Susan Middlestadt


Susan Middlestadt profile picture

Professor Emeritus

Email: semiddle@iu.edu
Address: 1025 E. 7th St.
Department: Emeriti / Retired

B.A. Bucknell University 1972
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley 1979

  • (2011) Team Technical Award, For changing the way NGOs, USAID, and other counterparts design behavior change interventions based on the success of AED’s signature BEHAVE framework with Carol Baume, Ann Jimerson, Julia Rosenbaum, Carol Schechter and John Strand, FHI 360, Washington, DC
  • (2009) Outstanding Researcher Award, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
  • (2013 – Present) Member, Global Health Evidence Review Team for Evidence Summit on Enhancing Child Survival and Development in Lower and Middle-Income Countries by Achieving Population-Level Behavior Change. Global Health, United States Agency for International Development, Washington, DC and New York, NY
  • (1997-2004), Senior Vice President, Director of Center for Applied Behavioral and Evaluation Research, Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC
  • (2013-Present)   Member, Editorial Board, Social Marketing Quarterly
  • Macy, J. (Principal Investigator), Middlestadt, S.E., Arrieta, A., Wilson, G., & Jay, S. (Co-Investigators). Evaluating the cost benefit of a contingency management intervention to reduce smoking among pregnant women in Indiana. (Indiana State Department of Health, 10/2013–9/2016, $904,990)
  • Principal Investigator & Officer in Charge. Study of tobacco industry documents: Marketing to women. (National Cancer Institute, CA098342, 2003-2007, $1,451,129) 

Scholarly Interest

Applied research to design and evaluate theory-based and empirically-grounded behavior programs: on physical activity and nutrition behaviors underlying cardiovascular disease; on reproductive and sexual health; on prevention and the use of tobacco and other drugs; and on access to and use of health programs and services

Fishbein, M., Triandis, H.C., Kanfer, F.H., Becker, M., Middlestadt, S.E., & Eichler, A. (2001). Factors influencing behavior and behavior change. In A. Baum, T.A. Revenson, & J.E. Singer (Eds), Handbook of Health Psychology (Pp. 1-7). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [Behavioral theory guidance that resulted from the NIMH-sponsored consensus workshop. I provided the applied research perspective.]

Middlestadt, S.E. (2007). What is the behavior? Strategies for selecting the behavior to be addressed by health promotion interventions. In I. Ajzen, D. Albarracin, & R. Hornik (Eds.), Prediction and Change of Health Behavior: Applying the Reasoned Action Approach (Pp. 129-147). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [Invited chapter to symposium held in honor of Martin Fishbein's 70th birthday at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania]

Middlestadt, S.E. (2012). Beliefs about eating better and moving more: Lessons learned about the salient belief elicitations with adults and youths. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Special Issue on Martin Fishbein Memorial Lecture Series, 640 (1), 81-100. [Special Volume, entitled Advancing Reasoned Action Theory, commemorating life and work of Martin Fishbein]

Middlestadt, S.E., Pareja, R., Hernandez, O., Maguire, S., Jimerson, A., & Randell, J. (2003, June). The CATALYST Approach to Behavior Change: Using the CATALYST Behavior Change Diagnostic Framework. Washington, DC: Academy for Educational Development. State-of-the-art document prepared for the CATALYST consortium, an international reproductive health project funded by United States Agency for International Development. FHI 360 currently disseminates this manual as one of their global health communication tools.

Hogben, M., Ledsky, R., Middlestadt, S.E., VanDevanter, N., Messeri, P., Merzel, C., Bleakley, A., Malotte, C.K., Sionean, K. S., & St. Lawrence, J., & the GCAP study group. (2005). Psychological mediating factors in an intervention to promote adolescent health care-seeking. Psychology, Health, and Medicine, 2005, 10, 1, 64-77.

Zhang, J., Middlestadt, S.E., & Ji, C-Y. (2007). Psychological factors underlying physical activity: Salient belief elicitation with middle school students from Beijing, China. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 4, 38.

Bai, Y., Middlestadt, S.E., Peng, C.-Y. J., & Fly, A. D. (2010). Predictors of continuation of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Journal of Human Lactation, 26, 26-34.

Macy, J. T., Middlestadt, S.E., Seo, D.C., Kolbe, L.J., & Jay, S.J. (2012). Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to explore the relation between smoke-free air laws and quitting intentions. Health Education and Behavior, 39 (1), 27-34.

Sheats, J.L., & Middlestadt, S.E. (2013). Salient beliefs about eating and buying dark green leafy vegetables as told by Mid-western African-American women. Appetite, 65, 1, 205-209.

Middlestadt. S.E., Stevenson, L.D., Hung, C.L., Roditis, M.L., Fly, A.D., & Sheats, J.L. (2013). Beliefs underlying the decision to eat breakfast: The role of theory-based behavioral analysis in the development of policy, communication and educational interventions for healthy eating. Food Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 1(4), 45-54.

Middlestadt, S.E., Sheats, J.L., Geshnizjani, A., Sullivan, M., & Arvin, C. (2011). Factors associated with participation in worksite wellness programs: Implications for increasing willingness among rural service employees. Health Education and Behavior, 38, 5, 502-509.

Middlestadt, S.E., Lederer, A., Smith, N., Hung, C., Doss, D., Stevenson, L.D., & Fly, A. (2012, Online). Determinants of middle school students asking parents for fruits and vegetables: A theory-based salient belief elicitation. Public Health Nutrition.