Madeleine DeBlois

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Journals/Publications

• Winkler, J. L., Mare, J., Blois, M. D., Carvajal, S. C., & Walsh, M. E. (2017). Kind discipline: Developing a conceptual model of a promising school discipline approach.. Evaluation and program planning, 62, 15-24. doi:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2017.02.002
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  This formative evaluation develops a novel conceptual model for a discipline approach fostering intrinsic motivation and positive relationships in schools. We used concept mapping to elicit and integrate perspectives on kind discipline from teachers, administrators, and other school staff. Three core themes describing kind discipline emerged from 11 identified clusters: (1) proactively developing a positive school climate, (2) responding to conflict with empathy, accountability, and skill, and (3) supporting staff skills in understanding and sharing expectations. We mapped the identified components of kind discipline onto a social ecological model and found that kind discipline encompasses all levels of that model including the individual, relational, environmental/structural, and even community levels. This contrasts with the dominant individual-behavioral discipline approaches that focus on fewer levels and may not lead to sustained student and staff motivation. The findings illustrate the importance of setting and communicating clear expectations and the need for them to be collaboratively developed. Products of the analysis and synthesis reported here are operationalized materials for teachers grounded in a "be kind" culture code for classrooms.
• Winkler, J. L., Walsh, M. E., DeBlois, M., Mare, J., & Carvajal, S. C. (2017). Kind Discipline: Developing a Roadmap through a Concept Mapping Process [RC1]. Evaluation and Program Planning.
• Winkler, J. L., Walsh, M. E., DeBlois, M., Mare, J., & Carvajal, S. C. (2017). Kind Discipline: Developing a Roadmap through a Concept Mapping Process. Evaluation and Program Planning.
• Cradock, A. L., Barrett, J. L., Giles, C. M., Lee, R. M., Kenney, E. L., DeBlois, M. E., Thayer, J. C., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2016). Promoting physical activity with the out of school nutrition and physical activity (OSNAP) initiative a cluster-randomized controlled trial. JAMA Pediatrics, 170(Issue 2). doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.3406
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  IMPORTANCE Millions of children attend after-school programs in the United States. Increasing physical activity levels of program participants could have a broad effect on children's health. OBJECTIVE To test the effectiveness of the Out of School Nutrition and Physical Activity (OSNAP) Initiative in increasing children's physical activity levels in existing after-school programs. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cluster-randomized controlled trial with matched program pairs. Baseline data were collected September 27 through November 12, 2010, with follow-up data collected April 25 through May 27, 2011. The dates of our analysis were March 11, 2014, through August 18, 2015. The setting was 20 after-school programs in Boston, Massachusetts. All children 5 to 12 years old in participating programs were eligible for study inclusion. INTERVENTIONS Ten programs participated in a series of three 3-hour learning collaborative workshops, with additional optional opportunities for training and technical assistance. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Change in number of minutes and bouts of moderate to vigorous physical activity, vigorous physical activity, and sedentary activity and change in total accelerometer counts between baseline and follow-up. RESULTS Participants with complete data were 402 racially/ethnically diverse children, with a mean age of 7.7 years. Change in the duration of physical activity opportunities offered to children during program time did not differ between conditions (-1.2 minutes; 95%CI, -14.2 to 12.4 minutes; P = .87). Change in moderate to vigorous physical activity minutes accumulated by children during program time did not differ significantly by intervention status (-1.0; 95%CI, -3.3 to 1.3; P = .40). Total minutes per day of vigorous physical activity (3.2; 95%CI, 1.8-4.7; P < .001), vigorous physical activity minutes in bouts (4.1; 95%CI, 2.7-5.6; P < .001), and total accelerometer counts per day (16 894; 95%CI, 5101-28 686; P = .01) increased significantly during program time among intervention participants compared with control participants. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Although programs participating in the OSNAP Initiative did not allot significantly more time for physical activity, they successfully made existing time more vigorously active for children receiving the intervention.
• Deblois, M. E., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2016). Childhood self-regulatory skills predict adolescent smoking behavior. Psychology, Health and Medicine, 21(Issue 2). doi:10.1080/13548506.2015.1077261
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  Cigarette smoking is the primary preventable cause of premature death. Better self-regulatory capacity is a key psychosocial factor that has been linked with reduced likelihood of tobacco use. Studies point to the importance of multiple forms of self-regulation, in the domains of emotion, attention, behavior, and social regulation, although no work has evaluated all of these domains in a single prospective study. Considering those four self-regulation domains separately and in combination, this study prospectively investigated whether greater self-regulation in childhood is associated with reduced likelihood of either trying cigarettes or becoming a regular smoker. Hypotheses were tested using longitudinal data from a cohort of 1709 US children participating in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics - Child Development Supplement. Self-regulation was assessed at study baseline when children ranged in age from 6 to 14 years, using parent-reported measures derived from the Behavior Problems Index and Positive Behavior Scale. Children ages 12-19 self-reported their cigarette smoking, defined in two ways: (1) trying and (2) regular use. Separate multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate odds of trying or regularly using cigarettes, taking account of various potential confounders. Over an average of five years of follow-up, 34.5% of children ever tried cigarettes and 10.6% smoked regularly. Higher behavioral self-regulation was the only domain associated with reduced odds of trying cigarettes (odds ratio (OR) =.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) =.73-.99). Effective regulation in each of the domains was associated with reduced likelihood of regular smoking, although the association with social regulation was not statistically significant (ORs range.70-.85). For each additional domain in which a child was able to regulate successfully, the odds of becoming a regular smoker dropped by 18% (95% CI =.70-.97). These findings suggest that effective childhood self-regulatory skills across multiple domains may reduce future health risk behaviors.
