Department of Human Ecology

Interests: Culture/Neighborhood/Society, Healthy Retail, Intervention Research, Media, Nutrition, Obesity, Food Policy, Prevention Research, School, Sleep

Life Phases: Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood

Dr. Falbe’s research focuses on studying programmatic, policy, and environmental interventions to prevent chronic disease and reduce health disparities. Dr. Falbe led an evaluation of the nation’s first soda tax in Berkeley, California. She has also examined primary care nutrition and physical activity interventions for underserved youth, healthy retail programs, multi-sector community interventions to address childhood obesity, and the impact of screen time on adolescent sleep and health. Dr. Falbe’s research employs quantitative and qualitative methods; experimental and observational designs; and primary data collection in clinical and community settings, such as in schools, child care centers, and grocery stores.

Current research projects:

• Warning labels for sugary foods and beverages
• Food and beverage environments
• Food and beverage marketing
• Food policy
• Healthy retail
• Online experiments
• Food, climate change, and sustainability

Dr. Falbe is accepting applications from undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in gaining research experience in her lab.

Select Publications

Falbe J, Marinello S, Wolf EC, Solar S, Powell LM. Food Environment After Implementation of a Healthy Checkout Policy. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(8):e2421731

Young DR, Hedderson MM, Sidell MA, Lee C, Cohen DA, Liu EF, Barton LJ, Falbe J, Inzhakova G, Sridhar S, Voorhees AC, Han B. City-Level Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes and Youth Body Mass Index Percentile. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Jul 1;7(7):e2424822. 

Smith NR, Levy DE, Falbe J, Purtle J, Chriqui JF. Design considerations for developing measures of policy implementation in quantitative evaluations of public health policy. Front Health Serv. 2024 Jul 15;4:1322702.

Lemmon B, Montuclard A, Solar SE, Roberts E, Joo TW, Falbe J. Student Opposition to University Pouring Rights Contracts. AJPM Focus. 2024 Jan 9;3(2):100190. 

Marinello S, Powell LM, Falbe J. Neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics and healthfulness of store checkouts in Northern California. Prev Med Rep. 2023 Aug 22;35:102379

Falbe J, Musicus AA, Sigala DM, Roberto CA, Solar SE, Lemmon B, Sorscher S, Nara D, Hall MG. Online RCT of Icon Added-Sugar Warning Labels for Restaurant Menus. Am J Prev Med. 2023 Jul;65(1):101-111.

Wolfson JA, Musicus AA, Leung CW, Gearhardt AN, Falbe J. Effect of Climate Change Impact Menu Labels on Fast Food Ordering Choices Among US Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 Dec 1;5(12):e2248320.

Slotnick MJ, Falbe J, Cohen JFW, Gearhardt AN, Wolfson JA, Leung CW. Environmental and Climate Impact Perceptions in University Students: Sustainability Motivations and Perceptions Correspond with Lower Red Meat Intake. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2022 Sep 20:S2212-2672(22)01020-6.

Sigala DM, Hall MG, Musicus AA, Roberto CA, Solar SE, Fan S, Sorscher S, Nara D, Falbe J. Perceived effectiveness of added-sugar warning label designs for U.S. restaurant menus: An online randomized controlled trial. Prev Med. 2022;160:107090.

Zahid N, Pulvera R, Madsen KA, Lee MM, Ibarra-Castro A, Falbe J.
Socioeconomic disparities in outdoor branded advertising in San Francisco and Oakland, California. Prev Med Rep. 2022; 27:101796.

Cohen JFW, Posluszny H, Falbe J, Mueller MP, Gearhardt AN, Leung CW, Wolfson JA. Restaurant dining during the COVID-19 pandemic among adults with low-income in the United States. Appetite. 2022; 173:105976.

Falbe J, White JS, Sigala DM, Grummon AH, Solar SE, Powell LM. The Potential for Healthy Checkout Policies to Advance Nutrition Equity. Nutrients. 2021 Nov 22;13(11):4181.

Hua SV, Uzwiak B, Hudgins A, Peterhans A, Lawman HG, Bleich SN, Falbe J, Roberto CA. A qualitative study on retailer experiences with Philadelphia's sweetened beverage tax. Transl Behav Med. 2021 Aug 4:ibab111. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibab111. Online ahead of print.

Falbe J, Grummon AH, Krieger JW.  Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes and Population Health Outcomes. JAMA Pediatr. 2021 Dec 13. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2021.5051. Online ahead of print.

Miller LMS, Falbe JL, Rico TE, Chodur GM, Kemp LC. Associations between campus climate perceptions and food insecurity among undergraduates at a public university. J Am Coll Health. 2021 Jul 27:1-4.

