Home > Faculty > Georgianna Tuuri

Georgianna Tuuri
PhD, LDN, RD
Human Nutrition and Food
School of Human Ecology
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge , LA 70803
Phone: 225-578-1722
Knapp Fax: 225-578-4443
Fax: 225-578-2697
Email: gtuuri@lsu.edu

Research Interests:
Professor Tuuri has teaching and research interests regarding the role of nutrition and exercise in the prevention of chronic disease. She is particularly interested in developing and testing intervention strategies designed to prevent overweight in children, low bone mass in youth, and osteoporosis in older individuals.

Recent and Notable Publications:

Murphy, E.P., Holston, D., & Tuuri, G. Louisiana responds to youth overweight. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences, 2005, 97, 61-62.

Going, S., Nichols, J., Loftin, J. M., Stewart, D., Lohman, T., Tuuri, G., Ring, K., Pickrel, J., Blew, R., & Stevens, J. Validation of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for estimation of body composition in black, white, and Hispanic dolescent girls. International Journal of Body Composition Research, 2006, 4,161-167.

Loftin, M., Nichols, J., Going, S., Sothern, M., Schmitz, K.H., Ring, K., Tuuri, G., & Stevens, J. Comparison of the validity of anthropometric and bioelectric impedance equations to assess body composition in adolescent girls. International Journal of Body Composition Research, 2007, 5, 1-8.

Lakkakula, A., Tuuri, G., Zanovec, M., Guarino, A. & Solmon, M.  Evaluating the effectiveness of a BMI health report: Are parents aware of their child’s weight status? LAHPERD Journal, 2007, 70, 15-20.

Loftin, M., Sothern, M., Koss, C., Tuuri, G., VanVrancken, C., & Bonis, M. Energy expenditure and influence of physiologic factors during marathon running. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2007, 21, 1188-1191.

Dean, K., Reames, E., Tuuri, G., Keenan, M., Bankston, D., Friendship, D., Mixon, M., Tucker, E. (2008). Improved Knowledge and Adoption of Recommended Food Safety Practices by Food Recovery Agency Personnel and Volunteers Participating in the Serving Food Safely Program, Journal of Extension 46 (4) #4RIB4.

Lakkakula, A.P., Zanovec, M., Silverman, L., Murphy, E. & Tuuri, G. (2008). Black children with high preferences for fruits and vegetables are at less risk of being at risk of or overweight, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 108, 1912-1915.

Zanovec, M., Johnson, L.G., Marx, B.D., Keenan, M.J., & Tuuri, G. Self-reported physical activity improves prediction of body fatness in young adults, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (Accepted for publication 2008).

Abstracts

Loftin, J. M., Tuuri, G., Sothern, M. & Udall, J. Gender differences in response to a pediatric weight loss program. Pediatric Exercise Science, 2003, 15, 106.

Tuuri, G., Solmon, M., Chen, J., Laird, R., Kosma, M., & Vuppala, S. Development and pilot testing of a body mass index-for-age percentile report card.

Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2005, 37, S433.

Silverman, L., Tuuri, G., Solmon, M., Moore, D., Guarino, A., Roy, H., Holston, D., & Murphy, E. Does a multi-component school-based nutrition intervention program increase knowledge and improve attitudes about fruits and vegetables in elementary school students? Journal for Nutrition Education and Behavior, 2006, 38, S51.

Tuuri G., Moore, D. S., Solmon, M. A., Silverman, L., & Murphy, E. P. (2006). A comparison of children’s physical activity levels, knowledge and intention. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2006, 38, S251.

Moore, D., Solmon, M., Tuuri, G., Silverman, L., Zanovec, M., Guarino, A., Roy, H., & Murphy, E. A comparison of children’s physical activity levels during school and out-of-school activities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 2007, 39, S490.

Villarrubia, A., Ellis-Gardner, R., Tuuri, G., Wood, B. (2007). Understanding parent’s decisions about serving vegetables to their children, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2007, 107, A-57.

