Amanda Raffoul
Biographic Data
| ID | 376730 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Amanda Raffoul |
| GIVEN NAMES | Amanda |
| FAMILY NAME | Raffoul |
| SIGNATURE | RAFFOUL A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Boston Children's Hospital |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3529-4999 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 3 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Eating disorders, depression, and anxiety among East Asian American young adults in the United States: Patterns of mental health service use
OBJECTIVE: This study (1) examined associations between probable anxiety and depression with probable eating disorders (ED) among East Asian American young adults ages 18-25 years; and (2) assessed mental health service use patterns among East Asian American young adults with probable EDs and probable depression and/or anxiety. METHODS: Multivariable logistic models were employed to estimate the association between the outcome of a probable ED an…
Critical considerations for Canada’s National School Food Program: School food labour, mental health, and inclusivity
School food programs (SFPs), which may include breakfast, lunch, and snacks, with or without curriculum integration, have tremendous potential to enhance the health and well-being of Canadian children, youth and communities. However, these programs are often politically undervalued, running on volunteer labour with limited space, equipment, and funding. In 2024, the Government of Canada announced a significant change to this status quo with a $1 …
Anticipating unintended consequences of public health nutrition policy: Implications for disordered eating and weight stigma
The prevention of weight gain continues to be a predominant focus of public health nutrition policy, often with approaches that aim to improve individual eating practices. However, policies emphasizing weight-related behaviour change may have unintended consequences, including increased weight stigma and disordered eating risk. This paper proposes a framework, guided by complex systems science, to inform nutrition policies that can improve eating…
Examining use of restaurant nutrition information among adults living in England engaged in disordered eating or weight management efforts
Calorie labels on menus are a popular policy initiative to help consumers to reduce their energy intake. Consumers trying to improve their diet may benefit from the labels if they help inform eating decisions. However, it is not well known how some groups, such as those with disordered eating, may view a calorie labelling policy and engage with nutritional labels in England. Using 2021 International Food Policy Study data from 2,898 adults in Eng…
Sociocultural Influences on Disordered Eating in Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African American Women: A Population Gap Research Study Examining the Roles of Acculturative Stress and Family, Peer, a…
Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (A-MENA) Americans are historically excluded from body image and eating disorder research; more specifically, no study to date examined sociocultural risk factors for disordered eating in this population. The current study is a secondary analysis (Kalantzis et al., Eating Behaviors, 53 , 101868, 2024) from a mixed-methods study, which found, through qualitative feedback on the Eating Disorder Examination Qu…
Lessons from an online workshop to advance strategic de-implementation of universal BMI surveillance
This paper presents proceedings from a workshop organized by the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) with support from the Harvard Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Our workshop was designed to facilitate strategic planning towards de-implementation of universal BMI surveillance, given its estimated human costs and iatrogenic effects. Using novel frameworks that draw from (de)/implementation scienc…
From the sidelines to the headlines: How youth leveraged online technologies during the pandemic to drive a national policy advocacy campaign against predatory diet pills — A case study
Soon after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, much of the analog world as we knew it ground to a halt, jettisoning most arenas of life into the digital sphere. Among those who quickly gained facility with online ways of interacting and conducting business included youth and U.S. state lawmakers — two communities that rarely interacted prior to the pandemic. Within months, key means of civic participation had shifted online, leading to th…
Financial precarity, food insecurity, and psychological distress prospectively linked with use of potentially dangerous dietary supplements during the pandemic in the US
Introduction: Supplements sold with claims to promote weight loss, cleansing/detoxing, increased energy, or boosted immunity can be dangerous, and consumers experiencing extreme stressors may be especially vulnerable to deceptive claims. The purpose of our study was to investigate associations of financial strain and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic with use of supplements sold for weight loss, cleanse/detox, energy, or immunit…
Tackling colourism through storytelling in an online course for public health professionals
Objective: Strategic storytelling can be used to reframe dominant cultural narratives and improve community health outcomes. This pilot study assessed the impact of an original, online 3-week e-course, delivered from November to December 2021, in increasing learners’ knowledge of and concern for the seriousness of skin-shade discrimination and the use of skin-lightening products in India, increasing learners’ understanding of storytelling-based c…
Weak regulations threaten the safety of consumers from harmful weight-loss supplements globally: Results from a pilot global policy scan
Objective: To pilot a global policy scan assessing how governments worldwide regulate weight-loss supplements (WLS). Design: Experts on WLS policies from thirty countries that varied by World Bank income classification, with five from each of the six WHO regions, completed an online survey on WLS regulation in their country. The survey covered six domains: legal frameworks; pre-market requirements; claims, labelling, and advertisements; product a…
Associations between weight discrimination and the use of potentially harmful dietary supplements during the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States
Maybe a little bit of guilt isn’t so bad for the overall health of an individual”: A mixed-methods exploration of young adults’ experiences with calorie labelling
The results provide insight into the complexity of young adults' interactions with labelling interventions and context for future research exploring the unintended consequences of public health nutrition interventions
The Impact of Social Media on Body Image Perceptions and Bodily Practices among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Critical Review of the Literature and Extension of Theory
Weight Management, Weight Perceptions, and Health-Compromising Behaviours Among Adolescent Girls in the Compass Study
Dieting predicts engagement in multiple risky behaviours among adolescent Canadian girls: A longitudinal analysis
