Most of our research focuses on the Psychology of obesity. Recently published research includes: social anxiety and disordered eating; weight change, psychological well-being, and vitality; psychology of obesity; addictive personality and maladaptive eating; maladaptive eating patterns, quality of life, and weight outcomes following gastric bypass; perceived family dysfunction related to comorbid psychopathology; cognitive behavioral approaches in the management of obesity, and outcomes of hypnosis in childbirth. Current research includes: lapse and relapse in weight loss; socioeconomic barriers to fruit and vegetable purchasing and consumption; transtheoretical model of change; the relationship between nutrition knowledge and food related behavior; the relationship between the prevalence of BED and behavioral and/or cognitive coping repsonses to food temptation; motivation and self-efficacy in relation to success in weight loss interventions of varying intensity; how relationship dynamics and self-efficacy change over the course of sustained weight loss; the relationship between self-efficacy and computer guided weight loss interventions; differences between exercise and dietary self-efficacy in overall weight loss; and the relationship between the presence of at least one obese parent and a patient’s weight, calorie awareness/knowledge, the success of intervention with the patient and the patient’s ability to maintain weight loss.

 

Below is a list of recent and representative publications produced by the Obesity Lab.  A full list of Dr. Swencionis's publications can be found on his CV.

 

1. Caban, A., Cimino, C., Swencionis, C., Ginsberg, M., & Wylie-Rosett, J. Estimating Software Development Costs for a Patient Multimedia Education Project. (2001). Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 8, 185-188.
    

2. Dornelas. E. A., Wylie-Rosett, J., & Swencionis, C. The diet study: long-term outcomes of a cognitive-behavioral weight-control intervention in independent-living elders. (1998).  Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 98, 1276-1281.
    

3. Kofman, M. D., Lent, M. R., & Swencionis, C. Maladaptive Eating Patterns, Quality of Life, and Weight Outcomes Following Gastric Bypass: Results of an Internet Survey. (2010). Obesity,18, 1938-1943.
    

4. Lent, M. R., & Swencionis, C. Addictive personality and maladaptive eating behaviors in adults seeking bariatric surgery. (2012). Eating Behaviors, 67-70.
    

5. Ostrovsky, N. W., Swencionis, C., Wylie-Rosett, J., & Isasi, C. R. Social anxiety and disordered overeating: An association among overweight and obese individuals. (2013). Eating Behaviors, 145-148.
    

6. Rendell, S. L., & Swencionis, C. Point-of-Purchase Calorie Labeling Has Little Influence on Calories Ordered Regardless of Body Mass Index. (2014). Current Obesity Reports.
    

7. Swencionis, C., Wylie-Rosett, J., Lent, M. R., Ginsberg, M., Cimino, C., Wassertheil-Smoller, S., et al. Weight change, psychological well-being, and vitality in adults participating in a cognitive–behavioral weight loss program. (2013). Health Psychology, 32, 439-446.
    

8. Swencionis, C., & Rendell, S. L. The psychology of obesity. (2012). Abdominal Imaging, 733-737.
    

9. Swencionis, C., Rendell, S., Dolce, K., Massry, S., and Mongan, M. Outcomes of Hypnobirthing. (2012). Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health.
    

10. Wisotsky, W., Dancyger, I., Fornari, V., Katz, J., Wisotsky, W.L., & Swencionis, C. The Relationship Between Eating Pathology and Perceived Family Functioning in Eating Disorder Patients in a Day Treatment Program. (2003). Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 11:2, 89-99 
     

11. Wylie-Rosett, J., Swencionis, C., Ginsberg, M., Cimino, C., Wassertheil-Smoller, S., Caban, A., et al. Computerized weight loss intervention optimizes staff time: the clinical and cost results of a controlled clinical trial conducted in a managed care setting. (2001). Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 101, 1155-1162.