Adriana Pérez, PhD
Professor, Biostatistics
[email protected]
Dr. Pérez is Professor in Department of Biostatistics and Data Science and faculty member of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health in Austin. She has been involved in the design, development, analysis, and dissemination of health research and engaged in a wide range of methodological and applied biostatistical research projects, from exploratory data analysis to theoretical model evaluation accounting for imputation uncertainty, fitting complex data analysis of cluster randomized community trials, clinical trials and analysis of foods. Her research interests are not limited to biostatistics, intervention programs, and Parkinson's disease, but also health prevention using school-based surveillance studies for children’s food patterns, physical activity and sedentary behavior to evaluate energy balance required when conducting childhood obesity research. Dr. Pérez has expertise in conducting and disseminating research findings of population and clinical-based studies including both adolescents and adults as well as developing and publishing new statistical methodologies.
Dr. Pérez was the Director of the Statistical and Marketing Core of the “Texas Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science on Youth & Young Adults”. She has previous experience as the principal investigator of several grants with the American Statistical Association/National Science Foundation and a subcontract with the Parkinson Study group (Body mass index and Parkinson's disease survival at DATATOP) Dr Pérez finished secondary analyses and dissemination of findings for the National Institutes of Health Exploratory Trials in Parkinson’s Disease (NET-PD) Long-term Study-1 (LS-1), a randomized, multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 10 grams of oral creatine/day in individuals who were within 5 years of Parkinson disease diagnosis and who were on dopaminergic therapy for fewer than two years.
Currently, Dr. Pérez has Pérez an R01(CA234205-01) entitled “Age of initiation of tobacco products among USA youth and young adults with funding from NIH/NCI and FDA”, an administrative supplement and a diversity supplement for Dr Folefac Atem. Dr Pérez provides Biostatistical Support for The Use of Senolytic and Anti-fibrotic Agents to Improve the Beneficial Effect of Bone Marrow Stem Cells for Osteoarthritis (Multi PI UG3 AR077748). She is a co-investigator in Dr Harrell’s project “ENDS Use Trajectories from Adolescence through Young Adulthood: A Longitudinal Study of Risk Factors and Profiles (CA23909702), in Dr Hoelscher’s project HD097669-03 “Evaluating the Effects of Municipal Funding of Safe Routes to School Infrastructure on Child Physical Activity: A Natural Experiment” as well as in the project School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) Survey school children in the 2nd, 4th, 8th and 11th grades and parents of 2nd graders.
Current Projects
Texas School Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (TX SPAN)
The Texas SPAN survey was established to track the prevalence of overweight and obese school-aged children in Texas.
STREETS (Safe TRavel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools)
The STREETS Study (Safe TRavel Environment Evaluation in Texas Schools) is a five-year (2018 – 2023) natural experiment that is evaluating the City of Austin Safe Routes to School program.
Age of Initiation of Tobacco Products Among USA Youth and Young Adults
This study involves a prospective secondary analysis of the first three waves of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study among U.S. youth (aged 12-17 years) and young adults (aged 18-24 years) who reported never use at Wave 1.
Recent Publications
Age of initiation of cigarillos, filtered cigars and/or traditional cigars among youth: Findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, 2013–2017
(Chen B, Sterling K, Bluestein M, Harrell MB, Kuk AE, Perry CL, Pérez A (in press). PLOS One.)
The Recalled Age of Initiation of Multiple Tobacco Products Among 26-34 Year Olds: Findings From the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Wave 1 (2013- 2014).
(Pérez, A., Penedo, E., Bluestein, M., Chen, B., Perry, C.L., Harrell, M.B. (2020) Forthcoming International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health accepted on Nov 30/2020.)
Bovine tuberculosis case intervention using the T.SPOT.TB assay to screen dairy workers in Bailey County, Texas.