Weight Management, Weight Perceptions, and Health-Compromising Behaviours Among Adolescent Girls in the Compass Study
Dieting predicts engagement in multiple risky behaviours among adolescent Canadian girls: A longitudinal analysis
The Impact of Social Media on Body Image Perceptions and Bodily Practices among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Critical Review of the Literature and Extension of Theory
Maybe a little bit of guilt isn’t so bad for the overall health of an individual”: A mixed-methods exploration of young adults’ experiences with calorie labelling
The results provide insight into the complexity of young adults' interactions with labelling interventions and context for future research exploring the unintended consequences of public health nutrition interventions
Financial precarity, food insecurity, and psychological distress prospectively linked with use of potentially dangerous dietary supplements during the pandemic in the US
Introduction: Supplements sold with claims to promote weight loss, cleansing/detoxing, increased energy, or boosted immunity can be dangerous, and consumers experiencing extreme stressors may be especially vulnerable to deceptive claims. The purpose of our study was to investigate associations of financial strain and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic with use of supplements sold for weight loss, cleanse/detox, energy, or immunit…
Tackling colourism through storytelling in an online course for public health professionals
Objective: Strategic storytelling can be used to reframe dominant cultural narratives and improve community health outcomes. This pilot study assessed the impact of an original, online 3-week e-course, delivered from November to December 2021, in increasing learners’ knowledge of and concern for the seriousness of skin-shade discrimination and the use of skin-lightening products in India, increasing learners’ understanding of storytelling-based c…
Weak regulations threaten the safety of consumers from harmful weight-loss supplements globally: Results from a pilot global policy scan
Objective: To pilot a global policy scan assessing how governments worldwide regulate weight-loss supplements (WLS). Design: Experts on WLS policies from thirty countries that varied by World Bank income classification, with five from each of the six WHO regions, completed an online survey on WLS regulation in their country. The survey covered six domains: legal frameworks; pre-market requirements; claims, labelling, and advertisements; product a…
Associations between weight discrimination and the use of potentially harmful dietary supplements during the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States
Lessons from an online workshop to advance strategic de-implementation of universal BMI surveillance
This paper presents proceedings from a workshop organized by the Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) with support from the Harvard Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Our workshop was designed to facilitate strategic planning towards de-implementation of universal BMI surveillance, given its estimated human costs and iatrogenic effects. Using novel frameworks that draw from (de)/implementation scienc…
From the sidelines to the headlines: How youth leveraged online technologies during the pandemic to drive a national policy advocacy campaign against predatory diet pills — A case study
Soon after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, much of the analog world as we knew it ground to a halt, jettisoning most arenas of life into the digital sphere. Among those who quickly gained facility with online ways of interacting and conducting business included youth and U.S. state lawmakers — two communities that rarely interacted prior to the pandemic. Within months, key means of civic participation had shifted online, leading to th…
Sociocultural Influences on Disordered Eating in Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African American Women: A Population Gap Research Study Examining the Roles of Acculturative Stress and Family, Peer, a…
Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (A-MENA) Americans are historically excluded from body image and eating disorder research; more specifically, no study to date examined sociocultural risk factors for disordered eating in this population. The current study is a secondary analysis (Kalantzis et al., Eating Behaviors, 53 , 101868, 2024) from a mixed-methods study, which found, through qualitative feedback on the Eating Disorder Examination Qu…
Eating disorders, depression, and anxiety among East Asian American young adults in the United States: Patterns of mental health service use
OBJECTIVE: This study (1) examined associations between probable anxiety and depression with probable eating disorders (ED) among East Asian American young adults ages 18-25 years; and (2) assessed mental health service use patterns among East Asian American young adults with probable EDs and probable depression and/or anxiety. METHODS: Multivariable logistic models were employed to estimate the association between the outcome of a probable ED an…
Critical considerations for Canada’s National School Food Program: School food labour, mental health, and inclusivity
School food programs (SFPs), which may include breakfast, lunch, and snacks, with or without curriculum integration, have tremendous potential to enhance the health and well-being of Canadian children, youth and communities. However, these programs are often politically undervalued, running on volunteer labour with limited space, equipment, and funding. In 2024, the Government of Canada announced a significant change to this status quo with a $1 …
Anticipating unintended consequences of public health nutrition policy: Implications for disordered eating and weight stigma
The prevention of weight gain continues to be a predominant focus of public health nutrition policy, often with approaches that aim to improve individual eating practices. However, policies emphasizing weight-related behaviour change may have unintended consequences, including increased weight stigma and disordered eating risk. This paper proposes a framework, guided by complex systems science, to inform nutrition policies that can improve eating…
Examining use of restaurant nutrition information among adults living in England engaged in disordered eating or weight management efforts
Calorie labels on menus are a popular policy initiative to help consumers to reduce their energy intake. Consumers trying to improve their diet may benefit from the labels if they help inform eating decisions. However, it is not well known how some groups, such as those with disordered eating, may view a calorie labelling policy and engage with nutritional labels in England. Using 2021 International Food Policy Study data from 2,898 adults in Eng…
Medicine (8 works) · Eating Disorders and Behaviors (7 works) · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Political science (5 works) · Public health (5 works) · Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling (4 works) · Developmental psychology (4 works) · Disordered eating (4 works) · Clinical Psychology (3 works)