Jessica Rothstein, PhD, MSPH

I am a social and behavioral scientist who uses mixed methods with the goal of improving child nutrition, health, and development. I am particularly interested in (1) understanding and addressing the multi-level factors influencing infant and young child feeding practices, and (2) leveraging formative research to develop feasible and acceptable interventions to improve responsive parenting. I am also interested in the potential of mobile health/digital health technologies to promote behavior change. Much of my research to date has taken place in Peru and Tanzania. My current projects include a study on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on food insecurity and child growth in peri-urban Lima, Peru, and implementation research to adapt a play-based early child development intervention for Latine families receiving care at Esperanza Health Centers in Chicago.

Rothstein JD, Winch PJ, Pachas J, Cabrera LZ, Ochoa MP, Caulfield LE. Vulnerable families and costly formula: a qualitative exploration of infant formula purchasing among peri-urban Peruvian households. International Breastfeeding Journal 2021;16:11. doi: 10.1186/s13006-021-00356-6.

Rothstein JD, Buckland AJ, Gagnier K, Ochoa M, Allen-Valley A, Jivapong B, Cabrera LZ, Leontsini E, Fisher KR. Assessing the play and learning environments of children under two years in peri-urban Lima, Peru: A formative research study. BMC Public Health 2021;21:108. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-10119-3.

Rothstein JD, Klemm R, Niyeha D, Smith E, Nordhagen S. Assessing the challenges to women’s access and implementation of text messages for nutrition behavior change in rural Tanzania. Public Health Nutrition 2020, 1-14. doi:10.1017/S1368980020003742

Rothstein JD, Caulfield LE, Broaddus ET, Muschelli J, Gilman RH, Winch PJ. “The doctor said formula would help me”: Health sector influences on use of infant formula in peri-urban Lima, Peru. Social Science and Medicine 2020 Jan;244:112324. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.05.029.

Rothstein JD, Mendoza AL, Cabrera LZ, Pachas J, Calderón M, Pajuelo MJ, Caulfield LE, Winch PJ, Gilman RH. Household contamination of baby bottles and opportunities to improve bottle hygiene in peri-urban Lima, Peru. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2019 Apr;100(4):988-997. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0301.

Ambikapathi R, Rothstein JD, Yori PP, Olortegui MP, Lee G, Kosek M, Caulfield LE. Food purchase patterns indicative of household food access insecurity, children’s dietary diversity and intake, and nutritional status using a newly developed and validated tool in the Peruvian Amazon. Food Security 2018; 10(4):999-1011.

Rothstein JD, Jennings L, Moorthy A, Yang F, Gee L, Romano K, Hutchful D, Labrique AB, LeFevre AE. Qualitative Assessment of the Feasibility, Usability, and Acceptability of a Mobile Client Data App for Community-Based Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Care in Rural Ghana. International Journal of Telemedicine and Applications 2016; 2515420.

Lee RM, Rothstein JD, Gergen J, Zachary DA, Smith JC, Palmer AM, Gittelsohn J, Surkan PJ. Process Evaluation of a Comprehensive Supermarket Intervention in a Low-Income Baltimore Community. Health Promotion Practice 2015; 16(6):849-58.

Rothstein JD, Leontsini E, Olortegui MP, Yori PP, Surkan PJ, Kosek M. Determinants of Caregivers’ Use and Adoption of Household Water Chlorination: A Qualitative Study with Peri-Urban Communities in the Peruvian Amazon. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2015; 93(3):626-35.

PhD, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
MSPH, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
BA, Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis