People
Research Interests
Dr. Johnston's research centers on understanding and promoting sustainable health behavior change to prevent and manage obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. His work integrates behavioral science, lifestyle medicine, nutrition, and physical activity to develop and evaluate interventions in schools, communities, healthcare settings, and underserved populations. Current projects include community health initiatives, obesity prevention, diabetes management, and health promotion programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Recent Publications and Research Activity
Cepni, A.B., Ledoux, T.A., Walsh, D.W. & Johnston, C.A. (In-press) Evaluating implementation fidelity of a school-based physical activity intervention: Effects on child physical activity. Health Education Research. April 2025
Kirschmann, J.M., Cepni, A., Walsh, D., Johnston, C.A. (In Review). SOAR (Special Olympics Athletes Race) Into Health: Feasibility of accelerometry in adults with intellectual disabilities. Submitted to Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities.
Cepni, A. B., Nadeem, F. K., Ledoux, T. A., & Johnston, C. A. (2025). Breaking the silence on obesity. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 19(4), 522-525. doi: 10.1177/15598276241309248
Cepni, A. B., Kirschmann, J. M., Rodriguez, A., & Johnston, C. A. (2025). When Routines break: The health implications of disrupted daily life. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15598276251381626. doi: 10.1177/15598276251381626
Pum, K., Salama, R., Lin, R., Kirschmann, J. M., Johnston, C. A., & Hendel, K. R. (2025b). Combatting the loneliness epidemic through social connectedness. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15598276251359116. doi: 10.1177/15598276251359116
Lopez, T. D., Cepni, A. B., Hendel, K. R., Goodman, L. P., Wiesner, M., Johnston, C. A., Haubrick, K., & Ledoux, T. A. (2025). Negative weight attitudes and disordered eating behaviors in Hispanic adolescents: A descriptive study of gender and weight status associations. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(15), 5211. doi: 10.3390/jcm14155211
Vaughan, E. M., Johnston, C. A., Amspoker, A., Balasubramanyam, A., Virani, S., Ballantyne, C. M., & Porterfield, L. R. (2025). 1893-LB: Improving diabetes care in underserved communities—An RCT evaluating an mHealth-Driven feedback loop with Community Health Workers and Clinicians. Diabetes, 74(Supplement_1). doi: 10.2337/db25-1893-lb
Vaughan, E. M., Johnston, C. A., Amspoker, A., Virani, S., Balasubramanyam, A., Ballantyne, C. M., & Porterfield, L. R. (2025). 1892-LB: Exploring age-related HBA1C variations in CHW-Led programs. Diabetes, 74(Supplement_1). doi: 10.2337/db25-1892-lb
Vaughan, E. M., Yu, X., Cardenas, V. J., Johnston, C. A., Virani, S. S., Balasubramanyam, A., Ballantyne, C. M., & Naik, A. D. (2025). From trials to practice: Implementing a clinical intervention in community settings. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 16, 21501319251339190. doi: 10.1177/21501319251339190
Vega, M. W., Akcan-Arikan, A., Jennings, K., Calderon, M. J., Warren, V., Johnston, C. A., & Markofski, M. M. (2025). Documented physical activity discussions in children with chronic kidney disease—An analysis of patient- and clinician-level variables. Pediatric Exercise Science, 1(aop), 1-8. doi: 10.1123/pes.2023-0206
Watkins, D., Rock, M., Vaughan, E. M., Kirschmann, J. M., & Johnston, C. A. (2025). Successful coaching behaviors: Challenges and opportunities in relationships. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15598276251327917. doi: 10.1177/15598276251327917
Yoon, C. Y., & Johnston, C. A. (2025). Associations of adverse and benevolent childhood experiences with disordered eating behaviors among college students: A cross-sectional study. Adversity and Resilience Science, 1-12. doi: 10.1007/s42844-025-00179-y
Yoon, C. Y., Kinariwala, K., Mai, D., Ledoux, T. A., Betts, R., & Johnston, C. A. (2025). Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors and intuitive eating by college-going generation status. Journal of American College Health, 1–9. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2025.2510686
Kirschmann, J. M., Cepni, A., & Johnston, C. A. (2025). Considering the 24-Hour activity cycle in older adults. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 19(1), 26-29. doi: 10.1177/15598276241288102
Cepni, A., Vilson, R., Helbing, R., Walsh, D., Johnston, C. A., Yoon, C., Hughes, S., Ledoux, T. (2024). The most optimal school recruitment strategies for school-based health promotion and obesity prevention research: A systematic review with Delphi study. Obesity Reviews, 25(11), e13808. doi: 10.1111/obr.13808
