2023-07-31
- URBANA, Ill. — Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an approach that connects academic researchers with community partners to inform project development. Where traditional research is often done “to” people, treating them as subjects with no agency, CBPR is a cooperative process incorporating the knowledge and direction of community members.
A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators explores CBPR implementation in a project on criminal...
2023-03-24 - Health and wellbeing education can be an important addition to a school curriculum. But for these programs to be effective, they must be delivered in a way that works for everyone, including students, instructors, and school administrators. A new study from University of Illinois evaluates the implementation of two prevention programs, using a mixed-methods approach with input from multiple sources. “Soliciting diverse perspectives is important. The more we can listen to everyone who's involved, the better we can...
2023-02-23 - URBANA, Ill. – The Family Resiliency Center (FRC) at the University of Illinois celebrated the launch of a new strategic plan with a reception for friends and associates in February. The FRC is dedicated to conducting research and providing resources to address major problems facing families and communities. The center is housed in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. “Our...
2022-12-02 - Illinois students and faculty attended and presented at the American Public Health Association (APHA) annual meeting in Boston, the country’s largest conference related to public health. Graduate students in the Master of Public Health program and Ph.D. students from the departments of Community Health, Kinesiology, and Human Development & Family Studies participated in vibrant sessions on social justice and health equity and the role of community health workers. Participants also presented their research on public health topics related to aging, physical activity, and global health....
2022-10-05 - URBANA, Ill. – Each year the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois honors outstanding ACES alumni. Recipients are chosen in the categories of Outstanding Young Alumni, Career Achievement, Award of Merit, and ACES Family Spirit. The 2022 recipients were honored during the annual ACES Alumni Awards Gala Mon., October 24, at Pear Tree Estate in Champaign. ACES Alumni Award of Merit recipients: Lee Denzer, of Kewanee - BS '82 animal sciences; MS '85 animal evaluation Brandon Meline, of Champaign - MS '01 nutritional sciences...
2022-09-30 - In collaboration with community and academic co-researchers, a new study co-written by FRC Director Jacinda Dariotis explores (1) how community members define safety and (2) how can safety be made equally accessible? As part of a larger project co-designed by community members and academic researchers, the “Reclaiming Safety” paper is the first known interdisciplinary, community-based participatory research study to center community co-researchers in capacity building, data collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination on the topic of public safety. Read the full paper at the...
2022-09-29 - A new study explored whether adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for diet and physical activity had any relationship with toddlers’ ability to remember, plan, pay attention, shift between tasks and regulate their own thoughts and behavior, a suite of skills known as executive function. Reported in The Journal of Pediatrics, the study found that 24-month-old children who spent less than 60 minutes looking at screens each day and those who engaged in daily physical activity had better executive function than those who didn’t meet the guidelines. “Executive function...
2022-09-14 - Child care providers face many challenges in implementing and integrating nutrition best practices for the children in their care, according to a study led by FRC researchers Brenda Koester and Stephanie Sloane. The study, also conducted by researchers Sarah Chusid and Janna Simon, found that organizations such as the Child and Adult Care Food Program help subsidize the cost of nutritious food and help child care providers reduce picky eating. Read the full paper at the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
2022-07-13 - Poor nutrition coupled with living in a chaotic household environment may negatively affect young children’s executive functioning, the higher order cognitive skills that govern memory, attention and emotional control, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found. Children 18 months to 2 years old who ate greater quantities of sugary snacks and processed foods were more likely to have problems with core components of executive functioning such as inhibition, working memory, and planning and organizing abilities, according to surveys completed by their caregivers. The...
2022-06-28 - FRC Director Jacinda Dariotis is one of 10 Illinois faculty members who will contribute her expertise in a broad range of disciplines to Carle Illinois College of Medicine, as part of the latest and largest-to-date cohort of Health Innovation Professors (HIP). Dr. Dariotis and fellow HIP members will collaborate with Carle Illinois students, physicians, and other health care providers to pursue cutting-edge health-related research and innovation, with the goal of creating new opportunities for funding from government agencies, industry, and foundations. Read more from the...
2022-06-24 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Incoming freshmen at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this fall with autism spectrum disorder can take part in a new program that will offer a variety of support to help them succeed at college and beyond. The Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative pilot program will offer autism-specific services to promote students’ academic, social and professional success.. Often used in reference to autism, neurodiversity also comprises conditions such as dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in which the brain functions,...
2022-05-13 - URBANA, Ill. – The Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) honored Jacinda Dariotis as Pampered Chef Ltd. Endowed Chair in Family Resiliency during an investiture ceremony at the University of Illinois on May 11. Dariotis is director of the Family Resiliency Center in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). Her research promotes positive human...
2022-05-10 - A study by Jennifer M. Barton, a postdoctoral research associate at FRC, documented patterns of and variations in food and beverage offerings at dinner by parents of preschoolers during the COVID-19 pandemic across 10 days. Her findings showed that less than 50% of parents offered the recommended serving size of vegetables and proteins for each group, though on average, parents offered these types of food most often during the study's 10-day span. Read the full paper at the journal Appetite.
2022-02-11 - Although studies suggest that many cancer patients experience food insecurity, few oncology dietitians routinely ask them if they are having problems affording or obtaining food, new research has found. Despite awareness that many cancer patients are food insecure, most of the 41 registered dietitian nutritionists interviewed by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign said they did not use a validated tool to screen patients for it. The dietitians’ estimates of the prevalence of the problem varied widely, from less than 20% to more than 50% of their patients. The...
2022-02-10 - URBANA, Ill. – As we move into the third year of the COVID-pandemic, we still face a multitude of information and it can be hard to know what guidelines to follow. Understanding what motivates individual behaviors can provide greater insight into mitigating the pandemic’s consequences and crafting effective public health messages. A new case study from the University of Illinois spotlights the trajectory of a young woman who was infected with COVID-19 twice in fall 2020. The researchers concluded that while she adhered to preventive measures such as masking and social distancing, she did so...