Publications by authors named "Cindy Elias"
Article Synopsis
- The study assessed a STEM family engagement program aimed at improving parent involvement in early STEM learning for families in poverty, implemented across 20 schools with a high percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch.
- While the core treatment including workshops and museum passes did not significantly impact parent involvement, adding take-home STEM materials showed a more positive effect, particularly at kindergarten follow-up.
- The findings indicate that for families with limited time and resources, alternative methods beyond in-person workshops may be necessary to enhance engagement in STEM education.
Background: TV viewing has been associated with children's weight status and is thought to be mediated mostly through children's dietary intake. However, the mechanisms underlying this association are not understood.
Objective: Assess the associations of having the TV on and the child watching TV during dinners with the dietary quality consumed at that meal and with the child's weight status.
Background: Food neophobia hinders the acceptance of healthy foods in young children, and may be overcome by repeated food exposure. Prevalent literature states that children exhibit five sensory-based exploratory behaviors (SBEBs): smelling, licking, spitting, manipulating and/or swallowing as they progress towards accepting a novel food, yet there is a paucity of research on these behaviors. This study aimed to use direct observations of SBEBs across first-time exposures to hummus to (1) determine the prevalence of five SBEBs (smelling, licking, spitting, manipulating and swallowing) in 12-35 month olds, (2) quantify the psychometric properties of the SBEB assessment; and (3) examine the association of SBEBs with parent-assessed food fussiness, and consumption of the novel food.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Maternal depressive symptoms and perceptions of child difficulty are associated with negative effects on general development and cognitive functioning in children. The study examined associations between maternal depressive symptoms, perceptions of child difficulty, and maternal feeding behaviors in a population at elevated risk for childhood obesity.
Methods: Participants were 138 low-income black and Hispanic mothers and their children (ages 3-5) participating in an observational study of mealtimes among Head Start families.