Roesler A, Rojas N, Falbe J. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption, Perceptions, and Disparities in Children and Adolescents. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2021;53(7):553-563.

Falbe J, Montuclard A, Engelman A, Adler S, Roesler A. Developing sugar-sweetened beverage warning labels for young adults. Public Health Nutr. 2021 Oct;24(14):4765-4775.

Falbe J, Adler SS, Roberto CA. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Preemption and the Urgency of Unified Mobilization. Am J Public Health. 2021;111(4):546-548 

Leung CW, Wolfson JA, Hsu R, Soster K, Mangan S, Falbe J. Warning Labels Reduce Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake among College Students. J Nutr. 2021;151(1):179-185.

Falbe J. The ethics of excise taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages. Physiol Behav. 2020 Oct 15;225:113105. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113105.

Falbe J, Grummon AH, Rojas N, Ryan-Ibarra S, Silver LD, Madsen KA. Implementation of the First US Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax in Berkeley, CA, 2015-2019. Am J Public Health. 2020 Sep;110(9):1429-1437.

Ponce J, Yuan H, Schillinger D, Mahmood H, Lee M, Falbe J, Daniels R, Madsen KA. Retailer perspectives on sugar-sweetened beverage taxes in the California Bay Area. Prev Med Rep. 2020 May 28;19:101129.

Falbe J, Lee MM, Kaplan S, Rojas NA, Ortega Hinojosa AM, Madsen KA. Higher Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Retail Prices After Excise Taxes in Oakland and San Francisco. Am J Public Health. 2020;110(7):1017-1023.

Madsen KA, Falbe J, Olgin G, Ibarra-Castro A, Rojas N. Purchasing patterns in low-income neighbourhoods: implications for studying sugar-sweetened beverage taxes. Public Health Nutr. 2019 Jul;22(10):1807-1814.

Lee MM, Falbe J, Madsen KA. Secular Trends in Soda Consumption, California, 2011-2016.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2019 May 16;16:E62. 

Minkler M, Estrada J, Dyer S, Hennessey-Lavery S, Wakimoto P, Falbe J. Healthy Retail as a Strategy for Improving Food Security and the Built Environment in San Francisco. Am J Public Health. 2019 Feb;109(S2):S137-S140.

Lee MM, Falbe J, Schillinger D, Basu S, McCulloch CE, Madsen KA. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption 3 Years After the Berkeley, California, Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax. Am J Public Health. 2019 Apr;109(4):637-639.

Falbe J. Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxation: Evidence-Based Policy and Industry Preemption. Am J Public Health. 2019 Feb;109(2):191-192.

Chavez G, Minkler M, McDaniel PA, Estrada J, Thayer R, Falbe J. Retailers' perspectives on selling tobacco in a low-income San Francisco neighbourhood after California's $2 tobacco tax increase. Tob Control (BMJ). 2018 Nov 8. pii: tobaccocontrol-2018-054575.

Falbe J, Thompson HR, Patel A, Madsen KA.  Potentially addictive properties of sugar-sweetened beverages among adolescents. Appetite. 2018 Oct 29. pii: S0195-6663(18)30174-0.

McDaniel PA, Minkler M, Juachon L, Thayer R, Estrada J, Falbe J.  Merchant Attitudes Toward a Healthy Food Retailer Incentive Program in a Low-Income San Francisco Neighborhood. Int Q Community Health Educ. 2018;38(4):207-215.

Minkler M, Estrada J, Thayer R, Juachon L, Wakimoto P, Falbe J. Bringing Healthy Retail to Urban "Food Swamps": a Case Study of CBPR-Informed Policy and Neighborhood Change in San Francisco.  J Urban Health. 2018 Apr 9.

Falbe J*, Friedman LE*, Sokal-Gutierrez K, Thompson HR, Tantoco NK, Madsen KA. "She Gave Me the Confidence to Open Up": Bridging Communication by Promotoras in a Childhood Obesity Intervention for Latino Families.  Health Educ Behav. 2017 Oct;44(5):728-737.

Falbe J, Madsen KA. Growing Momentum for Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Campaigns and Policies: Costs and Considerations. American Journal of Public Health. June 2017;107(6):835-838.

Franckle RL, Falbe J, Gortmaker S, Barrett JL, Giles C, Ganter C, Blaine RE, Buszkiewicz J, Taveras EM, Kwass JA, Land T, Davison KK.  Student obesity prevalence and behavioral outcomes for the massachusetts childhood obesity research demonstration project. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2017 Jul;25(7):1175-1182.

