Professional Educators have witnessed the impact of various forms of racism on children in schools many times during their careers. They have observed inequitable access to facilities and materials, inequitable access to high quality teachers, inequitable access to a climate of high expectations, and inequitable access to an education that is…

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals in home economics and allied fields have a long history of fostering increased knowledge and skills related to food; in recent decades, interest in providing food education has grown among practitioners in many other fields and contexts. Along with this expansion of providers and opportunities for…

For the 2017 American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Annual Conference and Expo, the AAFCS Council for Accreditation invited six institutions to submit a proposal for a student/faculty poster for exhibit during the conference. This proposal was to highlight the teaching/learning connection focused on the Family and Consumer…

As our communities age, it is increasingly important to address the needs of older adults and their families. Aging-friendly community initiatives can help older adults age in place in their homes or communities and support the well-being of their families and caregivers. We developed and evaluated the demand for and practicality of a facilitation…

Physical activity is essential for youth's health, growth, and development; however, only 42% of children in the United States meet physical activity recommendations. Piloted in spring 2016, "WeCook: Fun with Food and Fitness" engaged at-risk youth in physical activity, food preparation, and nutrition education. The objective was to…

The foundation of the family and consumer sciences (FCS) can be traced back to the legendary Ellen Swallows Richards. Richards was the first female to graduate with a chemistry degree from Vassar College and the first female accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she would eventually become MIT's first female…

The purpose of this research project was to explore coverage of obesity-related topics in the early years of "Journal of Home Economics (JHE)." Utilizing HEARTH, a Boolean search for obesity-related terms and topics was used to analyze volumes beginning with 1909, continuing to 1910, and every five years to 1940. Coverage of the obesity…

Most secondary students use social media to connect with friends, but what if there was a way to show them how they can use social media to make a positive difference in the lives of others? This article will (a) explain the difference between digital citizenship and digital leadership, (b) provide examples of how students are becoming digital…

This study investigated definitions of support, the types of support perceived as helpful, and types of support desired by adult women maintaining recent weight loss. Qualitative data were collected from 15 women across four focus groups. Thematic analysis indicated that "community" and "self-efficacy," both forms of functional…

Research is beneficial for student learning in undergraduate curricula. Undergraduate students who actively participate in research develop problem solving skills and learn to think independently. However, with limited faculty resources at many universities, only elite undergraduate students participate in research programs. This paper provides a…

Individuals and families are constantly juggling multiple professional and personal commitments that may contribute to stress. Repeated stressors can impair mental and physical health thereby affecting healthy living. Family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals' expertise is critical in providing strategies to alleviate stress. This article…

This article presents a unit on arts integration implemented into a family and consumer sciences (FCS) education methods class is used to encourage FCS teacher candidates to engage secondary learners through creativity and teamwork. The purpose of this paper is to introduce one specific activity that integrates the visual arts into the FCS…

Family and consumer sciences (FCS) instructors have the responsibility to prepare their students to work effectively with culturally diverse families. In this article, we present teaching strategies for an online FCS course on culturally diverse families. We analyzed student feedback and reflections on certain teaching strategies to illustrate…

This review of literature focuses on youth development by examining the effects of use of social networking sites and digital applications on teens.Recent research demonstrates that using these types of digital media amplifies existing issues teens face, contributes to new concerns, and affords new opportunities. In order to navigate this…

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The purpose of this study is to examine breakfast-eating behaviors of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students in conjunction with their breakfast awareness and eating habit satisfaction. A self-administered survey was distributed in fall semester 2016 (N 289 students). Results show…