Antonio Tovar

Biographic Data

ID	76287
NAME	Antonio Tovar
GIVEN NAMES	Antonio
FAMILY NAME	Tovar
SIGNATURE	TOVAR A
AFFILIATIONS	University of Rhode Island
ORCID	0000-0002-1559-592X
VERIFIED	Yes
TOTAL WORKS	66
TOTAL CITATIONS	69
AUTHOR COUNT	66
EDITOR COUNT	0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR	1951
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR	2026
H-INDEX	5

Point-of-sale sugar-sweetened beverage warning posters v . control posters were associated with reductions in school store sugar-sweetened beverage purchases made by Guatemalan adolescents
Open AccessVioleta Chacón, Joaquín Barnoya et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Nutrition2026
Objective: We examined whether point-of-sale warning posters, compared with control posters, reduced Guatemalan adolescents’ purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) at school stores. Design: We used a difference-in-differences approach (4-week baseline and 4-week treatment). Our primary analysis compared two schools assigned to an intervention warning poster to one school that displayed a control poster. Based on purchase transaction data, t…
Combined participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Head Start is associated with healthy household dietary environments for young children in low-income families
Open AccessTirna Purkait, Dipti A Dev et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Nutrition2025
Objective: To compare the association of participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) alone v . in combination with Head Start (HS), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) or both on household dietary environment (HDE) indicators: food security, nutrition security, healthfulness choice, dietary choice, perceived food store availability, utilisation barriers and healthy food access barrie…
Understanding the role of mothers and other caregivers in the context of infant feeding using the family ecological model
Open AccessAndrea Ramirez, Evelyn Vázquez et al.ARTICLEAppetite2025References: 43
"It makes you feel worthless." The lived experience of discrimination in the US food assistance system
Open AccessSarah J Blau, Sarah Blau et al.ARTICLESocial Science & Medicine2025References: 28
The longitudinal association between caregivers' perceived competence and autonomy and children's dietary consumption before and 10 months into the Covid-19 pandemic
Open AccessVioleta Chacón, Mei Chung et al.ARTICLEAppetite2024References: 55
The COVID-19 pandemic has been stressful, potentially affecting caregivers' feeding choices. Caregivers play a role in shaping children's diets, yet few studies have explored how their competence and autonomy, defined by the Self-Determination Theory, impact children's diets. We examined the relationship between caregivers' autonomy and competence and their feeding practices before and during the first year of the pandemic. A national convenience…
Feasibility and acceptability of a personalized, pre-filled online grocery cart to improve benefit redemption and diet quality of grocery purchases among participants of the Special Supplemental Nutri…
Open AccessYarisbel Melo Herrera, Maya K Vadiveloo et al.ARTICLEAppetite2024References: 67
Associations between child eating behaviors with eating patterns and diet quality in preschool-aged children
Open AccessKatelyn Fox, Maya K Vadiveloo et al.ARTICLEAppetite2024Cited by: 1References: 62
Applying a Social Determinants of Health Framework to Guide Digital Innovations That Reduce Disparities in Chronic Disease
Stephanie P Goldstein, Antonio Tovar et al.ARTICLEPsychosomatic Medicine2023
Chronic diseases are among the top causes of global death, disability, and health care expenditure. Digital health interventions (e.g., patient support delivered via technologies such as smartphones, wearables, videoconferencing, social media, and virtual reality) may prevent and mitigate chronic disease by facilitating accessible, personalized care. Although these tools have promise to reach historically marginalized groups, who are disproportio…
Results from “Live Well”, a randomized controlled community-based participatory intervention to prevent obesity in new immigrant mother–child dyads
Open AccessChristina D Economos, Christina Economos et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2023
Findings from Live Well demonstrate the viability of utilizing a CBPR approach to address overweight and obesity among immigrant mothers. Given the higher-than-expected prevalence of overweight and obesity among mother-child dyads by ~ 6 years of U.S. residency, and lower maternal participation rates in the intervention, additional research is necessary to identify the optimal intervention length, retention strategies, and approach to jointly sup…
Mediation of the association between social environmental characteristics of family childcare home and weight status in children by diet quality
Open AccessQianxia Jiang, Patricia Markham Risica et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2023
Children's diet quality did significantly mediate the relationship between the food served in FCCHs and children's weight status. More longitudinal studies with longer follow-up periods need to be conducted to confirm these relationships. Further, future studies need to examine the relationships between a broader spectrum of FCCH environmental characteristics and home environment with children's weight status, as well as other mediators including…
Community coalition efforts to prevent childhood obesity
Open AccessChristina D Economos, Christina Economos et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2023
SUU5 had positive effects on "upstream" drivers of early childhood obesity by increasing knowledge and engagement. These changes partially diffused through networks and may have changed "midstream" community policies, systems, and environments
Results from the Strong Families Start at Home/Familias Fuertes Comienzan en Casa
Open AccessAntonio Tovar, Katelyn Fox et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Nutrition2023
