Noereem Mena
Dr. Noereem Z. Mena is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Assistant Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Agriculture, Nutrition, and Food Systems at the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Mena's research efforts are focused on promoting healthy eating behaviors in early childhood both at home and in childcare settings, with an emphasis on dominant Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latinx populations.
Prior to becoming a faculty member at UNH, Dr. Mena completed her postdoctoral training at Colorado State University (2019-2021) and Cornell University (2021-2022). Dr. Mena received her PhD in Biological and Environmental Sciences (concentration: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems) from the University of Rhode Island in 2019 and completed her Master's and Dietetic Internship 2012-2014 at the University of Rhode Island.
Research Interests
- Child/Maternal Health
- Community Health
- Obesity
- Nutrition/Dietetics
- Nutrition Education
- Chronic Disease(s)
- Environmental Health
- Health Disparities
- Mobile Health (mHealth)
Selected Publications
McNamara, J. A., Mena, N. Z., Wright, A., & Barr, M. L. (2022). “There’sa Lot of Like, Contradicting Stuff”—Views on Healthy Living during Pregnancy and Postpartum. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(10), 5849.
Gans, K. M., Tovar, A., Kang, A., Ward, D. S., Stowers, K. C., von Ash, T., . . . Jiang, Q. (2022). A multi-component tailored intervention in family childcare homes improves diet quality and sedentary behavior of preschool children compared to an attention control: results from the Healthy Start-Comienzos Sanos cluster randomized trial. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 19(1), 1-18.
Bellows, L. L., Mena, N. Z., Reznar, M. M., Taylor, C. A., & Sigman-Grant, M. (2022). Strengthening nutrition education and behavior research for academicians and practitioners. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 54(1), 84-93.
Mena, N. Z., Johnson, S. L., Ferrante, M. J., Hobbs, S. J., Zeng, N., & Bellows, L. L. (2021). The SPORKS For Kids: Integrating Movement Into Nutrition Education. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 53(10), 903-906.
Elliott, S., McCloskey, M. L., Johnson, S. L., Mena, N. Z., Swindle, T., & Bellows, L. L. (2021). Food photography as a tool to assess type, quantity, and quality of foods in parent-packed lunches for preschoolers. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 53(2), 164-173.
Mena, N. Z., Barrett, K., Flesher, A., Coatsworth, J. D., Johnson, S. L., & Bellows, L. L. (2021). O19 A Mindful Parenting Intervention for Obesity Prevention in Early Childhood. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 53(7), S9.
Mena, N. Z., Amin, S., Mann, G., & Vollmer, R. (2021). Quality Nutrition Education Materials for Pregnant or Lactating Women and Children Ages 0–24 Months Old. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 53(5), 369.