Research and News from the Center for Families at Purdue University

January 8, 2025

CFF Faculty Partner wraps up experience on 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee with scientific report release

Heather Eicher-Miller

To help individuals make the healthiest choices, the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which included Heather Eicher-Miller, professor in the Purdue University Department of Nutrition Science, recently released its scientific report to inform the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-30.

January 6, 2025

What I say is not what I do: Gender differences in the home mathematics environment

David Purpura

Consistent evidence shows that women are underrepresented across most Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields. Research indicates that early attitudes and gendered beliefs about mathematics can predict later achievement and academic choices in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and that...

January 4, 2025

Beliefs About Infant Toddler Practices (BAITEC): Validating a Tool for Formative Assessment of Professionals and Quality Evaluation

Jim Elicker

Approximately two-thirds of US birth-to-age-three-year-olds attend Infant Toddler Care and Education (ITCE) full- or part-time, making it the fastest growing segment of childcare. Despite widespread understanding of the importance of the first three years to lifetime learning and development trajectories,...

December 31, 2024

Testing block play as an effective mechanism for promoting early math, executive function, and spatial skills in preschoolers from low-income backgrounds

David Purpura

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impacts of different types of block play (free play and semi-structured play) on children's math, executive function (EF), and spatial skills in a low-income sample.

December 31, 2024

Self-Care and Well-Being Interventions for Family Caregivers of Frail Older Adults in a Rural Context

Nasreen Lalani

The rapid aging of the population and limited access to healthcare in rural communities pose significant challenges for caregivers caring for older family members suffering from serious chronic illnesses.

December 31, 2024

Rural Family Caregiving: Promoting Self-Care and Well-Being of Rural Female Caregivers of Frail Older Family Members

Nasreen Lalani

Caring for frail older adults in rural areas is often more challenging due to several disparities. Informal caregivers, mostly females carry the higher burden of caregiving for their older family members.

December 31, 2024

Financial Health and Well-Being of Rural Caregivers of Older Adults with Chronic Illnesses

Nasreen Lalani

Rural caregivers experience various financial stressors and challenges in providing care to their ill family members. Rural health disparities such as limited access to care, economic opportunities, resources, and support pose increased financial threats and insecurity resulting in poor patient...

December 29, 2024

How Latine youth’s positive development unfold through farmwork in rural migrant farmworker families in the U.S. Midwest

Zoe Taylor

Some Latine youth from rural migrant farmworker communities engage in farmwork to help support themselves and their families. Although research has documented their motives for working and some characteristics of their employment, knowledge about how these youth construct their work...

December 20, 2024

Uncovering the boundary conditions of the association between concerns about falling and physical activity in adult populations: a scoping review protocol

Kelsie Muller

Despite evidence of variation in how concerns about falling influence physical activity, many of the currently available knowledge syntheses merely assume that this relation is uniform across populations and contexts. Therefore, we propose a scoping review protocol to guide a...

December 18, 2024

Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research: Interview with Kristine Marceau & Gina Canino-Quiñones

Bob L. and Joyce Beery Miles Research Enhancement Grant Recipients discuss their award-supported research.