Research Interests 

My research program focuses on understanding early socialization processes between parents and young children to understand factors that affect parents’ socialization efforts such as income and cultural background, as well as how these processes impact children’s health and development. As a Specialist in Cooperative Extension, I am active in translating and disseminating current research findings in the areas of parenting and health in early childhood.

Diversity Statement 

Family-based programming has a history of pulling from a research base focused largely on dominant cultural processes. In my research and extension activities I strive to understand diversity in family processes in order to effectively translate the research into meaningful programs and materials for diverse audiences. My goal is to create programs and messages that speak to the diversity of family strengths and values. Toward this aim, I include students from a variety of backgrounds in my lab for research training in order to ensure diverse perspectives are included in my program of research. As a first-generation college graduate, I also aim to create an environment where students from a variety of backgrounds have the opportunity to learn about the value of research through active participation.

Grant

Co-PI (with Karina Diaz-Rios UC Merced) USDA NIFA "Community-Informed Capacity Bridging to Increase Access to Health Education in Rural Areas Via Telehealth." The project aims to address access to health education by bridging existing community resources (Cooperative Extension programming and community and Tribal Health partners) to leverage their capacity to deliver relevant food-related health education to underserved audiences (Latinx and Native Americans) through the use of telehealth technology.

Selected Publications (*notes publications that include student authors)

Díaz Rios, LK, Ontai, LL, Shilts, MK, Lanoue, L, Townsend, MS. (2023) Cross-cultural adaptation and initial validation of Mi Niño, a tool to measure food-related parenting practices of Spanish-speaking parents with young children. Current Developments in Nutrition, 7, online.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2022.100002

Shilts, M., Diaz Rios, K.L.,Panarella, K., Styne, D., Lanoue, L., Drake, C., Ontai, L., Townsend, M. (2021). Feasibility of colocating a nutrition education program into a medical clinic setting to facilitate pediatric obesity prevention. Journal of Primary Care and Community Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501327211009695

Townsend, M.S., Shilts, M.K., Lanoue, L., Drake, C., Diaz Rios, K., Styne, D.M., Keim, N., & Ontai, L. (2020). Obesity risk assessment tool for low-income Spanish speaking immigrant parents with young children: validity with BMI and biomarkers of obesity. Nutrients, 12(11): 3582. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113582

Townsend MS, Shilts MK, Lanoue L, Drake C, Styne DM, Woodhouse L, Ontai L.  (2020). Obesity Risk Assessment Tool among 3-5 Year Olds: Validation with Biomarkers of Low-Grade Chronic Inflammation. Childhood Obesity 16, S23-32. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2019.0237

*Ontai, L, Sutter, C, Sitnick, S, Shilts, MK, Townsend, M. (2020). Parent food-related behaviors and family-based dietary and activity environments: Associations with BMI z-scores in low-income preschoolers. Childhood Obesity, 16, S55-63  https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2019.0105

*Ontai, L., Sutter, C. S., Sitnick, S., Shilts, M. K., Townsend, M. (2019). My Child at Mealtime Parent Feeding Self-Assessment Tool: Validation with Mealtime Behaviors and General Parenting. Appetite, 136, 62-69. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.01.016

*Sutter, C., Taylor, J., Nishina, A., Ontai, L. (2019). Parental and family predictors of fruits and vegetables in elementary school children's home-packed lunches across a school week. Appetite, 133: 423-432.

*Shilts, M.K., Sitnick, S.L., Ontai, L., & Townsend, M.S.(2018). Guided Goal Setting: A feasible obesity prevention behavior change strategy for low-income parents with young children. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 6, 161-179.

Townsend, M.S., Shilts, M. K., Styne, D. M., Drake, C., Lanoue, L.., & Ontai, L. (2018). An obesity risk assessment tool for young children: validity with BMI and nutrient values. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 50, 705-717.

*Sutter, C., Ontai, L., Shilts, M., Lanoue, L., Allen, L., & Townsend, M.S. (2018). Associations between school readiness, obesity- and inflammation-related biomarkers in low-income preschoolers within the healthy kids study. Mind, Brain and Education, 12: 28-38.

*Ontai, L., Sitnick, S.L., Shilts, M.K., & Townsend, M.S. (2016). My Child at Mealtime: A visually enhanced self-assessment of feeding styles for low-income parents of preschoolers. Appetite, 99, 76-81.  

*Sutter, C.S., Ontai, L., Nishina, A., Conger, K.J., Shilts, M.K., & Townsend, M.S. (2016). Utilizing the desired results developmental profile as a measure of school readiness: Evaluating factor structure and predictors of school readiness. Early Child Development and Care, 187, 1433-1445.

*Sitnick, S.L., Ontai, L, & Townsend, M.S. (2014). What parents really think about their feeding behaviors: Lessons learned from the development of a parental feeding assessment tool. Journal of Human Sciences and Extension, 2: 84-92.

*Sitnick, S.L., Ontai, L., Masyn, K., & Conger, K.J. (2014). Mothers’ physical illness in one- and two-parent families. Journal of Family Issues, 5: Online.

*Ontai, L., Lipscomb, S.T., Sitnick, S.L., Hatton, H., & Lamp, C. (2013). Healthy, Happy Families evaluation: Integrating parenting into child obesity prevention with low-income parents of young children. Forum for Family and Consumer Issues, 18(3): Online.

*Shilts, M.K., Sitnick, S.L., Ontai, L., & Townsend, M.S. (2013) Guided Goal Setting: A behavior change strategy adapted to the needs of low-income parents of young children participating in Cooperative Extension programs. Forum for Family and Consumer Issues, 18: Online.

A complete list of published work can be found in MyBibliography:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1lw3Qtbo7gdQw/bibliography/public/