Tanja V.E. Kral, PhD

Dr. Kral’s research focuses on studying protective factors within families for mitigating behavioral and socioeconomic risk factors for obesity development in predominantly minority children from low-resource environments. She discusses racial and ethnic disparities in adult and pediatric obesity in the United States in a nutrition science course she teaches at Penn Nursing. As part of this academically based community service (ABCS) course, undergraduate and graduate students engage with elementary and high school students in the West Philadelphia community to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity in youth.  

When studying eating behaviors and weight trajectories in children and their families, Dr. Kral currently focuses on environment (e.g., home food environment and parental feeding practices);genetics (e.g., family history of obesity); economics (e.g., food insecurity and financial incentives); and meal characteristics (e.g., portion size and energy density). With NIH funding, she is studying the impact of short-term appetite and intake regulation on longer-term energy intake control and weight development in a cohort of ethnically diverse normal-weight and obese boys and girls with different familial predispositions to obesity.   Most recently, Dr. Kral studied the effects of breakfast composition on hunger, fullness, and intake at subsequent meals in 40 children, aged 8 to 10.  The study resulted in some international media coverage about how protein-rich foods eaten for breakfast kept children full longer than grain-based foods, and helped reduce calorie intake at lunch.

Eating Patterns in Childhood Track For Life  

Food preferences, eating behaviors, and physical activity habits established during childhood often track into adulthood and become more difficult to change. Dr. Kral’s research underscores her belief that early childhood is an important period for shaping healthy habits that help prevent obesity.  Under a pilot grant from the Biobehavioral Research Center at Penn Nursing, Dr. Kral and colleagues studied eating behaviors and weight outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder. Their study showed that children with autism not only had increased levels of picky eating but they were also more prone to being overweight and obese when compared to typically developing children. 

Dr. Kral further seeks to learn whether obesogenic eating behaviors manifest themselves before children become obese and anticipates using her findings to design personalized behavioral interventions for children who are at greatest risk for obesity.  

As a member of Penn Nursing’s nutrition faculty, Dr. Kral believes that the interrelationship between research and teaching is very exciting. Her students learn about the complexities of research and receive hands-on training as they assist on her research projects, performing tasks ranging from preparing experimental meals to scoring appetite ratings to entering data. The assistance of students is instrumental for moving Dr. Kral’s research forward.

• Recipient, Alan Epstein Research Award, Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB)
• Member, Interdisciplinary Research Network “Promoting Healthy Weight Among Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Special Health Care Needs,” E. K. Shriver Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School
• Executive Editor, Appetite journal
• Recipient, Ruth Pike Lecture Series Award, Department of Nutritional Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University
• Recipient, Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Scholarly Mentorship, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania
• Associate Fellow, Center for Public Health Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine