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Exploring the ripple effect: How teachers' emotions impact student engagement and learning outcomes
The classroom environment is a dynamic ecosystem where the emotional state of educators can significantly influence students' engagement and learning outcomes. In a new article published in Contemporary Educational Psychology, University of Delaware Associate Research Professor Leigh McLean offers a new tool—the Teacher Affect Coding System—for measuring teachers’ emotional expressions and studying how these expressions affect their students’ attitudes toward learning. With co-author Nathan Jones of Boston University, McLean uses this tool to gather new data showing emotional transmission between teachers and their students in fourth-grade classrooms. In the study, McLean and Jones, found that teachers displayed far more positive emotions than negative ones. But they also found that some teachers—about 10%—displayed notable amounts of negative emotions, with some showing negativity during as much as 80% of their instructional time. The students of these teachers reported reduced enjoyment and engagement in their ELA classes and reduced engagement in their math classes. Given the findings of their study, McLean and Jones make several recommendations for teacher preparation and professional learning programs. As a first step, they recommend that teacher preparation and professional learning programs share information about how negative emotions and experiences are a normal part of the teaching experience. As McLean said, “It’s okay to be frustrated!” McLean is available for interviews on the study, the tool and how teachers can help mitigate this effect. Click on her profile to contact her.
Space suit experiment lands on the moon
University of Delaware research made a moon landing on Sunday along with other experiments aboard the unmanned Blue Ghost spacecraft. These projects will help scientists better understand what it will take to successfully land humans on the moon, and could possibly pave the way for an extended stay. The experiment led by UD researcher Norman Wagner and his company STF Technologies, LLC, aims to determine how moon dust particles stick to different materials exposed to the moon’s environment. These particles, called regolith, are fine and very sharp, similar to volcanic rock or dust found on Earth. Prototype spacesuit materials made by UD and STF Technologies will be tested for their ability to repel this moon dust in experiments strapped outside a lunar lander designed to carry payloads to the moon’s surface. The UD spacesuit shell textiles are treated with multiple nanotechnologies, including shear thickening fluid, a revolutionary material co-developed by UD and STF Technologies that normally behaves like a liquid, but becomes a solid under impact, a useful feature when puncture resistance is a priority. The hope is that beyond puncture protection, the STF-infused spacesuit textiles will offer greater dust deterrence, increasing the material’s lifespan in space. Other RAC experiments will test materials for solar cells, optical systems, coatings and sensors. In other related work, the Wagner lab currently has experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) through a NASA collaboration to develop new construction materials for lunar exploration. These ISS experiments, part of a Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) that launched last November, extend Wagner’s previous work on ways to make concrete in space, for such items as rocket landing pads, buildings, roads, habitats and other structures. More recent work in the Wagner lab by undergraduate researchers and doctoral students focuses on methods for curing 3D-printed materials in space, including using microwave technology. “Here we aren’t trying to get rid of the moon dust — we are trying to leverage it to create extraterrestrial cement through additive manufacturing on the moon,” said Wagner, Unidel Robert L. Pigford Chair in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Contact mediarelations@udel.edu to set up an interview.
