experience is influenced by family characteristics and oral health practices in the context of many social-commercial determinants. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between families' number of children, oral health practices and child caries experience in a convenience sample of 1374 children aged 6 months through 6 years and their families from Ecuador, Nepal, and Vietnam. Data were collected by mother interviews and child dental exams. Multivariate logistic and Zero-Inflated-Poisson regression analyses assessed associations between number of children, oral health practices and decayed, missing or filled teeth (dmft). Families had a mean of 2.2 children (range 1-12); 72% of children had tooth decay, with mean dmft of 5.4. Adjusting for child age, sex, and urban/rural location, a greater number of children in the family was associated with significantly less likelihood of unhealthy bottle feeding practices, having a toothbrush/toothpaste and parent helping child brush, and being cavity-free; higher number of dmft, and greater likelihood of having a dental visit. Early childhood oral health promotion should include focus on oral hygiene and healthy feeding-particularly breastfeeding and healthy bottle feeding practices-as well as access to family planning services and support for childcare.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Maternal–child consumption of ultra-processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages in informal settlements in Mumbai, India

  Journal of Health Population and Nutrition · 2023-12-13 · 10 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: The global nutrition transition is associated with increased consumption of ultra-processed snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages (UPF/SSB), contributing to the double burden of child obesity and undernutrition. METHODS: This cross-sectional study describes the prevalence of maternal and child UPF/SSB consumption and the factors associated with frequent consumption in a convenience sample of 749 children ages 6 months through 6 years and their mothers participating in a community-based child oral health program in five informal settlement communities in Mumbai, India. Mothers were interviewed regarding maternal and child oral health and nutrition characteristics, including consumption of beverages and foods associated with tooth decay-milk, soda, tea with sugar, sweets, and chips/biscuits-using standardized questionnaires. Spearman correlations were used to assess for associations between various social factors and the frequency of maternal and child consumption of the five food categories. Chi-square tests were used to assess differences in child consumption patterns by age groups. RESULTS: Though reported soda consumption was low among both mothers and children, nearly 60% of children consumed sweets and chips/biscuits daily, four to five times the rate of mothers. Factors associated with children's frequent consumption of UPF/SSB included lower maternal education level, frequent maternal consumption of UPF/SSB, greater number of household members, greater amount of money given to the child, and closer proximity to a store. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate social factors that may promote UPF/SSB consumption. The nutritional dangers of sugary drinks and non-nutritious snacks for mothers and young children should be addressed across maternal-child health, education, and social service programs. Early childhood nutrition interventions should involve the entire family and community and emphasize the need to limit children's consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages from an early age.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cross-Sectional Analysis of Oral Healthcare vs. General Healthcare Utilization in Five Low- and Middle-Income Countries

  Frontiers in Oral Health · 2022-06-23 · 17 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Oral health is integral to overall health and is often neglected, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Oral disease, including untreated dental caries, affects nearly 3.5 billion people globally, contributing to poor health and quality of life. To examine the relationship between the utilization of general healthcare and oral healthcare, we conducted an exploratory cross-sectional study of first-visit interview data collected from a convenience sample of 3,422 low-income mothers and 4,324 children aged 6 months through 6 years participating in a community-based oral health and nutrition program in five LMICs (Ecuador, El Salvador, India, Nepal, and Vietnam) from 2006-2015. We used descriptive and exploratory association analysis to identify patterns of oral healthcare utilization for mothers and children compared to medical care utilization, specifically maternal prenatal care and child immunizations. Overall, 89.6% of the mothers had received prenatal care for at least one child, but only 76.4% had ever received dental care and 50% were currently suffering from oral health symptoms, primarily oral pain. Mothers who received prenatal care were significantly more likely to have accessed dental care compared to those who had not received prenatal care (OR = 2.62, 95% CI: 2.06, 3.32). Overall, 95.4% of the children had current immunizations, but only 30.1% had ever received dental care, and 32.4% were currently suffering from oral pain. Children whose immunizations were up-to-date were more likely to have received dental care, with a significant association in Ecuador (OR = 3.29, 95% CI: 2.06, 5.30). Compared to utilization of general healthcare, oral healthcare was under-utilized by mothers and children in our sample from five LMICs. Integration of prevention- and treatment-oriented oral healthcare into primary medical care services, particularly prenatal care and child immunizations, could help increase access to oral healthcare and improve women's and children's oral health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Associations between Maternal Education and Child Nutrition and Oral Health in an Indigenous Population in Ecuador

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 2022-12-28 · 21 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The global nutrition transition has increased the prevalence of childhood dental caries. Greater understanding is needed of the impact of social determinants—including maternal education—on child oral health. This is a cross-sectional analysis of a convenience sample of families of 458 indigenous Ecuadorian children aged 6 months through 6 years from 2011−2013. Data was collected by mother interviews and child dental and anthropometric examinations. Multivariate logistic and Zero-Inflated-Poisson regression analyses assessed associations between years of maternal education and maternal-child oral health practices and child oral health outcomes. Each additional year of maternal education was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with some healthier practices including greater likelihood of mothers and children drinking milk daily (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.08, 1.34); and less healthy practices including greater likelihood of bottle-feeding children with sugary liquids (OR 1.14; 95% CI 1.06, 1.22) and to older age, giving children sweets daily, calming children with a bottle or sweets, and less likelihood of helping brush their children’s teeth (OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.88, 0.98). Each year of maternal education had a small but statistically non-significant influence on increasing the odds of children being among those who are cavity-free (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.92, 1.16). Interventions to improve health outcomes should focus not just on maternal education but also address social and commercial determinants of health through nutrition and oral health education, as well as policies to reduce sugar and ensure universal access to oral health care.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Denisse Velazquez

  The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

  25 shared

• Victoria F. Keeton

  UC Davis Health System

  25 shared

• Holly Wing

  Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network

  25 shared

• Maureen Lahiff

  Berkeley Public Health Division

  25 shared

• Alison Aronstam

  Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network

  25 shared

• Danielle Hessler

  King's College London

  25 shared

• Laura M. Gottlieb

  Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network

  25 shared

• Susan L. Ivey

  Research for Action

  18 shared

Labs

• Kris D. Gutiérrez LabPI

Awards & honors

• AERA Division C Sylvia Scribner Award for influencing the fi…
• 2020 Dr. John J. Gumperz Memorial Award for Distinguished Li…
• 2016 Oscar Causey award for influencing the field of literac…
• 2016 Medal of Excellence from the Columbia University/Teache…
• 2014 Distinguished Contributions to Social Contexts in Educa…