Hendel. K., Kirchmann, J., Vaughan E. M., Johnston, C. A. (2024). Moving beyond awareness: Addressing barriers. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 18(6), 740–743. doi: 10.1177/15598276241274114
Tran, V., Vaughan, E., Kim, S., Johnston, C. A. (2024). Group-based interventions in lifestyle medicine. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 18(4), 479–482. doi: 10.1177/15598276241242340
Cepni, A. B., Shehata, N., Ullah, F., & Johnston, C. A. (2024). Habit formation in older adults. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 19(3), 368-371. doi: 10.1177/15598276241301743
Cepni, A. B., Ma, H. Y., Irshad, A. M., Yoe, G. K., & Johnston, C. A. (2024). Addressing shame through self compassion. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 19(2), 194-197. doi: 10.1177/15598276241292993
Lopez, T. D., Cepni, A. B., Goodman, L. P., Arlinghaus, K. R., Wiesner, M., Johnston, C. A., Haubrick, K., & Ledoux, T. A. (2024). Development of the two-factor modified Kids Eating Disorder Survey (M-KEDS): a validation study with Hispanic adolescents. Nutrition Journal, 23(1), 134. doi: 10.1186/s12937-024-01031-2
Rose, V. L., Ajoy, A., Johnston, C. A., Gogola, G. R., & Parikh, P. J. (2024). The Bead Maze Hand Function Test for children. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78(4), 7804205010. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2024.050584
Yoon, C. Y., Arlinghaus, K. R., Ledoux, T. A., Johnston, C. A., Larson, N., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2024). Associations of regular consumption of breakfast, lunch, and dinner with BMI during adolescence: Longitudinal findings by weight status among the EAT 2010-2018 cohort. Public Health Nutrition, 27(1), e95. doi: 10.1017/s1368980024000454
Crumbley, C., Cepni, A. B., Taylor, A., Thompson, D., Moran, N. E., Olvera, N., O’Connor, D. P., Johnston, C. A., & Ledoux, T. (2023). Exploring factors associated with accelerometer validity among ethnically diverse toddlers. Pediatric Exercise Science, 36(2), 66–74. doi: 10.1123/pes.2022-0114
Yoon, C., Joseph, T., Moussa, G., Voss, T., Ledoux, T. A., & Johnston, C. A. (2023). Associations of positive childhood experiences with binge-eating disorder characteristics and intuitive eating among college students. Appetite, 191, 107073. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107073
Rock M, Watkins B, Vaughan, E. M., & Johnston, C. A. (2023). Health, Salud, 健康: Individualizing behavioral needs in a multicultural world. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 18(1), 49–53. doi: 10.1177/15598276231206079
Arlinghaus, K. R., O’Connor, D. P., Ledoux, T. A., Hughes, S. O., & Johnston, C. A. (2023). Exploratory decision trees to predict obesity intervention response among Hispanic American youth. Childhood Obesity, 19(3), 194–202. doi: 10.1089/chi.2021.0296
Vega M, Nadeem S, Vaughan, E. M., & Johnston, C. A. (2023). The Use of Reframing: Increasing the importance of lifestyle medicine. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 17(6), 746–749. doi: 10.1177/15598276231193643
Hughes, S. O., Power T. G., Baker S. S., Barale K. V., Aragon M. C., Lanigan J. D., Parker L., Silva Garcia K., Auld G., Johnston, C. A., & Micheli N. (2023). Short-Term efficacy of a childhood obesity prevention program designed to pair feeding content with nutrition education. Childhood Obesity, 19(4), 239–248. doi: 10.1089/chi.2022.0030
Vaughan, E. M., Cepni, A. B., Le U. P. N., & Johnston, C. A. (2023). The rationale and logistics for incorporating community health workers into the multidisciplinary team. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 17(3), 355–358. doi: 10.1177/15598276231151866
Yoon, C., Mai, D., Kinariwala, K., Ledoux, T. A., Betts, R., Johnston, C. A. (2023). Sex and ethnic/racial differences in maladaptive and adaptive eating among college students. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1221816
Vaughan, E., Virani, S. S., Rifai, M. A., Cardenas, V. J., Johnston, C. A., Porterfield, L., Delgado, Z. S., Samson, S. L., Schick, V., & Naik, A. D. (2023). Determining call-to-entry rate and recruitment barriers in clinical studies for community clinics serving low-income populations: a cohort study. BMJ Open, 13(10), e077819. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-077819
Vaughan, E., Cardenas, V. J., Chan, W., Amspoker, A. B., Johnston, C. A., Virani, S. S., Ballantyne, C. M., & Naik, A. D. (2023). Implementation and Evaluation of a mHealth-Based Community Health Worker Feedback Loop for Hispanics with and at Risk for Diabetes. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 39(2), 229–238. doi: 10.1007/s11606-023-08434-7
Arlinghaus, K. R., Cepni, A. B., Helbing R. R., Goodman L. P., Ledoux, T. A., & Johnston, C. A. (2022). Response to school-based interventions for overweight and obesity: A systematic scoping review. Clinical Obesity, 12(6). doi: 10.1111/cob.12557