Villanova Professor Sees Costs and Benefits in Corporate and Federal Return-to-Office Mandates
In early February, federal agencies submitted plans in accordance with an executive order to initiate an estimated 1 million government employees’ full-time return to their duty stations. The departments’ actions are among the latest in a series of RTO moves enacted since the start of 2025. Notably, they follow policy changes by corporate giants Amazon, AT&T and JPMorgan, who in January began requiring five days of in-person work for select staffers, with justifications ranging from strengthening culture to improving performance. With more employers expected to require in-office work in the coming months, some predict that 2025 could be the “year of the RTO mandate.” But, given the arguments from those pushing for these policies, it’s worth asking: Are these return-to-office requirements truly justified? Do they actually improve communication, strengthen teams and boost productivity, as supporters claim? According to Kyoung Yong Kim, PhD, whose research focuses on telework, strategic human capital management and employee-organization relationships, the answer is complicated—and highly circumstantial. Dr. Kim says that, by gathering coworkers around the proverbial water cooler, RTO policies can in some cases facilitate dialogue, promote teambuilding and foster organizational success. Yet, in other instances, work-from-home (WFH) arrangements can significantly boost employee morale, efficiency and output. “In a recent paper, my colleague Ijeoma Ugwuanyi [a professor at Hong Kong Metropolitan University] and I examined how social distancing initiatives, which reduce interactions among people, impact working relationships,” says Dr. Kim. “We found that they can actually help improve negative ones, at least in employees’ minds.” Analyzing data collected on 105 working relationships among 43 full-time personnel at a South Korean healthcare company, Dr. Kim and Dr. Ugwuanyi discovered that, when afforded extended WFH privileges, colleagues previously at odds were given the space necessary to reassess their outlooks and improve their dynamics—especially when the individuals involved were viewed as competent and warm. As a result, these repaired relationships generally empowered more effective collaboration in the long run. Additionally, employees with positive in-person relationships maintained a solid rapport even when geographically apart. “These findings are particularly relevant as corporate and government workers increasingly return to their offices,” says Dr. Kim. “Managers need to remember that, according to the research, employees are willing to reset negative relationships they had previously. That said, returning to the office also offers a chance to strengthen relationships and make them more positive, which is crucial since team dynamics are a key determinant of team performance.” Per Dr. Kim, in order to best position themselves for success on the RTO front, organizations need to take a measured, sympathetic approach in facilitating their in-office policies, with an eye toward mitigating negativity. They need to remain cognizant of the logistical and interpersonal challenges that could emerge in the wake of a return, address their employees’ concerns in an attentive manner and foster a “supportive climate characterized by supportive behaviors.” It’s a situation that Dr. Kim says bears parallels—perhaps somewhat counterintuitively—to the mass shift to telework that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. As he found in his research on that phenomenon, employees responded best to changes in their working arrangements when organizational leaders and managers took the time to explain and actively discuss the reasoning behind them, especially in mission-driven terms. “Essentially, an important implication of the findings is that, to sustain employees’ positive attitudes and behaviors, it is crucial to frame these moves in a way that highlights how working in the office benefits both employees and the organization,” says Dr. Kim. In turn, RTO-focused organizations should recognize that their words and messages have a very real impact, particularly when scrutinized by workers who may not be happy about resuming their morning commutes. “Amazon, for instance, appears to be taking a thoughtful approach by emphasizing the value of collaboration with colleagues and the enrichment of organizational culture,” says Dr. Kim. “One potential drawback, however, lies in their message about the consequences of non-compliance, specifically that failure to adhere to the in-office policy could jeopardize employees’ chances of promotion. “A more positive framing, emphasizing how such policies support professional growth as well as employees’ well-being, could enhance favorable perceptions and work behaviors.” In the event organizations remain attuned to such situations—taking their employees’ perspectives into account, actively communicating their intentions and presenting clear value propositions—Dr. Kim thinks a year of the RTO mandate could potentially be a less daunting prospect. And maybe, with time, the transition back from Zoom to the boardroom could be a beneficial one.
3D-printed lung model helps researchers study aerosol deposition in the lungs
Treating respiratory diseases is challenging. Inhalable medicines depend on delivering particles to the right lung areas, which is complicated by factors like the drug, delivery method and patient variability, or even exposure to smoke or asbestos particles. University of Delaware researchers have developed an adaptable 3D lung model to address this issue by replicating realistic breathing maneuvers and offering personalized evaluation of aerosol therapeutics. “If it's something environmental and toxic that we're worried about, knowing how far and how deep in the lung it goes is important,” said Catherine Fromen, University of Delaware Centennial Associate Professor for Excellence in Research and Education in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. “If it's designing a better pharmaceutical drug for asthma or a respiratory disease, knowing exactly where the inhaled aerosol lands and how deep the medicine can penetrate will predict how well that works.”that can replicate realistic breathing maneuvers and offer personalized evaluation of aerosol therapeutics under various breathing conditions. Fromen and two UD alumni have submitted a patent application on the 3D lung model invention through UD’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP), the unit responsible for managing intellectual property at UD. In a paper published in the journal Device, Fromen and her team demonstrate how their new 3D lung model can advance understanding of how inhalable medications behave in the upper airways and deeper areas of the lung. This can provide a broader picture on how to predict the effectiveness of inhalable medications in models and computer simulations for different people or age groups. The researchers detail in the paper how they built the 3D structure and what they’ve learned so far. Valuable research tool The purpose of the lung is gas exchange. In practice, the lung is often approximated as the size of a tennis court that is exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide with the bloodstream in our bodies. This is a huge surface area, and that function is critical — if your lungs go down, you're in trouble. Fromen described this branching lung architecture like a tree that starts with a trunk and branches out into smaller and smaller limbs, ranging in size from a few centimeters in the trachea to about 100 microns (roughly the combined width of two hairs on your head) in the lung’s farthest regions. These branches create a complex network that filters aerosols as they travel through the lung. Just as tree branches end in leaves, the lung’s branches culminate in delicate, leaf-like structures called alveoli, where gases are exchanged. “Those alveoli in the deeper airways make the surface area that provides this necessary gas exchange, so you don't want environmental things getting in there where they can damage these sensitive, finer structures,” said Fromen, who has a joint appointment in biomedical engineering. Mimicking the complex structure and function of the lung in a lab setting is inherently challenging. The UD-developed 3D lung model is unique in several ways. First, the model breathes in the same cyclic motion as an actual lung. That’s key, Fromen said. The model also contains lattice structures to represent the entire volume and surface area of a lung. These lattices, made possible through 3D printing, are a critical innovation, enabling precise design to mimic the lung's filtering processes without needing to recreate its full biological complexity. “There's nothing currently out there that has both of these features,” she explained. “This means that we can look at the entire dosage of an inhaled medicine. We can look at exposure over time, and we can capture what happens when you inhale the medication and where the medicine deposits, as well as what gets exhaled as you breathe.” The testing process Testing how far an aerosol or environmental particle travels inside the 3D lung model is a multi-step process. The exposure of the model to the aerosol only takes about five minutes, but the analysis is time-consuming. The researchers add fluorescent molecules to the solution being tested to track where the particles deposit inside the model’s 150 different parts. “We wash each part and rinse away everything that deposits. The fluorescence is just a molecule in the solution. When it deposits, we know the concentration of that, so, when we rinse it out, we can measure how much fluorescence was recovered,” Fromen said. This data allows them to create a heat map of where the aerosols deposit throughout the lung model’s airways, which then can be validated against benchmarked clinical data for where such aerosols would be expected to go in a human under similar conditions. The team’s current model matches a healthy person under sitting/breathing conditions for a single aerosol size, but Fromen’s team is working to ensure the model is versatile across a much broader range of conditions. “An asthma attack, exercise, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) — all those things are going to really affect where aerosols deposit. We want to make sure our model can capture those differences,” Fromen said. The ability to examine disease features like airway narrowing or mucus buildup could lead to more personalized care, such as tailored medication doses or redesigned inhalers. Currently, inhaled medicines follow a one-size-fits-all approach, but the UD-developed model offers a tool to address these issues and understand why many inhaled medicines fail clinical trials.
Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of highway congestion on fast-food consumption
Sitting in your car at 5:15 p.m. on a Tuesday, vehicles line the highway as far as the eye can see. The GPS estimates you still have 30 minutes left in traffic, and a vision of your empty fridge passes through your mind as your stomach grumbles. You are faced with a decision: stop at the grocery store to buy ingredients to make dinner or follow one of the many fast-food beacons illuminated beyond the exit sign. According to new research from Panka Bencsik, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Health, and Society, Vanderbilt University, on days when highways are more congested, particularly during weekday afternoon rush hour, people are more likely to choose the fast-food option. Bencsik worked in collaboration with researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to analyze the causal effect of time lost on food choice in Los Angeles County. The team analyzed smartphone GPS data from 2017 to 2019 to track foot traffic to restaurants and grocery stores during periods of heavy traffic congestion. “These results are concerning from a public health standpoint,” Bencsik said. “Fast food tends to be higher in fat, sodium, and energy density, and lower in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nutrients than food consumed at home. The time commuters spend in congested traffic has substantial implications for eating habits and potentially caloric intake.” Prior research estimates that people consume about 134 more calories per meal when they eat elsewhere versus eating at home. Bencsik said looking at that combined with the results of this study, which also suggests a decrease in visiting supermarkets, likely leads to unhealthier eating habits as a result of traffic congestion. Bencsik said the results of the study also do not suggest that people are swapping their planned “take out day” for the day with more traffic, but they are instead choosing to visit fast-food restaurants more in total. “Increased consumption of fast food due to traffic congestion during peak travel times potentially plays a role in the rise in obesity, heart failure, and diabetes among Americans, given that fast food is typically less healthy than other options,” Bencsik said. “Our results suggest that policies aimed at reducing time spent commuting by car could help battle unhealthy eating habits. For example, improving infrastructure to mitigate traffic congestion, or expanding and speeding up public transport, could reduce fast-food dependency. Increasing work-from-home opportunities and reducing the number of days workers go into work could also have a meaningful impact.” The full paper, "Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of time lost on food store choice," is published in the Journal of Urban Economics.