Blaine RE, Franckle RL, Ganter C, Falbe J, Giles C, Criss S, Kwass J, Land T, Gortmaker SL, Chuang E, Davison KK, and the MA-CORD study group. Using school staff to implement a childhood obesity prevention intervention in low-income school districts: a mixed methods process evaluation from the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD), 2012-14. Preventing Chronic Disease. 2017;14:E03

Falbe J, Thompson H, Becker CM, Rojas N, McCulloch CE, Madsen KA. Impact of the Berkeley excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. American Journal of Public Health. 2016; 106(10):1865-71.

Falbe J, Willett WC, Rosner B, Field AE. Body mass index, new modes of TV viewing, and active video games. Pediatric Obesity. 2016; Epub ahead of print.

Martin-Calvo N, Chavarro J, Falbe J, Hu FB, Field AE. The adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern and annual BMI change among adolescents. International Journal of Obesity. 2016; 40(7):1103-8

Falbe J, Cotterman C, Linchey J, Madsen KA. Ethnic disparities in trends in high BMI among California adolescents, 2003–2012. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2016; 51(2):e45-55.

Falbe J, Rojas N, Grummon AH, Madsen KA. Higher retail prices of sugar-sweetened beverages 3 months after implementation of an excise tax in Berkeley, California. American Journal of Public Health. 2015; 105(11):2194-201.

Falbe J, Cadiz AA, Tantoco NK, Thompson HR, Madsen KA. Active and Healthy Families: A randomized controlled trial of a culturally-tailored obesity intervention for Latino children. Academic Pediatrics. 2015; 15(4):386-95.

Flood J, Minkler M, Lavery SH, Estrada J, Falbe J. The Collective Impact Model and its potential for health promotion: Overview and case study of a healthy retail initiative in San Francisco. Health Education and Behavior. 2015; 42(5):654-68.

Franckle RL, Falbe J, Gortmaker S, Blaine RE, Ganter C, Giles C, Taveras EM, Land T, Davison KK. Insufficient sleep among elementary and middle school students is linked with elevated soda consumption and other unhealthy dietary behaviors. Preventive Medicine. 2015; 74C:36-41.

Davison KK, Falbe J, Taveras EM, Gortmaker SL, Kulldorff M, Perkins M, Blaine R, Franckle R, Gehre C, Woo Baidal JA, Kwass J, Budkiewicz J, Smith L, Land T. Evaluation overview for the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Demonstration (CORD) Study. Childhood Obesity. 2015; 11(1):23-36.

Falbe J, Davison KK, Franckle RL, Gehre C, Gortmaker SL, Smith L, Land T, Taveras EM. Screens in children’s sleep environments, sleep duration, and perceived insufficient rest. Pediatrics. 2015; 135(2):e367-75.

Taveras EM, Blaine R, Davison KK, Gortmaker SL, Anand S, Falbe J, Kwass J, Perkins M, Giles CM, Criss S, Colchamiro R, Woo Baidal JA, Land T, Smith L. Design and implementation of the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) Study. Childhood Obesity. 2015;11(1):11-22.

Falbe J, Willet WC, Rosner B, Sonneville KR, Gortmaker SL, Field AE. Longitudinal relations of television, electronic games, and digital versatile discs with changes in diet among adolescents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2014; 100(4): 1173-81.

Field AE, Sonneville KR, Falbe J, Flint A, Haines J, Rosner B, Camargo CA. Association of sports drinks with weight gain among adolescents and young adults. Obesity. 2014; 22(10):2238-43.

Falbe J and Davison KK. “Theories of Behavior Change and Their Application to Public Health Nutrition.” Natalie Stein, ed. Public Health Nutrition: Principles and Practice in Community and Global Health. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. 2014.

Falbe J, Rosner B, Willett WC, Sonneville KR, Hu FB, Field AE. Adiposity and different types of screen time. Pediatrics. 2013; 132(6):e1497-1505.

Schwartz MB, Henderson KE, Falbe J, Novak SA, Wharton CM, Long MW, O'Connell ML, Fiore SS. Strength and comprehensiveness of district school wellness policies predict policy implementation at the school level. Journal of School Health. 2012; 82(6):262-7.

Falbe J, Kenney EL, Henderson KE, Schwartz MB. The wellness child care assessment tool: a measure to assess the quality of written nutrition and physical activity policies. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2011; 111(12):1852-60.

Henderson KE, Grode GM, Middleton AE, Kenney EL, Falbe J, Schwartz MB. Validity of a measure to assess the child-care nutrition and physical activity environment. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2011; 111(9):1306-13

Doctorate

Sc.D., Nutrition. Harvard University

Sc.D., Epidemiology (dual degree). Harvard University

Masters

M.P.H, Public Health Nutrition. University of California, Berkeley

Bachelors

B.A., Public Health. University of California, Berkeley