Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Dissertation Defense: Paola Arevalo
Friday, May 29, 2026
1:00 PM-3:00 PM
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Dissertation Defense
Paola Arevalo will present
"Socioeconomic and Ethnic Disparities in Diet, Food Insecurity, and
Hypertension among Women of Reproductive Age in Guatemala."
Guatemala is undergoing a rapid nutrition transition characterized by high
prevalences of undernutrition, food insecurity, obesity, and micronutrient
deficiencies, alongside a rising burden of non-communicable diseases. These
conditions disproportionately affect women of reproductive age (WRA) and follow
strong socioeconomic and ethnic gradients. Despite this, existing evidence is
largely outdated, limiting understanding of how multiple forms of malnutrition
have changed over time. Evidence on dietary patterns and their social
distribution also remains limited, as well as the impact of coexisting
nutritional burdens on cardiometabolic risk such as hypertension. Given the
ongoing changes in the food system and the potential lasting effects of the
COVID-19 pandemic on health and dietary behaviors, this dissertation aimed to
(1) examine trends in nutritional disparities, (2) identify contemporary
dietary patterns, and (3) evaluate the joint association of food insecurity and
obesity with hypertension among WRA. Together, these analyses provide an
integrated assessment of nutritional inequalities and related health
implications among WRA in Guatemala.
Paola is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology working under the supervision of
Dr. Félice Lê-Scherban at Drexel University and Dr. Fernanda Kroker at the
Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP). Paola served as a
doctoral research fellow at the Urban Health Collaborative and as a trainee
under the Drexel-INCAP D43 Training Program on Social Determinants of
Cardiovascular Disease Over the Life Course. Her research focuses on nutrition,
food environments, health disparities and maternal and child health.
Dissertation committee: Félice Lê-Scherban, PhD, MPH (chair), Brisa N.
Sánchez, PhD, ScM, MS, Brent A. Langellier, PhD, MA, Ana V. Diez Roux, MD, PhD,
MPH, Fernanda Kroker-Lobos, PhD
Zoom link
Contact Information
Nancy Colon-Anderson
nanderson@drexel.edu