Faculty Investigator
Family and Neighborhood Influences on the Nutrition of Low-Income, African-American Children
This project aims to better understand family and related community factors that impact dietary practices of low-income, urban African-American mothers with young children and to develop a toolkit which includes a focus on rituals such as family mealtimes to enhance the nutritional health of young children. Researchers will use a family resiliency framework to examine how the multigenerational unit of the family collectively works to survive and thrive, despite individual adversity and neighborhood impoverishment. Data for this study will be collected through qualitative interviews as part of an on-going, Hatch-funded project that examines how low-income, African-American women and their families use resilient strategies to cope. Additional interview data will be collected on child nutrition, particularly as it relates to obesity and unhealthy dietary patterns in the context of urban communities. .
Biography:
Robin L. Jarrett is Professor of Human Development and Family Studies in the Department of Human and Community Development at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her research interests include coping strategies of low-income African-Americn families and children in inner-city neighborhoods; organized youth programs and youth development; and health practices among inner-city African-American families. A key area of research examines how low-income African-American families promote the social mobility prospects of their children and adolescents. Dr. Jarrett holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago.
Contact:
Phone: 217-265-0659
Fax: 217-244-7877
