The food retail environment has been directly linked to disparities in dietary behaviors and may in part explain racial and ethnic disparities in pregnancy-related deaths. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, is associated with improved healthy food and beverage access due to its requirement for minimum stock of healthy foods and beverages in WIC-eligible stores.
Archives: Publications
Lori’s Hands: Impacts on Participating Clients Final Evaluation Report
Lori’s Hands, founded in 2009, is a service learning organization based in Newark, Delaware. Every year, over 100 community members receive visits from college student volunteers through Lori’s Hands. The organization’s clientele includes individuals who are living at home with a chronic illness and are willing to share their experiences with the student volunteers who assist them. During the period covered by this report, Lori’s Hands volunteers consisted exclusively of University of Delaware (UD) students. (Since the time of data collection, Lori’s Hands’ Delaware chapter has expanded to include students from Wilmington University and Delaware Technical Community College.
Innovative Title III Senior Healthcare Program: Year 1 Implementation Lessons Learned and Early Outcomes
In 2019, CHEER, an organization which provides a full range of services for mature adults, including meals on wheels and congregate meals as part of the Older American’s Act (OAA) Title III Nutrition project, was awarded a grant from the Administration for Community Living to develop a wellness benefit program for home delivered meal recipients. The grant-funded innovation program titled “Innovative Title III Senior Healthcare Program” represents a partnership between CHEER, Education, Health, & Research International (EHRI), the Delaware Division of Services for the Aged and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD), LaRed Health Center (a federally qualified health center), Highmark Delaware, and the University of Delaware.
Lori’s Hands: Impacts on Participating Students
Lori’s Hands, founded in 2009, is a service learning organization based in Newark, Delaware. Each year over 100 community members are served by Lori’s Hands with the help of college student volunteers. The organization’s clientele includes individuals who are living at home with a chronic illness and willing to share their experiences with the student volunteers who assist them. During the period covered by this report, only students from the University of Delaware (UD), and from any major, were participating as Lori’s Hands volunteers.
Public-Private Partnerships to Promote Healthy Food Access
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 calls for revitalizing global partnerships for sustainable development and strengthening the means of implementation of strategies, in part through that approach. One of the key and fundamental aspects of SDG 17 is tackling systematic, pervasive issues through synergistic methods (UN 2019). This goal recognizes the greater potential benefit inherent in collaborative partnerships rather than through distinctly separate efforts. Within SDG 17, two targets focus on enhancing and promoting multi-stakeholder and public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Using Youth Risk Behavior Survey data to analyze housing instability among Delaware public school students
This study provides information about the prevalence, living conditions, and demographic characteristics of housing instability among students in the state of Delaware. Data were obtained from the Delaware Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) for the 2011–2017 academic years and included 23,819 youth respondents in grades 6–12. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted to characterize student demographics.
SNAP Incentive Reports
Click on the link below to review these reports regarding the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) which was managed and evaluated by the University of Delaware’s Center for Research in Education and Social Policy at 76 farmer’s markets (FMs) in 13 states and the District of Columbia, over a two-year time span. The RCT randomly awarded incentives to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients to use to purchase fruits and vegetables at FMs.
Assessing the Implementation of Kids’ Meals Healthy Default Beverage Policies in the State of California and City of Wilmington, Del.
There is clear and consistent evidence that reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) would improve kids’ health. SSB consumption is closely tied to increased risk for developing overweight and obesity, getting dental caries, and potentially developing insulin resistance among children. In response, many government entities have enacted a range of policies intended to limit kids’ SSB consumption and encourage healthier choices.
K12 Teacher Academy Survey Results
K12 Teacher Academy Survey Results
The Center for Research in Education and Social Policy (CRESP) at the University of Delaware (UD) was
asked by the Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) to examine one of their career pathways: the K12
Teacher Academy. The goal of this pathway is to help students acquire the knowledge and skills needed to
sustain their interest in the profession and cultivate the skills needed to be successful educators, thus creating
a pipeline of high-quality students transitioning to the teaching profession. Currently, the program features
courses in Human Growth and Development, Teaching as a Profession, Foundations of Curriculum and
Instruction, and Exceptional Children. In order to learn more about student experiences within the pathway,
as well as their future plans and perceptions of the teaching profession, CRESP developed a survey with input
from DDOE staff as well as the K-12 Teacher Academy instructors. The survey was administered to K-12
Teacher Academy students in November of 2019.
K12 Teacher Academy Student Survey Infographic
471 students who attend a K-12 teacher academy pathway in Delaware completed a survey. Key takeaways are presented below.
Parent Perspectives on Family-Based Psychological Interventions for Congenital Heart Disease
Parents of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) want individualized, formal psychosocial support during their children’s in-hospital stays, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics. The study by researchers from Nemours Children’s Health System outlines ways to optimize mental health for parents and mitigate the impact of stress on long-term outcomes for children and families.
“The post-surgical recovery period for children with CHD is an incredibly stressful time for parents. Uncertainty, communication challenges, and limited opportunities to engage in self-care can impact their mental health,” said Erica Sood, PhD, senior author and pediatric psychologist within the Nemours Cardiac Center at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. “This research helps us understand how we can deliver the psychosocial supports parents need during stressful hospitalizations and after hospital discharge.”
CHD is the most common birth defect, often requiring extensive cardiac surgery in a child’s first year of life. Children with CHD are at high risk for neurodevelopmental and behavioral impairments, and researchers say promoting parental mental health can support positive outcomes for children with CHD and their families.
Using qualitative and quantitative methods to determine parental preferences for the goals and structure of psychosocial programs, researchers interviewed 34 parents (20 mothers and 14 fathers) of 21 young children with CHD. Parents indicated that they want their child’s medical team to support their psychosocial needs at each stage of care. Parents wanted psychosocial support to meet their unique needs through individualized programs delivered by nurses, physicians, psychologists, social workers, and peer mentors.