Alison Ventura

Associate Professor | Kinesiology and Public Health Department

Areas of Expertise

Obesity Prevention in Infancy/Early Childhood

Parent-Child Interactions

Caregiver Feeding Practices

Breastfeeding Promotion

Healthy Bottle-feeding Promotion

Introduction of Foods and Beverages 

Contact Information

805.756.5693

Email

Website

Twitter | Facebook

Biography

Alison Ventura is a leading expert on obesity prevention during infancy and early childhood. Ventura’s research and community-service efforts focus on breastfeeding promotion and supporting families with young children and she is an active member of the Central Coast Breastfeeding Coalition and a Commissioner for First 5 San Luis Obispo. Her studies aim to support new parents and provide scientific evidence for programs that encourage breastfeeding, healthy lifelong eating habits and dietary patterns, and healthy development during childhood. With a total of $2 million in multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health, Ventura and her research team are studying how interactions between mothers and babies may affect babies’ risk for overfeeding and later obesity. 

Education

• Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, Human Development and Family Studies
• M.S., The Pennsylvania State University, Human Development and Family Studies
• M.S., The Pennsylvania State University, Nutrition Sciences
• B.S., University of California Davis, Psychology with a Biology Emphasis

Research Interests

• Early Childhood Nutrition
• Obesity Prevention during Infancy and Early Childhood
• Breastfeeding Promotion
• Promotion of Healthy Bottle-feeding
• Development of Food Preferences and Eating Behaviors during Early Childhood
• Parent Feeding Practices and Parent-Child Mealtime Interactions

Professional Appointments/Certifications

• Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Public Health
• Certified Lactation Education Counselor
• Commissioner for First 5 San Luis Obispo County

Recent Studies

• Infant feeding and growth
• Mother-infant interactions during breast and bottle-feeding
• Examination of how mother-infant feeding interactions develop and change across the first year of infancy.

Recent Books

• Bottle-feeding: Perceptions, Practices, Health Outcomes
• Promoting Responsive Feeding during Breastfeeding, Bottle-feeding, and the Introduction to Solids (Feb 2022) 

Scientific Publications

• Recent Publications