Shannon N. Zenk, RN, MPH, MSN, PhD
Assistant Professor of Public Health, Mental Health and Administrative Nursing
Research Interests
Dr. Zenk's research focuses on the contributions of neighborhood physical and social environments to racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health. A major focus of her work is relationships between the neighborhood food availability, access, and intake among urban adult populations. She is involved in community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships in Detroit and Chicago.
Recent and Noteworthy Publications
Israel BA, Schulz AJ, Estrada-Martinez L, Zenk SN, Viruell-Fuentes E, Villarruel AM, Stokes C. Engaging urban residents in assessing neighborhood environments and their implications for health. J Urban Health. 2006 May;83(3):523-39.
Schulz AJ, Zenk SN, Israel BA, Mentz G, Stokes C, Galea S. Do neighborhood economic characteristics, racial composition, and residential stability predict perceptions of stress associated with the physical and social environment? Findings from a multilevel analysis in Detroit. J Urban Health. 2008 Sep;85(5):642-61.
Tarlov E, Zenk SN, Campbell RT, Warnecke RB, Block R. Characteristics of mammography facility locations and stage of breast cancer at diagnosis in Chicago. J Urban Health. 2009 Mar;86(2):196-213. [See abstract.]
Wilbur J, McDevitt J, Wang E, Dancy B, Briller J, Ingram D, Nicola T, Lee H, Zenk SN. Recruitment of African American women to a walking program: eligibility, ineligibility, and attrition during screening. Res Nurs Health. 2006 Jun;29(3):176-89.
Wilbur J, Zenk S, Wang E, Oh A, McDevitt J, Block D, McNeil S, Ju S. Neighborhood characteristics, adherence to walking, and depressive symptoms in midlife African American women. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2009 Aug;18(8):1201-10. [See abstract.]
Zenk SN, Lachance LL, Schulz AJ, Mentz G, Kannan S, Ridella W. Neighborhood retail food environment and fruit and vegetable intake in a multiethnic urban population. Am J Health Promot. 2009 Mar-Apr;23(4):255-64. [See abstract.]
Zenk SN, Powell LM. US secondary schools and food outlets. Health Place. 2008 Jun;14(2):336-46.
Zenk SN, Schulz AJ, Israel BA, James SA, Bao S, Wilson ML. Fruit and vegetable access differs by community racial composition and socioeconomic position in Detroit, Michigan. Ethn Dis. 2006 Winter;16(1):275-80.
Zenk SN, Schulz AJ, Mentz G, House JS, Gravlee CC, Miranda PY, Miller P, Kannan S. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability: methods and results for the neighborhood observational checklist. Health Place. 2007 Jun;13(2):452-65.
Zenk SN, Tarlov E, Sun J. Spatial equity in facilities providing low- or no-fee screening mammography in Chicago neighborhoods. J Urban Health. 2006 Mar;83(2):195-210.
Zenk SN, Wilbur J, Wang E, McDevitt J, Oh A, Block R, et al. Neighborhood environment and adherence to a walking intervention in African American women. Health Educ Behav. 2009 Feb;36(1):167-81. [See abstract.]
Contact Info
University of Illinois at Chicago (MC 802)
914 College of Nursing
845 S. Damen Ave.
Chicago, IL 60612
Other Website
IHRP Affiliation(s)
Current IHRP Research Studies (Co-I)
Other Research (Non-IHRP)
Activity Space Environments, Behaviors, and Body Weight Status in Urban Adults;
Environment And Weight-Related Behaviors In Urban Latinos;
Impact of a New WIC Food Package Fruit and Vegetable Cash-Voucher on Vendor Participation and Fruit and Vegetable Supply Characteristics;
Obesity and the Built Environment
Recently Completed Research
Fruit and Vegetable Availability Among WIC Vendors;
Socioeconomic Status, Activity-Space Environments, and Obesity Risk in Urban Adults;
Urban Environments and Obesity in African Americans