(Rodriguez, A.*, Douphrate, D., Gimeno-Ruiz-de-Porras, D., Prot, E., Pérez, A., Hagevoort, R., Nonnenmann, M. (2020) Frontiers in Public Health 08/02/2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00479)
TX Sprouts: A School-Based Cluster Randomized Gardening, Nutrition, and Cooking Intervention: Effects on Obesity, Blood Pressure and Diet
(Davis, J.N., Nikah, K., Asigbee, F.M.,Landry, M.J., Vandyousefi, S., Hoover, A., Jeans, M., Pont, S.J., Hoelscher, D.M., Van den Berg, A.E., Fischer, B., Pérez, A. (2020) Current Developments in Nutrition. 3(S2):1296 [PMID: forthcoming]]. https://doi.org/10.1093/cdn/nzaa059_013)
Design and participant characteristics of TX Sprouts: A school-based cluster randomized gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention.
Davis, J., Nikah, K., Asigbee, F. M., Landry, M. J., Vandyousefi, S., et al. (2019). Contemporary clinical trials, 85, 105834.
Bikeability: Assessing the Objectively Measured Environment in Relation to Recreation and Transportation Bicycling
Porter, A. K., Kohl III, H. W., Pérez, A., Reininger, B., Pettee Gabriel, K., et al. (2020). Environment and Behavior, 52(8), 861-894.
Mobile phone text messaging for tobacco risk communication among young adult community college students: Protocol and baseline overview for a randomized trial
Prokhorov, A. V., Khalil, G. E., Calabro, K. S., Machado, T. C., Russell, S., et al. (2018). JMIR research protocols, 7(10), e10977.
Youth or young adults: Which group is at highest risk for tobacco use onset?
Perry, C. L., Pérez, A., Bluestein, M., Garza, N., Obinwa, U., et al. (2018). The Journal of adolescent health: official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 63(4), 413–420.
Acculturation and Breastfeeding Among Hispanic American Women: A Systematic Review
Bigman, G., Wilkinson, A. V., Pérez, A., & Homedes, N. (2018). Maternal and child health journal, 22(9), 1260–1277.
Body Image Dissatisfaction, Obesity and Their Associations With Breastfeeding in Mexican Women, a Cross-Sectional Study
Bigman, G., Wilkinson, A. V., Homedes, N., & Pérez, A. (2018). Maternal and child health journal, 22(12), 1815–1825.
The Association Among Overweight, Obesity, and Low Back Pain in U.S. Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study of the 2015 National Health Interview Survey
Peng, T., Pérez, A., & Pettee Gabriel, K. (2018). Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics, 41(4), 294–303.
The utility and cross-validation of a composite physical activity score in relation to cardiovascular health indicators: Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA)
Pettee Gabriel, K., Pérez, A., Jacobs, D. R., Jr, Lee, J., Kohl, H. W., 3rd, et al. (2018). Journal of physical activity & health, 15(11), 847–856.
Estimation of the Lead Time Distribution in the National Lung Screening Trial Study
Liu, R., Pérez, A., & Wu, D. (2018). Journal of healthcare informatics research, 2(4), 353–366.
Surveillance on the Endemic of Zika Virus Infection by Meteorological Factors in Colombia: A Population-Based Spatial and Temporal Study
Chien, L. C., Lin, R. T., Liao, Y., Sy, F. S., & Pérez, A. (2018). BMC infectious diseases, 18(1), 180.
Intrapersonal and Environmental Correlates of Bicycling in U.S. Adults
Porter, A. K., Salvo, D., Pérez, A., Reininger, B., & Kohl, H. W., 3rd (2018). American journal of preventive medicine, 54(3), 413–418.
The Effect of Prenatal Maternal Cigarette Smoking on Children's BMI Z-Score With SGA as a Mediator
Salahuddin, M., Pérez, A., Ranjit, N., Hoelscher, D. M., & Kelder, S. H. (2018). International journal of obesity (2005), 42(5), 1008–1018.
