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.

URBANA, Ill. - Having a member of Shardé Smith's family—her baby—present with her for a recent interview was fitting. After all, Smith, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Illinois, works to better family health and wellbeing.

In particular, Smith's research focuses on Black families and understanding the associations between racism and mental health within Black families.

URBANA, Ill. - Doris Houston’s experience growing up in Chicago, and the influence of her family, “planted the seeds” of her passion for equity, diversity and inclusion, a passion that would take her from a legislative internship to championing diversity at the university level.

URBANA, Ill. – As couples grow old together, their interdependence heightens. Often, they become each other’s primary source of physical and emotional support. Long-term marriages have a profound impact on health and well-being, but benefits depend on relationship quality.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Extending the child tax credit program beyond 2021 could promote financial stability among vulnerable low- and moderate-income families and have many other long-term economic and noneconomic benefits, according to a new report by a team of researchers affiliated with the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

URBANA, Ill. – When mothers and their children play together, they instinctively respond to each other’s cues. And positive interactions promote the child’s healthy socioemotional development. A new study from the University of Illinois examines how physiological and behavioral reactions coordinate during mother-child playtime. The findings highlight the importance of responsive communication, and can help provide insights for parents, practitioners, and researchers.

An avocado a day could help redistribute belly fat in women toward a healthier profile, according to a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and collaborators.

One hundred and five adults with overweight and obesity participated in a randomized controlled trial that provided one meal a day for 12 weeks. Women who consumed avocado as part of their daily meal had a reduction in deeper visceral abdominal fat.

URBANA, Ill. – Seven new faculty members joined the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois in the past year. Their expertise will add to the existing strengths in several academic departments and units, as well as University of Illinois Extension, a key part of the college.

URBANA, Ill. – Does relationship quality continue to worsen, stabilize, or improve for distressed, help-seeking couples before they receive assistance? A team of researchers sought to answer that question in a new study examining what happens to couples who seek online help for their relationship, but have to wait six months before beginning an intervention program.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Consistent bedtime routines and activities such as reading books and cuddling with caregivers beginning when infants are 3 months old promote better sleep habits through age 2, a recent study suggests.