Jeffery Sobal

Jeffery Sobal

I am a sociologist who incorporates substantive, theoretical, and methodological work from several social science disciplines and fields into my teaching and research about social aspects of food, eating, and nutrition. Substantively, my research focuses on the social causes and consequences of obesity, especially marriage and body weight;  food choice processes;  eating relationships and commensality;  family meals;  and food systems. Theoretically, I teach and use a variety of perspectives, and my theoretical work focuses on conceptualizing social relationship trajectories, social selection and social causation, and how physical factors are related with social factors. Methodologically, I use quantitative and qualitative techniques, and my methodological work focuses upon assessing qualitative sample extensiveness, developing category content elicitation methods, and constructing ways to assess eating partners.

I teach undergraduate and graduate courses as well as mentor students in research.  I seek to provide students with conceptual and methodological tools that they can bring to bear upon topics and problems that they will deal with in the future.  My teaching seeks to provide a fair balance in exposing and educating students about a variety of theoretical perspectives and research techniques, recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each theory and method, and learn specific substantive material.  My mentoring of students seeks to give them hands-on experience in pursuing social science research about food and nutrition topics.

American Sociological Association (ASA)
Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS)

Cornell Graduate Field Memberships: Nutrition; Development Sociology; Demography; Epidemiology

Marriage and Body Weight, Food Choice Processes, Commensality and Family Meals, Food Systems

• BA 1972 - Bucknell University (Biology)
• MA 1974 - University of Pennsylvania (Sociology) 
• MPH 1983 - Johns Hopkins University (Behavioral Science, Nutrition, and Epidemiology)
• PhD 1978 - University of Pennsylvania (Sociology)

NS 2450 - Social Science Perspectives on Food and Nutrition

NS 6400 - Social Science Theories in Nutrition

NS 7030 - Seminar in Nutritional Sciences

Nutritional Sciences: Appointments and Tenure Committee

College of Human Ecology:  Dean's Fellowship Committee, History of Home Economics

Sobal, J., Khan, L.K., Bisogni, C.A. A conceptual model of the food and nutrition system. Social Science and Medicine 1998;47(7):853-63.

Bove, C.F., Sobal, J., Rauschenbach, B.S. Food choices among newly married couples: Convergence, conflict, individualism, and projects. Appetite 2003:40:25-41.

Bove, C.F., Sobal, J.  Weight relationships in early marriage: Weight salience, weight comparisons, and weight talk. Appetite 2011;57:729-742.

Sobal, J., Rauschenbach, B., Frongillo, E.A. Marital status changes and body weight changes: A U.S. longitudinal analysis. Social Science and Medicine 2003:56(7):1543-1555.

Sobal, J., Nelson, M.K. Commensal eating patterns: A community study. Appetite 2003:41:181-190.

Sobal, J., Bisogni, C.A., Devine, C.M., and Jastran, M. A conceptual model of the food choice process over the life course. In: Shepherd, R. and Raats, M. (eds). The psychology of food choice. Cambridge MA: CABI Publishing. 2006. pp 1-18.

Osman, J.L., Sobal, J. Chocolate cravings in American and Spanish individuals: Biological and Cultural Influences. Appetite 2006;47:290-301.

Sobal, J., Wansink, B. Kitchenscapes, tablescapes, platescapes, and foodscapes: Influences of micro-level built environments on food intake. Environment and Behavior 2007;39(1):124-142.

Sobal, J. Bisogni, C.A. Constructing food choice decisions. Annals of Behavioral Medicine 2009;38(Supplement 1):S37-S46.

Sobal, J., Hanson, K., Frongillo, E.A. Gender, ethnicity, marital status, and body weight in the U.S. Obesity 2009;17:2223-2231.

Griffin, J., Sobal, J., Lyson, T.A. An analysis of a community food waste stream. Agriculture and Human Values 2009;26(1):67-81.

Sobal, J. Hanson, K.. Family meals and body weight in U.S. adults.  Public Health Nutrition 2011. 14(9):1555-1562.

Chan, J., Sobal, J. Family meals and body weight: Analysis of multiple family members in family units. Appetite 2011;57:517-524.

Sobal, J., Hanson, K. Marital status, marital history, body weight, and obesity. Marriage and Family Review 2011;47(7):474-504.

Maurer, D. and Sobal, J. (eds). Eating Agendas: Food and Nutrition as Social Problems. Piscataway NJ:  Aldine Transaction. 1995.

Sobal, J. and Maurer, D. (eds). Weighty Issues: Fatness and Thinness as Social Problems. Piscataway, NJ: Aldine Transaction. 1999.

Sobal, J. and Maurer, D. (eds). Interpreting Weight: Social Management of Fatness and Thinness. Piscataway, NJ: Aldine Transaction. 1999.