Predictors of Severe Obesity in Low-Income, Predominantly Hispanic/Latino Children: The Texas Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration Study
Salahuddin, M., Pérez, A., Ranjit, N., Kelder, S. H., Barlow, S. E., et al. (2017). Preventing Chronic Disease, 14, E141.
Association of Metabolic Syndrome and Change in Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale Scores
Leehey, M., Luo, S., Sharma, S., Wills, A. A., Bainbridge, J. L., et al. (2017). Neurology, 89(17), 1789–1794.
Geospatial associations between retail tobacco outlets and current use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes among youth in Texas
Pérez, A., Chien, L. C., Harrell, M. B., Pasch, K. E., Obinwa, U. C. et al. (2017). Journal of biometrics & biostatistics, 8(5), 375.
The relationships between sensation seeking and a spectrum of e-cigarette use behaviors in Texas adolescents: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses specific to Texas adolescents
Case, K. R., Harrell, M. B., Pérez, A., Loukas, A., Wilkinson, A. V., et al. (2017). Addictive behaviors, 73, 151–157.
Efficacy of a Community- Versus Primary Care-Centered Program for Childhood Obesity: TX CORD RCT
Butte, N. F., Hoelscher, D. M., Barlow, S. E., Pont, S., Durand, C., et al. (2017). Obesity, 25(9), 1584-1593.
Association of tobacco advertisement, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) exposure and cigarette use in Nigerian adolescents: implications for current practices, products and policies
Chido-Amajuoyi, O. G., Mantey, D. S., Clendennen, S. L., & Pérez, A. (2017). BMJ global health, 2(3), e000357.
Predictors of Weight Loss in early treated Parkinson's Disease from the NET-PD LS-1 cohort
Wills, A. M., Li, R., Pérez, A., Ren, X., Boyd, J., et al. (2017). Journal of neurology, 264(8), 1746–1753.
Efficacy of a Community- vs. Primary Care-Centered Program for Childhood Obesity: TX CORD RCT
Butte, N. F., Hoelscher, D. M., Barlow, S. E., Pont, S., Durand, C., et al. (2017). Obesity, 25(9), 1584-1593.
The associations of large-for-gestational-age and infant feeding practices with children's body mass index z-score trajectories: the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort
Salahuddin, M., Pérez, A., Ranjit, N., Hoelscher, D. M., & Kelder, S. H. (2017). Clinical obesity, 7(5), 307–315.
Effect Of Neighborhood-unit Definition On The Relationship Between Physical Activity And The Built Environment: 3667 Board #114 June 3 8
Salvo, D., Durand, C. P., Evans, A. E., Perez, A., & Kohl III, H. W. (2017). Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 49(5S), 1050.
The association between sensation seeking and e-cigarette use in Texas young adults: A cross-sectional study
Case, K. R., Loukas, A., PhD, Harrell, M. B., Wilkinson, A. V., Springer, A. E., et al. (2017). Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 65(4), 277–285.
Texas Adolescent Tobacco and Marketing Surveillance System’s design
Pérez, A., Harrell, M. B., Malkani, R. I., Jackson, C. D., Delk, J., et al. (2017). Tobacco regulatory science, 3(2), 151–167.
Recall of e-cigarette advertisements and adolescent e-cigarette use
Nicksic, N. E., Harrell, M. B., Pérez, A., Pasch, K. E., & Perry, C. L. (2017). Tobacco regulatory science, 3(2), 210–221.
U.S. Military Service and the Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome: Findings From a Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study, 1979-2013
Janak, J. C., Pérez, A., Alamgir, H., Orman, J. A., Cooper, S. P., et al. (2017). Preventive medicine, 95, 52–58.
The effect of new shower facilities on physical activity behaviors of employees: A quasi-experiment
Nehme, E. K., Pérez, A., Ranjit, N., Amick, B. C., 3rd, & Kohl, H. W., 3rd (2017). Journal of physical activity & health, 14(2), 98–107.
Choice of dopaminergic therapy among early, mild Parkinson disease subjects in North America
Goudreau, J. L., Pérez, A., Aminoff, M. J., Boyd, J. T., Burau, K. D., et al. (2016). Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 366, 74-81.