• Deblois, M., Dominguez, V., Kaplan, D. M., & Walsh, M. E. (2016). Studying the teaching of kindness: A conceptual model for evaluating kindness education programs in schools.. Evaluation and program planning, 58(Issue), 160-170. doi:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.06.001
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  Recent research suggests that school-based kindness education programs may benefit the learning and social-emotional development of youth and may improve school climate and school safety outcomes. However, how and to what extent kindness education programming influences positive outcomes in schools is poorly understood, and such programs are difficult to evaluate in the absence of a conceptual model for studying their effectiveness. In partnership with Kind Campus, a widely adopted school-based kindness education program that uses a bottom-up program framework, a methodology called concept mapping was used to develop a conceptual model for evaluating school-based kindness education programs from the input of 123 middle school students and approximately 150 educators, school professionals, and academic scholars. From the basis of this model, recommendations for processes and outcomes that would be useful to assess in evaluations of kindness education programs are made, and areas where additional instrument development may be necessary are highlighted. The utility of the concept mapping method as an initial step in evaluating other grassroots or non-traditional educational programming is also discussed.
• Kenney, E. L., Giles, C. M., deBlois, M. E., Gortmaker, S. L., Chinfatt, S., & Cradock, A. L. (2014). Improving nutrition and physical activity policies in afterschool programs: Results from a group-randomized controlled trial. Preventive Medicine, 66(Issue). doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.06.011
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  Objective: Afterschool programs can be health-promoting environments for children. Written policies positively influence nutrition and physical activity (PA) environments, but effective strategies for building staff capacity to write such policies have not been evaluated. This study measures the comprehensiveness of written nutrition, PA, and screen time policies in afterschool programs and assesses impact of the Out of School Nutrition and Physical Activity (OSNAP) intervention on key policies. Methods: Twenty afterschool programs in Boston, MA participated in a group-randomized, controlled trial from September 2010 to June 2011. Intervention program staff attended learning collaboratives focused on practice and policy change. The Out-of-School Time (OST) Policy Assessment Index evaluated written policies. Inter-rater reliability and construct validity of the measure and impact of the intervention on written policies were assessed. Results: The measure demonstrated moderate to excellent inter-rater reliability (Spearman's r= 0.53 to 0.97) and construct validity. OSNAP was associated with significant increases in standards-based policy statements surrounding snacks (+. 2.6, p= 0.003), beverages (+. 2.3, p= 0.008), screen time (+. 0.8, p= 0.046), family communication (+. 2.2, p= 0.002), and a summary index of OSNAP goals (+. 3.3, p= 0.02). Conclusions: OSNAP demonstrated success in building staff capacity to write health-promoting policy statements. Future research should focus on determining policy change impact on practices. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.
• Alley, D. E., Soldo, B. J., Pagan, J. A., Deblois, M., Field, S. H., Asch, D. A., Cannuscio, C. C., & Mccabe, J. F. (2009). Material resources and population health: disadvantages in health care, housing, and food among adults over 50 years of age.. American journal of public health, 99 Suppl 3(S3), S693-701. doi:10.2105/ajph.2009.161877
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  We examined associations between material resources and late-life declines in health..We used logistic regression to estimate the odds of declines in self-rated health and incident walking limitations associated with material disadvantages in a prospective panel representative of US adults aged 51 years and older (N = 15,441)..Disadvantages in health care (odds ratio [OR] = 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.23, 1.58), food (OR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.29, 2.22), and housing (OR = 1.20; 95% CI = 1.07, 1.35) were independently associated with declines in self-rated health, whereas only health care (OR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.29, 1.58) and food (OR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.31, 2.05) disadvantage predicted incident walking limitations. Participants experiencing multiple material disadvantages were particularly susceptible to worsening health and functional decline. These effects were sustained after we controlled for numerous covariates, including baseline health status and comorbidities. The relations between health declines and non-Hispanic Black race/ethnicity, poverty, marital status, and education were attenuated or eliminated after we controlled for material disadvantage..Material disadvantages, which are highly policy relevant, appear related to health in ways not captured by education and poverty. Policies to improve health should address a range of basic human needs, rather than health care alone.