Silverman, L., Holston, D. M., Tuuri, G., Solmon, M., Keenan, M., Zanovec, M., Murphy, E. Evaluating the impact of the Smart Bodies school-based intervention program to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in elementary school students. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2007, 107, A-89.

Lakkakula, A. P., Zanovec, M., Murphy, E., Tuuri, G. Higher opinions of fruits and vegetables are associated with lower risk of overweight in African American children, Experimental Biology Meeting, 2008, Abstract #5160 [on CD-ROM].

Zanovec, M. & Tuuri, G. Development of a body fat prediction equation for young adults. Experimental Biology Meeting, 2008, Abstracts #7792 [on CD-ROM].

Lebas, J., Baker, K., Zanovec, S., Bauggue, S., & Tuuri, G. Total and regional body composition and physical activity level in black and white university students, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2008, 40, S279.

Zanovec, M., & Tuuri G. Physical activity surveillance data of college students using the IPAQ, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2008, 40, S439.

Lakkakula, A., Mann, N., Zanovec, M., Murphy, E., Tuuri, G. (2008). Fruit and vegetable preferences are related to weight status and gender in African American children, Obesity, 16, S244.

Teaching:

3010 - Nutrition and Wellness
3016 - Community Nutrition

Professional and Notable Activities:
Dr. Tuuri is a member of the American Society for Nutrition, American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association, and International Society for Clinical Densitometry. She is also a member of the Louisiana Council of Obesity Prevention and the Louisiana Action for Healthy Kids State Task Force.

Honors and Awards:

Grants and Contracts:

Establishment of a Nutrition Assessment, Analytical, and Demonstration Lab, LSU System Capital Outlay, $175,000, Michael Keenan, Rosalie Bivin, Roy Martin, Ellen Murphy, Heli Roy, Maren Hegsted, Carol O’Neil, Richard Tulley, Georgianna Tuuri, Sheri Melton, 1/1/03-12/31/03

Association of Age and Swim Distance with Body Hydration in Male Swimmers, LSU Council on Research Summer Stipend Program, $5,000, Georgianna Tuuri, 6/1/03-7/31/03

Development and Pilot Testing of a School Body Mass Index Report Card, LSU Council on Research Faculty Grant program, $20,471, PI-Georgianna Tuuri, Co-PI investigators Jianhua Chen, Maria Kosma, Robert Laird, Melinda Solmon, 1/1/04-10/28/04

Louisiana Body Walk Exhibit, OrganWise Guys Take 10! Smart Bodies Educational Program, Louisiana Child Caring Foundation, Inc., 5-yr $1,887,637 project (Research component = approximately 10% of the total budget). Research PI - Georgianna Tuuri, Co-PI researchers Melinda Solmon, Heli Roy, Annrose Guarino, 9/15/04-12/31/06

Falls and Fracture Risk in Southeast Louisiana Seniors, LSU Faculty Research Grant Program, $40,000, Research PI- Rebecca Ellis Gardner, Co-PIs, Robert Wood, Georgianna Tuuri, Dianne Sasser, Kevin McCarter, 7/1/06-6/30/07

Start Young to Finish Strong, USDA CREES Hatch Project, 5 yrs, PI-Georgianna Tuuri, Co-PI Michael Keenan, 1/1/07-12/31/11

Wellness Partnership for Kids: New School Lunch Foods and Smart Bodies, Baton Rouge Area Foundation Grant, $11,750, 1/1/08-12/31/08.

Building Preferences for Fruits and Vegetables by Low-Income Elementary School Students, NRI, USDA-CSREES, 2 yrs, PI-Georgianna Tuuri, Investigator-Sarah Pierce, $100.000, 2/1/09-1/31/10

School of Human Ecology
Louisiana State University
125 Human Ecology Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Telephone: 225-578-2281
Fax: 225-578-2697
E-mail: humanecology@lsu.edu