College of Liberal Arts

D. Randy Black

Professor

Academic Appointments:

• Professor, Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
• Adjunct Professor, Foods & Nutrition; Health Sciences; Nursing, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Research Interests:

Dr. Black’s research interests revolve around obesity, eating disorders (among athletes and priority populations), public health service delivery models, and social marketing.

Obesity, eating disorders among athletes, delivery systems of biobehavioral healthcare services, and social marketing are currently primary foci. Interest in obesity is on development and investigation of a hypothesis that most weight-associated health problems result from a cascade of events related with abnormal blood levels of glucose and/or lipids that occur when fat cells become full, insulin insensitive, and lose their protective functions. Consequently, maintenance of fat cell function and normal blood levels of glucose, lipids, and insulin are more important than percentage body fat and body weight.

Eating disorders among athletes are estimated to be 2-3 times more prevalent than among the general public. Investigation of a "screening test" is on going which is an outgrowth of American College of Sports Medicine's Task Force on Women's Issues in Sports Medicine and the Athlete Disordered Eating Subcommittee. Other studies directly related to this topic also are ongoing.

The Stepped Approach Model (SAM) of service delivery has been a research focus for approximately 2 decades. SAM introduces interventions in a series as needed based on progress. A variety of factors pertaining to the Model including program recruitment and design, component efficacy, and theoretical issues are current and ongoing areas of investigation.

Social marketing has been defined as the application of commercial marketing technologies to change personal behaviors at the aggregate level or on a population basis. Two avenues of research have been pursued: (a) studies that identify variables that can be used to attract participants to programs and to design more efficacious and relevant programs for specific segments of a target audience, and (b) specific procedures (a systematic research plan) for developing and evaluating the efficacy of tailored health messages based on social marketing principles.

Selected Publications:

Overweight/Obesity

• Abernathy, R.P., & Black, D.R. (1997). Healthy body weight standards. Nutrition: The International Journal of Applied and Basic Nutritional Sciences, 13, 480-481.
• Abernathy, R.P., & Black, D.R. (1996). Healthy body weights: An alternative perspective. In American Health Foundation Roundtable on Healthy Weight. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63 (March Supplement), 448S-451S.
• Abernathy, R.P., & Black, D.R. (1994). Is adipose tissue oversold as a health risk? Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 94, 641-644.
• Ferraro, K.F., Su, Y., Gretebeck, R.J., Black, D.R. & Badylak, S.F. (2002). Body Mass Index and Disability in Adulthood: 20-Year Panel Study. American Journal of Public Health, 92.

Eating Disorders

• Black, D.R. (Ed.)(1991). Eating disorders among athletes: Theory, issues, and research. Reston, VA: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.
• Abood, D.A., & Black, D.R. (2000). Health education prevention for eating disorders among college female athletes. American Journal of Health Behavior, 24, 209-219.
• Nagel, D.L., Black, D.R., Leverenz, L.J., & Coster, D.C. (2000). Evaluation of a screening test for female college athletes with eating disorders and disordered eating. Journal of Athletic Training, 35, 431-440.
• Granner, M., Black, D.R., & Abood, D.A. (2002). Levels of cigarette & alcohol use related to eating disorder symptoms. American Journal of Health Behavior, 26(1), January/February.
• Granner, M., Abood, D.A., & Black, D.R. (2001). Racial differences in eating disorder attitudes, cigarette, and alcohol use. American Journal of Health Behavior, 25, 83-99.
• Ryu, H.R., Lyle, R.M., Galer-Unti, R.A., & Black, D.R. (1999). Cross cultural assessment of eating disorders: Psychometric characteristics of a Korean version of the Eating DivordelInventory-2 (EDI-2) and Bulimia Test-Revised (BULIT-R). Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment & Prevention, 7(2), 109-122.

Stepped Approach Modeling

• Black, D.R. and Hultsman, J.T. (1988-1989). The Purdue stepped approach model: Sequencing community and clinical interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk factors. International Quarterly of Community Health Education, 10, 19-37.
• Black, D.R., Taylor, A.M., & Coster, D.C. (1998). Stepped Approach Model (SAM) component assessment: Accuracy of self-reported body weight. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 13, 301-307.
• Black, D.R., & Cameron, R. (1997). Self-administered interventions: A health education strategy for improving population health. Health Education Research: Theory and Practice, 12, 531-545.
• Black, D.R., & Coster, D.C. (1996). Interest in a Stepped Approach Model (SAM): Identification of recruitment strategies for university alcohol programs. Health Education Quarterly, 23, 98-114.

Social Marketing

• Black, D.R., Blue, C.L., Coster, D.C., & Chrysler, L.M. (in press). Corporate social marketing: Message design to recruit program participants. American Journal of Health Behavior.
• Black, D.R., Blue, C., & Coster, D.C. (2001). Using social marketing principles to develop and test health messages. American Journal of Health Behavior, 25, 260-271.
• Black, D.R., Blue, C., Kosmoski, K, & Coster, D.C. (2000). Social marketing: Developing a tailored message for a physical activity program. American Journal of Health Behavior, 24, 323-337.
• Gries, J.A., Black, D.R., & Coster, D.C. (1995). Recruitment to a university alcohol program: Evaluation of Social Marketing Theory and Stepped Approach Model. Preventive Medicine, 24, 348-356.
• Black, D.R., & Smith, M.A. (1994). Reducing alcohol consumption among university students: Recruitment and program strategies based on social marketing theory. Health Education Research: Theory & Practice, 9, 375-384.

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