Aston University collaboration to develop injectable paste which could treat bone cancer
A £110k grant from Orthopaedic Research UK is to help to conduct the work Study is a collaboration with The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Researchers to use gallium-doped bioglass to produce a substance with anticancer and bone regenerative properties. Professor Richard Martin Aston University is collaborating in research to develop an injectable paste which could treat bone cancer. The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has secured a £110,000 grant from Orthopaedic Research UK to conduct the work. The project will see researchers at the hospital and the University use gallium-doped bioglass to produce a substance with anticancer and bone regenerative properties. If proved effective it could be used to treat patients with primary and metastatic cancer. Gallium is a metallic element that when combined with bioactive glass can kill cancerous cells that remain when a tumour is removed. It also accelerates the regeneration of the bone and prevents bacterial contamination. A recent study led by Aston University found that bioactive glasses doped with the metal have a 99 percent success rate of eliminating cancerous cells. Dr Lucas Souza, research lab manager at the hospital’s Dubrowsky Lab is leading the project. He said : “Advances in treatment of bone cancer have reached a plateau over the past 40 years, in part due to a lack of research studies into treatments and the complexity and challenges that come with treating bone tumours. Innovative and effective therapeutic approaches are needed, and this grant provides vital funds for us to continue our research into the use of gallium-doped bioglass in the treatment of bone cancer.” Professor Richard Martin who is based in Aston University’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences added: “The injectable paste will function as a drug delivery system for localised delivery of anticancer gallium ions and bisphosphonates whilst regenerating bone. Our hypothesis is that this will promote rapid bone formation and will prevent cancer recurrence by killing residual cancer cells and regulating local osteoclastic activity.” It is hoped the new approach will be particularly useful in reducing cancer recurrence and implant site infections. It is also thought that it will reduce implant failure rates in cases of bone tumours where large resections for complete tumour removal is either not possible, or not recommended. This could include incidents when growths are located too close to vital organs or when major surgery will inflict more harm than benefit. It could also be used in combination with minimally invasive treatments such as cryoablation or radiofrequency ablation to manage metastatic bone lesions. Dr Souza added: “The proposed biomaterial has the potential to drastically improve treatment outcomes of bone tumour patients by reducing cancer recurrence, implant-site infection rates, and implant failure rates leading to reduced time in hospital beds, less use of antibiotics, and fewer revision surgeries. Taken together, these benefits could improve survival rates, functionality and quality of life of bone cancer patients.” Other members of the team include the hospital’s Professor Adrian Gardner, director of research and development and Mr Jonathan Stevenson, orthopaedic oncology and arthroplasty consultant, Dr Eirini Theodosiou from Aston University and Professor Joao Lopes from the Brazilian Aeronautics Institute of Technology. ENDS About the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest specialist orthopaedic units in Europe, offering planned orthopaedic surgery to people locally, nationally, and internationally. The Trust is an accredited Veteran Aware organisation and a Disability Confident Leader. Ranked 8th in the 2024 UK Inclusive Top 50 Employers list, the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital is the highest-ranking NHS organisation for its commitment to diversity and inclusion. The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has a vibrant research portfolio of clinical trials, observational studies and laboratory studies exploring new treatment options, new approaches in rehabilitation and therapy, and new medical devices. This research is delivered by our researchers and clinicians spread across the Knowledge Hub, our home for education and research, and the Dubrowsky Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, a state-of-the-art lab opened in 2019. About Aston University For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally. Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world. Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020. Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world. For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press & Communications Manager on 07941194168 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk
Babies whose mothers took kale or carrot capsules when pregnant responded more favourably to these smells The research shows that the process of developing food preferences begins in the womb, much earlier than previously thought The research follows up on an earlier study Babies show positive responses to the smell of foods they were exposed to in the womb after they are born, according to a new study. The findings, led by Durham University, UK, could have implications for understanding how healthy eating habits might be established in babies during pregnancy. The research included scientists from Aston University, UK, and the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) and University of Burgundy, France. It is published in the journal Appetite. Researchers analysed the facial expressions of babies who had been repeatedly exposed to either kale or carrot in the womb after birth. Newborns whose mothers had taken carrot powder capsules when pregnant were more likely to react favourably to the smell of carrot. Likewise, babies whose mothers had taken kale powder capsules while pregnant reacted more positively to the kale scent. Research co-lead author and supervisor Professor Nadja Reissland, of the Fetal and Neonatal Research Lab, Department of Psychology, Durham University, said: “Our analysis of the babies’ facial expressions suggests that they appear to react more favourably towards the smell of foods their mothers ate during the last months of pregnancy. Potentially this means we could encourage babies to react more positively towards green vegetables, for example, by exposing them to these foods during pregnancy. “In that respect, the memory of food the mother consumes during pregnancy appears to establish a preference for those smells and potentially could help to establish healthy eating habits at a young age.” This study is a follow-up to a 2022 research paper where the researchers used 4D ultrasound scans at 32 and 36 gestational weeks to study foetal facial expressions after their pregnant mothers had ingested a single dose of either 400mg of carrot or kale capsules. Foetuses exposed to carrot showed more “laughter-face” responses while those exposed to kale showed more “cry-face” responses. For the latest study, the researchers followed up 32 babies from the original research paper – 16 males and 16 females – from 36 weeks gestation until approximately three weeks after birth. Mothers consumed either carrot or kale capsules every day for three consecutive weeks until birth. When the babies were about three weeks old, the research team tested newborns’ reactions to kale, carrot, and a control odour. Separate wet cotton swabs dipped in either carrot or kale powders, or water as the control, were held under each infant’s nose and their reaction to the different smells was captured on video. The babies did not taste the swabs. Scientists then analysed the footage to see how the newborns reacted and compared these reactions with those seen before the babies were born to understand the effects of repeated flavour exposure in the last trimester of pregnancy. The research team found that, from the foetal to newborn period, there was an increased frequency in “laughter-face” responses and a decreased frequency in “cry-face” responses to the smell the babies had experienced before birth. Humans experience flavour through a combination of taste and smell. In foetuses, this happens through inhaling and swallowing the amniotic fluid in the womb. Research co-lead author Dr Beyza Ustun-Elayan carried out the research while doing her PhD at Durham University. Dr Ustun-Elayan, who is now based at the University of Cambridge, said: “Our research showed that foetuses can not only sense and distinguish different flavours in the womb but also start learning and establish memory for certain flavours if exposed to them repeatedly. This shows that the process of developing food preferences begins much earlier than we thought, right from the womb. By introducing these flavours early on, we might be able to shape healthier eating habits in children from the start.” The researchers stress that their findings are a baseline study only. They say that longer follow-up studies are needed to understand long-term impacts on child eating behaviour. They add that further research would also need to be carried out on a larger group of infants, at different points in time. They say that the absence of a control group not exposed to specific flavours makes it challenging to fully disentangle developmental changes in the babies from the effects of repeated flavour exposure. Future research should also factor in post-birth flavour experiences, such as some milk formulas known to have a bitter taste, which could impact babies’ responses to the smell of bitter and non-bitter vegetables. The research involved the children of white British mothers, and the researchers say that future studies should be widened to explore how different cultural dietary practices might influence foetal receptivity to a broader array of flavours. Research co-author Professor Jackie Blissett, at Aston University’s School of Psychology, said: “These findings add to the weight of evidence that suggests that flavours of foods eaten by mothers during late pregnancy are learnt by the foetus, preparing them for the flavours they are likely to experience in postnatal life.” Research co-author Professor Benoist Schaal, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)-University of Burgundy, France said: “Foetuses not only detect minute amounts of all types of flavours the mothers ingest, but they overtly react to them and remember them while in the womb and then after birth for quite long times. In this way, mothers have an earlier than early teaching role, as the providers of the infant’s first odour or flavour memories.” Visit https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.107891 to read the full research paper in Appetite.