Objective: To describe the feasibility, acceptability and results of Strong Families Start at Home, a 6-month pilot trial of a home-based food parenting/nutrition intervention. Design: Pilot randomised controlled trial. Setting: Participants received six visits with a community health worker trained in motivational interviewing (three home visits, three phone calls); an in-home cooking or reading activity; personalised feedback on a recorded fami…
Sorry Parents, Children Consume High Amounts of Candy before and after a Meal
Open AccessErika Hernandez, Amy M Moore et al.ARTICLEChildren2022
Candy provides little nutritional value and contributes to children's energy intake from added sugars. Factors influencing children's candy intake remain largely unknown. This study describes children's total candy intake (kcal) before and after a meal and examines associations of candy intake in both conditions with children's temperament and appetite among a predominantly White, highly educated sample. Children ( n = 38, age 5-8 years) were giv…
Feeding and Activity Environments for Infants and Toddlers in Childcare Centers and Family Childcare Homes in Southeastern New England
Open AccessPatricia Markham Risica, Jacqueline M Karpowicz et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2022
Few studies have documented the food and physical activity (PA) environments of childcare settings caring for children <24 months of age, although they may be key contributors to developing child PA and diet patterns. We used an adapted Environment and Policy Assessment and Observation tool to assess the food and activity environments for infants and toddlers in childcare centers (n = 21) and family childcare homes (FCCH) (n = 20) and explored di…
Maternal Experiences with Discussing Complementary Feeding in Primary Care
Open AccessKelly Bouchard, Diana S Grigsby‐Toussaint et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2022
Complementary feeding practices promote healthy eating habits and food preferences later in life. Little is known about how US pediatricians communicate infant feeding practices to caregivers or how caregivers respond to this information. The purpose of this study is to explore mothers' experiences and perceptions of the complementary feeding recommendations they receive in primary care settings. English- and Spanish-speaking mothers of infants w…
Maternal Stress and Excessive Weight Gain in Infancy
Open AccessKatelyn Fox, Maya K Vadiveloo et al.ARTICLEInternational Journal of…2022
Rapid weight gain in infancy increases the risk of developing obesity early in life and contributes significantly to racial and ethnic disparities in childhood obesity. While maternal perceived stress is associated with childhood obesity, little is known about the impact it has on infant weight gain. Therefore, this study explores the impact of maternal perceived stress on change in weight-for-length (WFL) z-scores and the risk of rapid weight ga…
Food insecurity, food parenting practices, and child eating behaviors among low-income Hispanic families of young children
Open AccessKaren McCurdy, Kim M Gans et al.ARTICLEAppetite2022Cited by: 7References: 51
The relationship between maternal prenatal and postnatal vegetable intake and repeated measures of infant vegetable intake frequency in a national U.S. sample
Open AccessElie Perraud, Haley W Parker et al.ARTICLEAppetite2022References: 33
Leveraging Federal, State, and Facility-Level Early Care and Education Systems and Providers Toward Optimal Child Nutrition in the First 1000 Days
Carrie A Dooyema, Carrie Dooyema et al.ARTICLEAmerican Journal of Public Health2022Cited by: 4References: 13
Physical Activity Levels among Preschool-Aged Children in Family Child Care Homes
Open AccessAugustine W Kang, Kim M Gans et al.ARTICLEChildren2021
Obesity prevalence among Hispanic children is twice that of non-Hispanic white children; Hispanic children may also engage in less physical activity (PA) compared to non-Hispanic white children. A large number of U.S. preschool-aged children are cared for in Family Child Care Homes (FCCH), yet few studies have examined PA levels and ethnicity differences in PA levels among these children. We examine baseline data from a cluster-randomized trial (…
A recurrent cross-sectional qualitative study exploring how low-income mothers define snacks and reasons for offering snacks during infancy
Open AccessAmy M Moore, Maya K Vadiveloo et al.ARTICLEAppetite2021Cited by: 4References: 36
A Safety Net Unraveling
Katherine W Bauer, Jamie F Chriqui et al.ARTICLEAmerican Journal of Public Health2021Cited by: 7References: 10
The emergence of COVID-19 in the United States led most states to close or severely limit the capacity of their early child-care and education (ECE) programs. This loss affected millions of young children, including many of the 4.6 million low-income children who are provided free meals and snacks by their ECE programs through support from the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Although Congress swiftly authorized waivers that wou…
Grow well/Crecer bien
Open AccessA M Cheney, T Nieri et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2020
We outline a study methodology to examine feeding styles and practices and their association with early childhood obesity risk and enhance an existing intervention to promote healthy infant feeding and growth among children in low-income families
Socio-economic and racial prenatal diet quality disparities in a national US sample
Open AccessHaley W Parker, Antonio Tovar et al.ARTICLEPublic Health Nutrition2020
Objective: To examine differences in prenatal diet quality by socio-economic status (SES) and race/ethnicity. Design: A secondary, cross-sectional analysis. Race and SES were self-reported prenatally; SES was categorized into four groups: high-income, middle-income and low-income WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) participant/non-participant. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index for Pregnancy (AHEI-P) me…
Improving nutrition and physical activity environments of family child care homes
Open AccessPatricia Markham Risica, Antonio Tovar et al.ARTICLEBMC Public Health2019
(# NCT02452645 ) ClinicalTrials.gov Trial registered on May 22, 2015