Presentations

• Walsh, M. E., DeBlois, M., Toomey, R. B., & Gonzalez, J. (2016, Oct). Developing and Evaluating Supports for Trans Youth and Their Families. American Evaluation Association 30th Annual Meeting. Atlanta, Georgia.
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  [RC2]

Poster Presentations

• Quiroz, N., Thomas, M., Ramirez, M., Gore, C., Wilkinson, N., Hadd Wissler, V., DeBlois, M., Dixon-Kleiber, A. L., Curley, D. L., & McDonald, D. A. (2024, July).

  Family Talks: Money Edition CYFAR Curriculum, A CYFAR Program for Parents and Teens in Pima and Gila Counties. 

  . Arizona Cooperative Extension Annual Conference. Tucson, AZ.
• Quiroz, N., Thomas, M., Ramirez, M., Gore, C., Wilkinson, N., Hadd Wissler, V., DeBlois, M., Dixon-Kleiber, A. L., Curley, D. L., & McDonald, D. A. (2024, July).

  Family Talks: Money Edition, A CYFAR Program for Parents & Teens in Pima and Gila Counties

  . Arizona Cooperative Extension Annual Conference. Tucson, AZ.
• Ewinghill, T., Ewinghill, T., Avery, D., Avery, D., Holguin, F., Holguin, F., Downer, B., Downer, B., Poole, B., Poole, B., DeBlois, M., DeBlois, M., Walsh, M. E., Walsh, M. E., Curley, D. L., & Curley, D. L. (2023, August). Showcasing FCHS Impact at the State Capitol. Statewide Conference. University of Arizona Campus: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
• DeBlois, M., Romero, A. J., & Morris, N. A. (2019, August). POSTER. Extension Conference. Tucson: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
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  An exploration of the usability of a Positive Youth Development (PYD) Application POSTER within the Arizona 4-H program
• Walsh, M. E., DeBlois, M., Alamban, A., & Wyatt, M. A. (2019, August). Adventures Off the Shelf Curriculum Development. Cooperative Extension Annual Conference. Tucson.
• Hernandez-Ainza, A., Toomey, R. B., Walsh, M. E., DeBlois, M., & Pace, T. W. (2017, Spring). Depression, anxiety, and perceived social support as potential mediators for disparities in stress-hormonal regulation in transgender youth.. Mindfulness Research Conference. Seattle, WA.

Other Teaching Materials

• Curley, D. L., Walsh, M. E., deBlois, M., Avery, D., Ewinghill, T., Downer, B., Poole, B., & Holguin, F. (2023.

  Triple P Data Summary Page

  . University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.