Surveillance Systems to Track and Evaluate Obesity Prevention Efforts
Hoelscher, D. M., Ranjit, N., & Pérez, A. (2017). Annual Review of Public Health, 38, 187-214.
Flavorings and Perceived Harm and Addictiveness of E-cigarettes among Youth
Cooper, M., Harrell, M. B., Pérez, A., Delk, J., & Perry, C. L. (2016). Tobacco regulatory science, 2(3), 278–289.
Cardiometabolic Risk Factors among Children and Adolescents with Severe Obesity in the United States, 1999-2012
(Li L, Pérez A, Wu LT, Ranjit N, Brown HS, Kelder SH; Child Obes.; 2016)
Why U.S. epilepsy hospital stays rose in 2006
(Cardenas VM, Roman GC, Perez A; Epilepsia, 2014)
Anxiety, depression and smoking status among adults of Mexican heritage on the Texas-Mexico Border
(Wilkinson AV, Vatcheva KP, Pérez A, Reininger BM, McCormick JB, Fisher-Hoch, SP; Hisp J Behav Sci.; 2014)
Perinatal factors and breast cancer risk among Hispanics
(Sanderson M, Perez, A, Weriwoh, ML, Alexander, LR, Peltz G, Agboto, V, Jones CD, Khoder, W; Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, 2013)
Self-reported and accelerometer-derived physical activity levels and coronary artery calcification progression in older women: Results from the Healthy Women Study
(Pettee-Gabriel, K, Matthews KA, Perez A, Edmundowicz D, Kohl, HW, Hawkins MS, Janak J, Kriska AM, Kuller LH ; Menopause, 2013)
Prevalence of asthma and other allergic conditions in Colombia 2009-2010: A cross-sectional study
(Dennis RJ, Caraballo L, Garcia E, Rojas MX, Rondon MA, Perez A, Aristizabal G, Penaranda A, Barragan AM, Ahumada V, Jimenez S; Biomedical Pulmonary Journal, 2012)
Intake_epis_food(): An R Function for Fitting a Bivariate Nonlinear Measurement Error Model to Estimate Usual and Energy Intake for Episodically Consumed Foods
(Perez A, Zhang S, Kipnis V, Freedman LS, Carroll RJ ; Journal of Statistical Software , 2012)
Acute and chronic methylphenidate treatment alters prefrontal cortex neuronal activity recorded from freely behaving rats
(Salek LR, Perez A, Dafny N ; European Journal of Pharmacology , 2012)
Perceptions of social support, empowerment and youth risk behaviors
(Reininger BM, Perez A, Aguirre-Flores MI, Chen Z, Rahbar MH ; Journal of Primary Prevention , 2012)
A limited review of over diagnosis methods and long term effects in breast cancer screening
Wu D, Perez A; Oncology Reviews, 2011)
Physical activity, television viewing, and the risk of obesity in students, Texas
(Perez A, Hoelscher DM, Springer AE, Brown HS, Barroso CS, Kelder SH, Castrucci B ; Preventing Chronic Disease , 2011)
Diabetes and employment productivity: Does diabetes management matter?
(Brown HS, Perez A, Yarnell L, Pagan JA, Hanis CM, Fisher-Hoch SP, McCormick JB. ; The American Journal of Managed Care, 2011)
Fitting a bivariate measurement error model for episodically consumed dietary components
(Zhang S, Krebs-Smith S, Midthune D, Perez A, Buckman DW, Kipnis V, Freedman LS, Dodd KW, Carroll RJ; The International Journal of Biostatistics, 2011)
Recent News
UTHealth: Pérez Receives $1.38 Million Grant to Study Youth and Young Adult Initiation of Tobacco Use
Dr. Adriana Pérez, a professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Data Science at UTHealth School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, Austin campus, has received a $1.38 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study changing patterns of tobacco use in U.S. youth and young adults.