In another milestone commitment to community health, ChristianaCare today announced a $1.6 million investment in 25 local nonprofits, unveiling the recipients of its Community Investment Fund during a special celebration at The Ministry of Caring in Wilmington. Since 2019, ChristianaCare’s Community Investment Fund has provided more than $5.6 million to 64 organizations, addressing social, behavioral and environmental health factors. ”ChristianaCare is empowering and supporting our nonprofit partners so they can help meet the many needs of the people they serve, and work with us to improve patient health and create healthy communities and a healthy Delaware,” said Bettina Tweardy Riveros, chief health equity officer at ChristianaCare. This year’s recipients received funding to support health improvement initiatives in neighboring communities and address critical issues and community needs. “Each of these recipients is making a significant and positive impact by addressing critical health challenges throughout our communities, including food insecurity, housing insecurity and environmental health. At ChristianaCare, we are honored to be joining forces with these 25 organizations to provide them with more resources so that they do more for those in need. It is another way we care for our community,” she said. The funded initiatives will be implemented throughout the upcoming year and were selected based on the quality of applicants’ proposals and implementation plans, and on the alignment of their proposals with the critical issues prioritized by the community in ChristianaCare’s Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Implementation Plan. Recipient Spotlight: Healthy Food for Healthy Kids "The impact of ChristianaCare’s 2024 Community Investment Awards funds on Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids will be felt not only in 2025 but for years to come. This funding will expand our program to an additional school, serving over 600 more students, and support data and research for future growth." Healthy Food for Healthy Kids, Lydia Sarson, Executive Director. Recipient Spotlight: Project New Start “Approximately 85% of the justice-involved individuals served by Project New Start are housing and food insecure. With ChristianaCare’s 2024 Community Investment Fund Award to Project New Start, which began 11/01/24, we have already been able to assist 23 individuals with clothing and household goods; 20 individuals with transportation assistance; 17 individuals with food support; and 7 individuals with housing as of 12/31/24. The impact of these funds cannot be overstated as this investment by ChristianaCare provides Project New Start the means to provide the critical basic needs an individual requires to live with dignity without the trauma of worrying about where they will sleep, how they will eat and how they can sustain employment. We are so grateful to ChristianaCare for their ongoing support.” Priscilla Turgon, Founder and Executive Director of Project New Start, Inc. Recipient Spotlight: YMCA of Delaware - Central YMCA Supportive Housing Program “The Central YMCA Supportive Housing Program, in partnership with Christiana Care, serves low-income men at risk of homelessness who often face trauma, addiction, disabilities or lack of family support. Through stable housing, nutritious meals, welcome packages, rental assistance and supportive activities, the program fosters community wellbeing, improves health outcomes, prevents homelessness and empowers residents to achieve self-sufficiency.” Jimia Redden, Executive Director of Housing. This year’s Community Investment Fund recipients are: • AIDS Delaware: AIDS Delaware’s mission is to eliminate the spread and stigma of HIV/AIDS, improve the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS and promote community health through comprehensive and culturally sensitive services, education programs and advocacy. • Black Mothers in Power: Black Mothers in Power seeks to eradicate racial health disparities for Black birthing people and Black babies throughout Delaware. • Boys & Girls Club of DE: Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware inspires and enables young people, especially those most in need, to reach their full potential as productive, responsible, caring citizens. • Children and Families First DE: Children & Families First is one of Delaware's oldest and most trusted non-profit leaders in providing the supports and services children and their families need to thrive. • Claymont Community Center - Brandywine Resource Council: Claymont Community Center is a base for a variety of community organizations supporting educational, social, recreational, cultural, personal development, financial and wellness needs. • Delaware Center for Horticulture: The Delaware Center for Horticulture cultivates greener communities by inspiring appreciation and improvement of the environment through horticulture, education and conservation. • Delaware Futures, Inc: Delaware Futures empowers at-promise high school and middle school youth across the state of Delaware by providing year-round, trauma-informed curricula tailored to students at each grade level. • Delaware Nature Society: Delaware Nature Society connects people and nature to create a healthy environment for all through education, conservation and advocacy. • Do Care Doula: Do Care Doula provides grant-funded Doula training and development, subsidized Doula support and a variety of community outreach programs. • Healthy Food for Healthy Kids: Healthy Food for Healthy Kids supports educators in Delaware, bringing life-lasting benefits of gardening and good nutrition to kids. • Jefferson Street Center: The mission of JSC is to advance community-driven priorities in Northwest Wilmington that promote the conditions necessary for all residents to thrive. • Latin American Community Center: LACC seeks to empower members to become contributing members of society through advocacy and offers programs and services to anyone ages of one to 101. • Milford Housing Development Corporation: Milford Housing Development Corporation is a value-driven, nonprofit, affordable housing developer, providing services throughout Delaware. Its mission is to provide decent, safe, affordable housing solutions to people of modest means. • Ministry of Caring: Since Brother Ronald began the ministry in 1977 with the first shelter for homeless women on the Delmarva Peninsula, the Ministry has worked ceaselessly to ease the needs and struggles of our neighbors. • ONCOR Coalition: ONCOR’s vision is to build and promote spaces that connect people to the city and each other. It promotes positive relationships through community-based educational programs and recreational opportunities. • Our Daily Bread Dining Room of MOT: ODB is the only soup kitchen in the Middletown, Odessa and Townsend region. ODB is a volunteer run organization with over 300 volunteers. Volunteers help purchase and pick up food and ingredients, prepare and serve meals and clean and maintain the facility. • Project New Start: Project New Start provides a comprehensive cognitive behavioral change/workforce development initiative for individuals transitioning out of state and federal institutions. • Ray of Hope Mission Center: Ray of Hope’s mission is to recognize and address the needs of those who are struggling within our community and assist them in their efforts to provide for themselves and their families, both physically and spiritually. • St. Patrick's Center: Serving people in Wilmington’s East Side neighborhood since 1971, St. Patrick’s Center is a nonprofit organization that operates a Senior Center, and provides meals, groceries, clothing, paratransit and social service support to the public. • The Resurrection Center: The purpose of the Resurrection Center is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and create a spirit-filled environment that hungers for the Gospel and to serve as liberating agents in the midst of the world. • Voices of Hope: Voices of Hope’s mission is to empower lives and foster recovery. The nonprofit is dedicated to supporting individuals and families facing substance use disorder. Through compassion, education and community engagement, Voices of Hope strives to break the chains of addiction, promoting a healthier, brighter future for all. • West End Neighborhood House: At West End Neighborhood House, staff, clients, volunteers and donors work together to resolve complex social challenges throughout Delaware. Through outcomes-driven programming, the West End Neighborhood House provide support that meets community needs in finances, housing, education, employment and family services. • Westside Family Healthcare: Westside Family Healthcare is a community-minded, non-partisan health center located in Delaware. Westside opened its doors in 1988 and has maintained status as a Federally Qualified Health Center since 1994. • Wilmington HOPE Commission Inc.: The Hope Commission is a reentry program that helps formerly incarcerated men return to their community. It offers support services that address factors known to lead to repeat offenses. • YMCA of Delaware: The Central YMCA Supportive Housing Program offers housing for men aged 18 and older. Residents benefit from dorm-style accommodations, discounted access to the fitness center and connections to a range of health and human service providers in partnership with the YMCA.
