Skip to main content
Garden in the country

Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Laboratory

 HCS Main Page          HCS Graduate Page          Faculty Research Page 


Kendra Kattelmann (nutrition education) and Jessica Meendering (physical activity) collaborate to direct the Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Laboratory at SDSU. Together, these researchers contribute to our understanding of how environments and education impact diet and physical activity behaviors of individuals throughout the lifespan, especially among rural populations.

Areas of Focus/Current Research Projects

Graduate research assistants that work in the Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Laboratory gain valuable experience in all aspects of the research process and work toward publication of their thesis work. Below are examples of projects that students are currently involved in and thesis/dissertation topics currently being researched:

  • Examining associations between school wellness policies and school environments in elementary schools.
  • Determining the availability of ‘traditional’ foods in grocery and convenience stores in rural South Dakota.
  • Exploring the associations between the home food environment and preschool child diet, physical activity and weight status.

Getting Involved

Do you want to join our team? Apply through the link on the Graduate School and indicate your interest in working with us. Funded graduate students work between 10-20 hours and receive a monthly stipend in addition to tuition remission.

If you’re an undergraduate student interested in gaining research experience, please contact us via email for potential volunteer opportunities.

Read more about the individual researchers here: