Couple bicycling

Faculty in Human Development and Family Studies strive to understand the dynamic interplay between interpersonal processes, diverse contextual environments, and health-related behaviors and outcomes for children, youth, adults, and families. A particular emphasis is on documenting the multitude of factors across developmental periods and contexts that promote resilience and well-being. Areas of focus include transdisciplinary approaches to the study of pediatric obesity; economic, cultural, and global influences on adolescent health; child care, schools, and youth programs as promoters of well-being; adult intimate relationships and healthy functioning; parent-child relationships, biological, and physiological processes; and the role of family routines in the development of children’s eating and physical activity patterns. Intervention and prevention programs in this area help to reduce health disparities and improve the quality of life for children and families.

Faculty specializing in this area:

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