Center for Families

Harnessing the power of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends to improve our quality of life.

March 7, 2023

Women’s History Month: Susan Kontos, founding director of Purdue’s Center for Families

Susan Kontos joined the Purdue University faculty in 1985 in what is now the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Kontos was an international authority as a top-notch researcher who investigated young children’s development through the lens of their...

March 7, 2023

Colorful sidewalks move tourists

"...It’s putting in environmental cues that encourage healthy behavior. ...If you come back and think about it from the broader perspective of a tourist, they are going to be in some type of an unfamiliar environment. So, what types of...

March 3, 2023

Intersectionality and Adverse Childhood Experiences: Comparing Subgroups of Sex, Race/Ethnicity, and Sexual Orientation

This study investigated the intersectionality of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among subgroups of sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey across 34 states from 2009 to 2018, authors stratified subgroups of sex (male/female),...

March 1, 2023

Life-course social connectedness: Comparing data-driven and theoretical classifications as predictors of functional limitations in adulthood

A life course perspective on social relationships highlights the importance of specific relationships at specific times in life, but analyses that account for life course trajectories in social relationships are rare.

March 1, 2023

Variations in early life home environment quality and children’s achievement

The current study examines to what extent naturally occurring variation in the timing of home environment quality during the first five years of life differentially predicts achievement before school entry and at the end-of-elementary school.

March 1, 2023

An Exploratory Model of Shared Decision-Making in Women’s Reproductive Health in Indiana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ecological approaches to shared decision-making (SDM) are underexplored in women’s reproductivehealth. The purpose was to identify ecological factors important to women in contraceptive and prenatalcare SDM.

March 1, 2023

Preliminary findings from a study relating the effects of hearing loss and listening conditions on postural sway to fall risk in older adults

Hearing loss is associated with increased fall risk in older adults, but multiple mechanisms have been proposed to account for this. Hearing loss may reduce spatial awareness and/or increase cognitive load, both of which may increase fall risk but may...

March 1, 2023

The home numeracy environment and children’s math skills: The moderating role of parents’ math anxiety

Evidence suggests that parents’ math anxiety moderates the association between parents’ help in mathematics homework and first graders’ mathematics skills. Understanding whether similar associations are evident in younger children, in regard to the home numeracy environment is essential, given that...

February 20, 2023

CFF Faculty Partners analyze best times to eat, exercise in a day

Heather Eicher-Miller and Libby Richards, published findings from cluster analyses on temporal nutrition intake as well as when and how hard to exercise in a 24-hour span. They found a link between the diet and exercise time-based patterns and both...

February 17, 2023

Racial-Ethnic Disparities in Dual-Function Life Expectancy

This study develops a new concept, dual functionality, that integrates physical and cognitive function. We use the concept to define a measure of dual-function life expectancy and assess racial-ethnic inequalities in aging.