Staff: Kimberly A. Clevenger, PhD, MPH
Kimberly A. Clevenger, PhD, MPH
Cancer Prevention Fellow
Kimberly Clevenger, Ph.D., M.P.H. was a Cancer Prevention Fellow in the Health Behaviors Research Branch (HBRB) of the Behavioral Research Program from June 2020 to August 2022.
Dr. Clevenger researched how health behaviors like physical activity vary over time and space and how this impacts subsequent positive and negative environmental exposures. She was particularly interested in how the physical micro-environment impacts behavior and exposure. Additionally, she studied measurement-related issues and the use of device-based approaches to assessing physical activity and its context.
Dr. Clevenger received her Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Michigan State University, M.S. and B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Ohio University, and M.P.H. in Quantitative Methods from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her doctoral work focused on how physical activity varies by schoolyard location using global positioning systems (GPS) receiver units and Bluetooth-enabled accelerometers. She also conducted several studies on methodological concerns when using commercial and research-grade activity monitors (e.g., impact of sampling rate, comparisons of different monitors, development of artificial neural networks) in both children and adults.
"Where are they now?": Following up with past BRP fellows
Updated September 2022
Current Title
Assistant Professor
Utah State University
How has your BRP fellowship influenced your career?
In addition to working with great mentors and collaborators, I learned so much about surveillance and analysis of representative survey data that has reoriented and provided useful context to my research by allowing me to better see "the big picture." Learning about research and career paths within the federal system was also an invaluable experience.
Describe a favorite memory or two from your fellowship experience.
I enjoyed many virtual get-togethers with other fellows from the COVID cohort. Although our time together in-person was limited, we had a lot of laughs on WebEx and Google Meet!
Describe your current position, your current organization, and what you do.
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at Utah State University. My research focuses on how the physical environment influences children's physical activity and positive and negative environmental exposures and how we can best measure these relationships. My long-term goal is to ensure all children have access to opportunities and spaces that promote their health and well-being.
Publications from Fellowship Work
- Clevenger, KA, Mackintosh, KA, McNarry, MA, Pfeiffer, KA, Montoye, AHK, Brønd, JC. Comparison of Children and Adolescent's Physical Activity Levels from Open-Source versus ActiGraph Counts. Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour, 5(2), 120-128. DOI:10.1123/jmpb.2021-0057
- Clevenger, KA, Belcher, BR, Berrigan, DB. Associations between Amount of Recess, Physical Activity, and Cardiometabolic Traits in US Children. Translational Journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 7(3), e000202. DOI:10.1249/TJX.0000000000000202
- Clevenger, KA, Pfeiffer, KA. Comparison of Physical Activity Environment in Michigan Home-Based and Licensed Child Care Programs. Translational Journal of ACSM, 7(2), e000198. DOI:10.1249/TJX.0000000000000198
- Clevenger KA, Lowry M, Perna FM, Berrigan D. Cross-Sectional Association of State Recess Laws With District-Level Policy and School Recess Provision in the United States.. J Sch Health. 2022 Apr 13. doi: 10.1111/josh.13189. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35416309.
- Clevenger KA, Perna FM, Moser RP, Berrigan D. Associations Between State Laws Governing Recess Policy with Children's Physical Activity and Health. J Sch Health. 2022 Mar 9. doi: 10.1111/josh.13157. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35266151.
- Clevenger, KA, Brønd, JC, Arvidsson, D, Montoye, AHK, Mackintosh, KA, McNarry, MA, Pfeiffer, KA. Impact of ActiGraph Sampling Rate and Inter-Monitor Comparability on Measures of Physical Activity in Adults. Journal for the Measurement of Physical Behaviour,4(4), 287-297. DOI:10.1123/jmpb.2021-0016
- Sanciangco, J, Breetzke, G, Lin, Z, Clevenger, KA, KC, K, Wang, Y, Pearson, A. The Relationship between City Greenness and Homicide in the US: Evidence over a 30-Year Period. Environment and Behavior, 54(2), 538-571. DOI:10.1177/00139165211045095
- Montoye AHK, Westgate BS, Clevenger KA, Pfeiffer KA, Vondrasek JD, Fonley MR, Bock JM, Kaminsky LA. Individual versus Group Calibration of Machine Learning Models for Physical Activity Assessment Using Body-Worn Accelerometers. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021 Dec 1;53(12):2691-2701. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002752. PMID: 34310493.
- Pearson AL, Clevenger KA, Horton TH, Gardiner JC, Asana V, Dougherty BV, Pfeiffer KA. Feelings of safety during daytime walking: associations with mental health, physical activity and cardiometabolic health in high vacancy, low-income neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan. Int J Health Geogr. 2021 May 3;20(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s12942-021-00271-3. PMID: 33941196; PMCID: PMC8091672.
- Clevenger, KA, Erickson, KT, Grady, SC, Pfeiffer, KA. (2021). Characterizing Preschooler's Outdoor Physical Activity: The Comparability of Schoolyard Location- and Activity Type-Based Approaches. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 56, 139-148. DOI:10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.03.012
- Clevenger, KA, Pfeiffer, KA. (2021). Teacher-Report of Where Preschool-Aged Children Play and Are Physically Active in Indoor and Outdoor Learning Centers. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 20(1), 3-12. DOI:10.1177/1476718X211033641
- Clevenger, KA, McKee, KL, Pfeiffer, KA. (2021). Classroom Location, Activity Type, and Physical Activity During Preschool Children's Indoor Free-Play. Early Childhood Education Journal, 50, 425-434. DOI:10.1007/s10643-021-01164-7
Current and/or past BRP mentors include David Berrigan.
To request edits to this profile, please contact us at ncidccpsbrpadvances@mail.nih.gov.