Menefee D. S., Ledoux, T. A., & Johnston, C. A. (2022) The importance of emotional regulation in mental health. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 16(1), 28-31. doi: 10.1177/15598276211049771
Walsh D., Ferrara M., Arlinghaus K., & Johnston, C. A. (2022). Sport: a holistic approach to lifestyle medicine. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 16(4), 439-442. doi: 10.1177/15598276221090470
Cepni, A. B., Crumbley C., Nadeem S., Ledoux, T. A., & Johnston, C. A. (2022). Incorporating nutrition counseling in lifestyle medicine. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 16(3), 291-294. doi: 10.1177/15598276221077224
Moreno J. P., Musaad S., Dadabhoy H., Baranowski T., Crowley S. J., Thompson D., & Johnston, C. A. (2022). Seasonality of children’s height and weight and their contribution to accelerated summer weight gain. Frontiers in Physiology; 793999. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.793999
Prochnow T., Arlinghaus K. A., & Johnston, C. A. (2022). The importance of social networks for support and health beliefs throughout pregnancy. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 17(1), 46-49. doi: 10.1177/15598276221129821
Vaughan, E., Johnson, E., Naik, A. D., Amspoker, A. B., Balasubramanyam, A., Virani, S. S., Ballantyne, C. M., Johnston, C. A., & Foreyt, J. P. (2022). Long-Term Effectiveness of the TIME Intervention to Improve Diabetes Outcomes in Low-Income Settings: a 2-Year Follow-Up. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 37(12), 3062–3069. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-07363-7
Espeland, M., Justice, J. N., Bahnson, J., Evans, J. K., Munshi, M. N., Hayden, K. M., Simpson, F., Johnson, K., Johnston, C. A., & Kritchevsky, S. B. (2021). Eight-Year changes in multimorbidity and frailty in adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: associations with cognitive and physical function and mortality. The Journals of Gerontology. Series a, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 77(8), 1691–1698. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glab342
Chandrasekaran S., Hibino K., Gorniak S. L., Layne C. S., & Johnston, C. A. (2021). Fear of falling: significant barrier in fall prevention approaches. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine; 15:598-601. doi: 10.1177/15598276211035360
Arlinghaus, K. R., O’Connor, D. P., Ledoux, T. A., Hughes, S. O., & Johnston, C. A. (2021). A staged approach to address youth unresponsiveness to initial obesity intervention: a randomized clinical trial. International Journal of Obesity; 45: 2585-2590. doi: 10.1038/s41366-021-00940-0
Vaughan, E. M., Naik A. D., Amspoker A. B., Johnston, C. A., Landrum J. D., Balasubramanyam A., Virani S. S., Ballantyne C. M., & Foreyt J. P. (2021). Mentored implementation to initiate a diabetes program in an underserved community: a pilot study. BMJ Open Diabetes Research Care; 9: e002320. doi: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2021-002320
Cepni, A. B., Taylor A., Crumbley C., Thompson D., Moran N. E., Olvera N., O’Connor, D. P., Arlinghaus, K. R., Johnston, C. A., & Ledoux, T. A. (2021). Feasibility and efficacy of the “FUNPALS Playgroup” intervention to improve toddler dietary and activity behaviors: a pilot randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; 18(15), 7828. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18157828
Cepni, A. B., Taylor A., Thompson D., Moran N. E., Olvera N., O’Connor, D. P., Johnston, C. A., & Ledoux, T. A. (2021). Exploring qualities of ethnically diverse parents related to the healthy home environment of toddlers. Appetite, 167, 105608. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105608
Cepni, A. B., Hatem C., Ledoux, T. A., & Johnston, C. A. (2021) The importance of health values among health care providers. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 15(3), 224–226. doi: 10.1177/1559827621992271
Arlinghaus, K. R., Daundasekara S. S., Zaidi Y., & Johnston, C. A. (2021). Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess barriers and facilitators to physical activity among Hispanic youth. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 53(8), 1666–1674. doi: 10.1249/mss.000000000000263
Arlinghaus, K. R., Ledoux, T. A., & Johnston, C. A. (2021) Randomized controlled trial to increase physical activity among Hispanic-American middle school students. Journal of School Health, 91(4), 307–317. doi: 10.1111/josh.13004
Education
B.S. in Psychology at Iowa State University, 1996
M.S. in Clinical Psychology at Southwest Missouri State University, 2000
Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology at University of Kansas, 2004