Associate Professor

Department:
Health and Human Performance
Understanding Neighborhood Determinants of Obesity

Office Number: 104E GAR

Phone/Fax:
(713) 743-9335 , (713) 743-9860  (Fax)

Email: releephd@yahoo.com

Home Page:
http://hhp.uh.edu/undo

Research Interests:

Dr. Rebecca E. Lee serves as founding director of the Texas Obesity Research Center in the Department of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston. She is an associate professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance and holds a courtesy appointment at the University of Texas School of Public Health. Dr. Rebecca Lee oversees the Understanding Neighborhood Determinants of Obesity (UNDO) research team. Dr. Lee aims to provide an innovative, theoretically-derived, trans-cultural, and community-based approach to improving health to the science and community alike. Dr. Lee, a community health psychologist, specializes in community based health research. Her studies focus on populations of color using innovative strategies, such as incorporating social cohesion, ameliorating social injustices, and improving the quality of the neighborhood environment. Her work has focused primarily on women, as family gatekeepers who may have the biggest impact on shaping the future generation of youth. She is principal investigator for several federally and privately funded research grants including Health Is Power (HIP), funded by the National Cancer Institute (NIH); the award winning, SAving Lives, Staying Active (SALSA) study; the International Health Challenge in Second Life, funded by the USC Annenberg School for Communication; and the Healthful Options Using Streets and Transportation in Our Neighborhoods (HOUSTON) project funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Rebecca Lee’s work is driven by her desire to reduce health disparities. The focus of her work has investigated the role of the social and environmental context of physical activity and dietary habits and obesity in minority populations. In addition to her programs and initiatives at the University of Houston, Dr. Lee is the former chair and current member of the Mayor’s Wellness Council Public Policy Committee, where she actively works with the Council to improve the health of Houstonians. She is an editorial board member of the International Journal of Women’s Health and the American Journal of Health Promotion. She has authored and co-authored numerous studies in peer-reviewed publications, serves as a charter member on the Community Level Health Promotion Study Section for the Center for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health, and has received many honors and awards, including the University of Houston College of Education Research Excellence Award in 2005 and 2008, at the University of Houston, the Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Texas Council on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Stroke, and she is a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine. In her spare time, Dr. Lee enjoys traveling, dancing, singing, wine-tasting and spending time running after her nephews and God-daughters.

Recent Publications:

Lee RE, Mama SK, Banda JA, Bryant LG, McAlexander KP. Physical Activity Opportunities in low Socioeconomic Status Neighborhoods. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health; 2009; 63:1021.

McAlexander KM, Banda JA, McAlexander JW, Lee RE. Physical activity resource attributes and obesity in low-income African Americans. Journal of Urban Health. 2009;86(5):696-707.

Furia A, Lee RE, Stother ML, Huang TK. College Students’ Motivation to Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight. American Journal of Health Behavior; 2009; 33(3):256-263.

Kueht ML, McFarlin BK, Lee RE. Severely obese have greater LPS-stimulated TNF-α production than normal weight African-American women. Obesity; 2009; 17(3):447-51.

Lee RE, Cubbin C. Striding Toward Social Justice: The Ecologic Milieu of Physical Activity. Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews. 2009; 37(1):10-7.

Parmenter BM, McMillan T, Cubbin C, Lee RE. Developing Geospatial Data Management, Recruitment, and Analysis Techniques for Physical Activity Research. Urban and Regional Information Systems Association Journal. 2008; 20(2): 13-19.

Heinrich KM, Lee RE, Regan GR, Reese-Smith J, Howard HH, Haddock CK, Poston WSC. Ahluwalia JS. How does the built environment relate to BMI and obesity prevalence among public housing residents? American Journal of Health Promotion. 2008; 22:187-94.

Froehlich-Grobe K, Regan GR, Reese-Smith J, Booth-Heinrich KM, Lee RE. Physical access in urban public housing facilities. Disability and Health Journal. 2008. 1:25-29.

Huang T TK , Delancey B, Shimel A, Lee RE, Stother ML, Metabolic risks among college students: Prevalence and gender differences, Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders. 2007, 5(4): 365-372.

Lee RE, Greiner KA, Hall S, Born W, Kimminau K, Allison A, Ahluwalia JS. Ecological correlates of obesity in rural obese adults. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2007. 26(5):424-33.

Heinrich KM, Lee RE, Suminski RR, Regan GR, Reese-Smith J, Howard HH, Haddock CK, Poston WSC. Ahluwalia JS. Associations between the built environment and physical activity in public housing residents. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2007. 4 (1):56.

Lee RE, Cubbin C, Winkleby M. Contribution of neighbourhood socioeconomic status and physical activity resources to physical activity among women. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 2007 Oct;61(10):882-90.

Buckworth J, Lee RE, Schneider LK, Regan G, DiClemente CC. Decomposing Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation for Exercise. Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 2007; 8: 441-461.

Carroll SL, Lee RE, Kaur H, Harris KJ, Strother ML, Huang TTK. Smoking, Weight Loss Intention and Obesity-Promoting Behaviors in College Students. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2006 25, 348–353.

Regan GR, Lee RE, Booth KM, Reese-Smith J. Obesogenic influences in public housing: A mixed method analysis. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2006;20:282-90.

Lee RE, Booth KM, Reese-Smith J, Regan GR, Howard HH. The Physical Activity Resource Assessment (PARA) Instrument: Evaluating Features, Amenities and Incivilities of Physical Activity Resources in Urban Neighborhoods. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2005 14;2:13.

Li C, Kaur H, Choi WS, Huang TT-K, Lee RE, Ahluwalia JS. Additive interactions of maternal prepregnancy body mass index and breastfeeding on childhood overweight risk. Obesity Research. 2005; 13: 362-371.

Lee RE, Harris KJ, Catley D, Shostrom V, Choi S, Okuyemi K, Kaur H, Ahluwalia JS. Factors Associated with BMI, Weight Perceptions and Trying to Lose Weight in African American Smokers. Journal of the National Medical Association. 2005; 97:53-61.

Huang TT, Kempf AM, Strother ML, Li C, Lee RE, Harris KJ, Kaur H. Overweight and components of the metabolic syndrome in college students. Diabetes Care. 2004; 27: 3000-3001.

Pulvers KM, Lee RE, Kaur H, Mayo MS, Fitzgibbon ML, Jeffries SK, Butler J, Hou Q, Ahluwalia JS. Development of a Culturally-Relevant Body Image Instrument among Urban African Americans. Obesity Research. 2004; 12(10):1641-1651.

Collins R, Lee RE, Albright CL, King AC. Ready to be Physically Active? The effects of a course preparing low income multiethnic women to be more physically active. Health Education & Behavior. 2004; 31:47-64.

Anis NA, Lee RE, Ellerbeck EF, Nazir,N, Greiner, K.A., Ahluwalia, J.S. Direct observation of physician counseling on dietary habits and exercise: patient, physician, and office correlates. Preventive Medicine. 2004; 38:198-202.

Huang TTK, Harris KJ, Lee RE, Nazir N, Born W, Kaur H. Assessing overweight, obesity, diet, and physical activity in college students. Journal of American College Health. 2003; 52:83-86.

Resnicow K, McCarty F, Blisset D, Wang T, Heitzler C, Lee RE. Validity of a modified CHAMPS physical activity questionnaire among African Americans. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2003; 35:1537-1545.

Lee RE & King AC. Discretionary time among older adults: How do physical activity promotion programs affect sedentary and active discretionary time behaviors? Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 2003; 25:112-119.

Spence J, & Lee RE. Toward a comprehensive model of physical activity. Psychology of Sports and Exercise. 2003; 4:7-24.

Ribisl KM, & Lee RE, Henriksen L, Haladjian H. A content analysis of web sites promoting smoking culture and lifestyle. Health Education and Behavior. 2003; 30:64-78.

Estabrooks PA, Lee RE, Gyurcsik NC. Resources for physical activity participation: Does availability and accessibility differ by neighborhood SES. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 2003; 25:100-104.

Lee RE & Cubbin C. Neighborhood context and cardiovascular health behaviors in youth. American Journal of Public Health. 2002; 92(3):428-436.

Lee RE, Nigg C, Courneya K, & DiClemente CC. Validating the stage of exercise behavior change for adolescents. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport. 2001; 72 (4): 401-410.

Lee RE, Feighery E, Schleicher N, & Halvorson S. How do community self service tobacco display bans impact store environment and how does the store environment impact merchants? American Journal of Public Health. 2001; 91:2019-2021.

Lee RE, Goldberg J, Sallis JF, Castro CM, Hickmann SA, & Chen AH. A prospective analysis of the relationship between walking and mood in sedentary ethnic minority women. Women and Health. 2001; 32 (4): 1-15.

Feighery EC, Ribisl KM, Schleicher N, Lee RE, & Halvorson S. Cigarette advertising and promotional strategies in retail outlets: results of a statewide survey in California. Tobacco Control. 2001; 10:184-188.

Castro CM, Sallis JF, Hickmann SA, Lee RE, & Chen AH. Psychosocial mediators of physical activity for sedentary ethnic minority women. Psychology and Health. 1999; 14:277-293.

Hickmann SA, Lee RE, Sallis JF, Castro CM, & Chen AH. The association of physical activity change with self-esteem in minority women: A prospective analysis. Journal of Gender, Culture, and Health. 1999; 4:281-292.

Chen AH, Sallis JF, Castro CM, Lee RE, & Hickmann SA. A telephone and mail-based intervention to promote walking in sedentary ethnic minority women:" Project WALK. Women's Health. 1998; 4 (1):19-39.

Lee RE, McGinnis KA, Sallis JF, Castro CM, Chen AH, & Hickmann SA. Active vs. passive methods of recruiting ethnic minority women to a health promotion program. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 1997; 19:378-384.

Shaw WS, Cronan TE, Lee RE, & Kaplan RM. Health care satisfaction among older people with osteoarthritis. Psychology and Health. 1996; 11:395-409.

Education:

B.A. in Psychology , San Diego State University, 1992.
M.A. in Psychology, San Diego State University, 1994.
Ph.D. in Human Services Psychology, dual emphasis of Community Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1998.