Dr. Descarpentrie works as a postdoctoral fellow in the Goran Laboratory at CHLA, led by Michael I Goran, PhD, where she uses individual and neighborhood-level data to study social inequalities in health among children and adults in Southern California. Continue reading to learn more about her work!
What is a paper you recently published?
I’m proud to share our recent study conducted across 330 Southern California cities (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.70021). This work highlights how childhood obesity is not just a matter of individual choices, but is deeply influenced by the broader environments children grow up in. From school resources to economic conditions, and even exposure to environmental pollutants, these factors may collectively shape childhood health outcomes in powerful ways.
A. Descarpentrie, J. C. Cleveland III, V. Midya, et al., “ Social and Environmental Correlates of Childhood Obesity Among Southern California Communities,” Obesity 33, no. 11 (2025): 2170–2180, https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70021.
What excited you about the question you answered?
What I found compelling about this research is its ability to novelly challenge the traditional focus on individual behaviors in childhood obesity. By incorporating environmental and social factors, the research provides a broader perspective on the issue, highlighting how these elements may intersect and influence health outcomes long before adulthood, particularly in underserved populations. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of considering local context, as generalized approaches may fail to address the complexities of the problem.
How do you envision your research impacting public health policies or practices?
I hope this study will reinforce the need to rethink how we approach childhood obesity, shifting from a narrow focus on individual behaviors to a broader, systemic perspective. Our findings underscore that addressing the potential root causes requires policies that target specific structural determinants (including focusing on the school environment, healthcare access, social services, environmental exposures, and urban planning). Interventions may benefit from being designed with the local contexts in which children live in mind, especially for underserved populations.
What recommendations do you have for others hoping to translate their research into policy or practice?
For those seeking to translate research into practice, my advice is to consider the wider potential systemic forces at play. Early collaboration with policymakers and community stakeholders is crucial to turning research into real-world solutions. It’s not enough to identify the problems; we must offer tangible, systemic solutions that drive meaningful, lasting change.
What is a project you’re working on right now that you’re excited about?
At the moment, I’m continuing to explore the structural and broader social factors that may influence health outcomes, both in childhood and adulthood. My current focus is still on California, with a particular emphasis on diabetes outcomes, such as prediabetes, hospitalizations, and mortality. You can check out this recent article that examines the importance of context and various social and behavioral factors for diabetes diagnosis in adults, comparing national trends to those in Southern California: Read the full article here.
