Meg Bruening

Meg.Bruening@asu.edu
602-827-2266

College of Health Solutions

Director & Assoc Professor
Faculty w/Admin Appointment
DTPHX Campus
Mailcode
9020

Global Futures Scientists and Scholars

Senior Global Futures Scientist
Faculty w/Admin Appointment
DTPHX Campus
Mailcode
9020

Biography

Meg Bruening is an associate professor in the College of Health Solutions. Her research interests include public health nutrition promotion and obesity prevention targeted to underserved, vulnerable youth and families. Major topics in these areas include food insecurity risk and resiliency factors, developing and evaluating public health nutrition interventions, including school- and community-based programs, and social epidemiology/socio-einvrionmental influences of eating behaviors including the role of friendship networks/social support for healthy eating.

CV

CurriculumVitae_BrueningM_Fall2021v2.pdf

Education

  • Ph.D. Nutritional Sciences, Public Health emphasis; Minor, Epidemiology, University of Minnesota-Minneapolis 2012
  • M.P.H. Nutrition, University of Minnesota-Minneapolis, MN 2008
  • Predoctoral Fellow, Interdisciplinary Adolescent Health Research, University of Minnesota-Minneapolis 2008-2012
  • B.S. Nutritional Sciences; Minor, International Agriculture, Pennsylvania State University-University Park 2003
  • R.D. Registered Dietitian 2003 

Research Interests

Public health nutrition promotion and obesity prevention targeted to underserved, vulnerable youth and families. Major topics include: 

  • Food insecurity risk and resiliency factors
  • Social epidemiology/socio-environmental influences of eating behaviors including the role of friendship networks/social support for healthy eating
  • Developing and evaluating public health nutrition interventions, including school- and community-based programs

 

Publications

Selected recent publications

  • Bruening M, van Woerden I, Schaefer D, Hruschka D, Brewis A, Ohri-Vachaspati P, Todd M, Whisner C, Dunton G, Laska M. Friendship as a social mechanism influencing body mass index (BMI) among emerging adults. PLOSone. 2018; 13(12): e0208894. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208894
  • Adams M, Richards T, Ohri-Vachaspati P, Todd M, Bruening M. Design and Rationale for Evaluating Salad Bars and Students' Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: A Cluster Randomized Factorial Trial with Objective Assessments. Contemporary Clinical Trials. ePub ahead of Print, 2019; 77: 37-45. doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2018.12.007
  • Bruening M, Adams M, Ohri-Vachaspati P, Hurley J. School-level policies, practices, and perceptions associated with salad bars in schools. Journal of School Health. 2018; 88: 416-422.
  • Bruening M, van Woerden I, Todd M, Laska MN. Hungry to learn: longitudinal effects of food insecurity among post-secondary students. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2018; 15:9. doi.org/10.1186/s12966-018-0647-7
  • Ashurst J, van Woerden I, Swan P, Ohri-Vachaspati P, Todd M, Bruening M. The Association among Emotions and Food Choices in College Freshmen Using mobile-Ecological Momentary Assessments. BMC Public Health. 2018. 18:573. doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5447-0
  • Blumenschine M, Adams M, Bruening M. Prevalence of and Differences in Salad Bar Implementation in Urban vs. Rural Arizona Public Schools. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2018; 118 (3): 448-454.
  • Bruening M, Argo K, Payne-Sturges D, Laska MN. The struggle is real: a systematic review of food insecurity on post-secondary campuses. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2017: 117 (11); 1767-1791.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.09.004
  • Bruening M, Van Woerden I, Todd M, Brennhofer S, Laska M, Dunton G. Validation of a mobile ecological momentary assessment tool for nutrition and physical activity behaviors in college students: Findings from devilSPARC. JMIR. 2016; 18(7):e209. doi.org/10.2196/jmir.5969
  • Bruening M, Van Woerden I, Todd M, Brennhofer S, Laska MN. Factors related to the high rates of food insecurity in among diverse, urban college freshmen. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2016; 116 (9): 1450–1457. doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.04.004

Research Activity

Federally-funded grants as Principal Investigator

  • Bruening,Meg. Translational Training in MCH Nutrition and Childhood Obesity: The TRANSCEND Program. MCHB, HRSA. (7/1/18-6/30/23).
  • Bruening,Meg, Adams, Marc. Salad Bars and Students' Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: A Group-Randomized Trial with Objective Assessments. HHS-NIH-NHLBI (08/15/17-06/30/21). 
  • Bruening,Meg. Partners in Excellence for MCH Nutrition. UCLA (AT LOS ANGELES)(7/1/2015 - 6/30/2018).
  • Bruening,Meg, Ohri-Vachaspati,Punam. Improving Accuracy of Classifying Child Weight Status in Population-Based Studies. HHS-NIH-NICHD(7/3/2014 - 6/30/2016).
  • Bruening,Meg. The Role of Friendship Networkson BMI and Behaviors among College Freshman. HHS-NIH-OD(9/20/2013 - 8/31/2019).

Courses

Fall 2021
Course Number Course Title
NTR 290 Intro Evidence-Based Research
CHS 494 Special Topics
NTR 598 Special Topics
NTR 599 Thesis
NTR 692 Research
NTR 780 Practicum
NTR 792 Research
NTR 799 Dissertation
Summer 2021
Course Number Course Title
NTR 599 Thesis
NTR 692 Research
NTR 780 Practicum
NTR 792 Research
NTR 799 Dissertation
Spring 2021
Course Number Course Title
CHS 494 Special Topics
NTR 599 Thesis
NTR 692 Research
NTR 780 Practicum
NTR 792 Research
NTR 799 Dissertation
Fall 2020
Course Number Course Title
NTR 290 Intro Evidence-Based Research
CHS 494 Special Topics
NTR 598 Special Topics
NTR 599 Thesis
NTR 692 Research
EXW 780 Practicum
NTR 780 Practicum
NTR 792 Research
NTR 799 Dissertation
Summer 2020
Course Number Course Title
NTR 599 Thesis
NTR 692 Research
NTR 792 Research
NTR 799 Dissertation
Spring 2020
Course Number Course Title
CHS 494 Special Topics
CHS 499 Individualized Instruction
NTR 599 Thesis
NTR 692 Research
NTR 780 Practicum
NTR 792 Research
NTR 799 Dissertation
Fall 2019
Course Number Course Title
CHS 494 Special Topics
CHS 499 Individualized Instruction
NTR 550 Adv Nutrition Life Cycle
NTR 590 Reading and Conference
NTR 599 Thesis
NTR 692 Research
EXW 780 Practicum
NTR 780 Practicum
NTR 792 Research
NTR 799 Dissertation
EXW 799 Dissertation
Summer 2019
Course Number Course Title
NTR 599 Thesis
NTR 692 Research
NTR 792 Research
Spring 2019
Course Number Course Title
NTR 492 Honors Directed Study
NTR 493 Honors Thesis
NTR 499 Individualized Instruction
NTR 598 Special Topics
NTR 599 Thesis
NTR 692 Research
EXW 692 Research
NTR 792 Research
EXW 792 Research
NTR 799 Dissertation
EXW 799 Dissertation
Fall 2018
Course Number Course Title
NTR 492 Honors Directed Study
NTR 493 Honors Thesis
NTR 499 Individualized Instruction
NTR 550 Adv Nutrition Life Cycle
NTR 590 Reading and Conference
Summer 2018
Course Number Course Title
NTR 692 Research
NTR 792 Research
Spring 2018
Course Number Course Title
NTR 492 Honors Directed Study
NTR 499 Individualized Instruction
EXW 692 Research
EXW 792 Research
EXW 799 Dissertation
Fall 2017
Course Number Course Title
NTR 499 Individualized Instruction
Spring 2017
Course Number Course Title
NTR 499 Individualized Instruction
NTR 500 Research Methods

Expertise Areas