The research was carried out by the University of Birmingham’s Katie Edwards and Aston University’s Jackie Blissett and James Reynolds Both the availability of high-calorie options and their position on the menu affects teenagers’ choices Restaurants provide an important location for implementing low-cost and high-reach interventions to tackle obesity. New research from the University of Birmingham and Aston University has found that putting lower-calorie meal choices at the top of a restaurant menu, and reducing the availability of high-calorie options, makes teenagers more likely to order the healthier options. Childhood obesity rates have been increasing year on year, with government pledges and targets to reduce obesity unfulfilled or missed. Restaurants are a common food environment for adolescents, with one fifth of children consuming meals out at least once a week. The study has been published in the journal Appetite. Dr Katie Edwards, research fellow in psychology at the University of Birmingham and a visiting researcher at Aston University, who led the study, said: “Childhood obesity is a significant public health challenge. A key period for targeting dietary intervention is adolescence, when young people become more independent, making their own decisions about diet and socialising with friends more. Interventions have targeted healthy eating at home and at school, but we wanted to see how altering restaurant menus can impact the choices teenagers make.” The researchers asked 432 13 to 17-year-olds to take part in an online experiment. They presented the teenagers with three different menus, with five starters, ten main courses and five desserts in separate sections, as one would find on a standard restaurant menu. Each menu was slightly different; one which reduced the number of high-calorie options on offer, one with menu positioning of low- to high-calorie meals, one which combined the availability and position interventions, and then one ‘typical’ menu. The participants were asked to select a starter, main and dessert from each menu. The experiment showed that the availability and the position interventions resulted in significantly lower calorie meal choices, compared to the choices made from the menu with no intervention (the ‘typical’ menu). The average number of calories for a selected meal reduced from 2099.78 to 1992.13 when the items were ordered from least to highest calorie content. The availability intervention reduced it from 2134.26 kcal to 1956.18 kcal. The group who had the combined availability and positioning intervention menu saw their meals’ calorie value plummet from 2173.60 kcal to 1884.44 kcal. The study also found that the positioning intervention had the biggest impact on main course choices. The availability intervention and the combined interventions, on the other hand, did not have a big impact on the calorie value of main course choices. The availability intervention had the most impact on starter choices. None of the interventions had a significant impact on dessert choices. Dr Edwards said: “Main menu choices saw the biggest reduction in calories following the position intervention, going from 1104.17 kcal to 1045.16 kcal, while the availability intervention saw the biggest reduction in the starter option. While not all interventions saw statistically significant reductions for all courses, each intervention saw a significant reduction in the calorie content of the overall meals.” Dr James Reynolds, senior lecturer in psychology at Aston University, said: “People tend to consume higher calorie meals when they eat out, so restaurants provide an important location for implementing low-cost and high-reach interventions which can encourage healthier eating in teenagers. Many restaurants are already required to display calorie information on their menus, but our research has shown that tactics like altering the position or availability of high-calorie options on menus could also be a useful tool in trying to reduce obesity and help young people make healthier choices. The next step for this research would be to replicate the study in restaurant settings.” Read the full paper in the journal Appetite at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666324005749
Villanova Nursing Professor Addresses Overlooked Roles in Mental Health Care
Mental health crises, such as suicidal ideations or attempts, present profound challenges, not only for the individuals experiencing them, but also for the families and professionals who provide care. Parents, in particular, often find themselves stepping into the role of a primary healthcare provider when a child returns home from mental health inpatient treatment. Guy Weissinger, PhD, MPhil, RN, the Diane Foley Parrett Endowed Assistant Professor of Nursing at Villanova University’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, explores the complex challenges parents face during these delicate situations and how the healthcare system can better prepare them for these responsibilities. Dr. Weissinger’s research also emphasizes the need to rethink how educators train and support healthcare providers involved in mental health care and suicide prevention. In a recent conversation, Dr. Weissinger shared insights into his research, the unique roles that parents and nurses have in managing mental health crises and the steps needed to create a more holistic and inclusive approach to care. Q: A large part of your research examines the parents of youth who are experiencing mental health crises. What challenges do parents face when tasked with providing ongoing healthcare for their children who might be facing these issues? Dr. Weissinger: There’s been a lot of recent work looking at how parents can be better supported in any kind of health crisis as their child is experiencing it. At the end of the day, a physician, therapist or nurse practitioner (NP) can support a patient with their clinical expertise in the hospital, but when those patients return home, the responsibility most often falls on the parent to continue that care. If we're then requiring parents to act as case managers and healthcare providers for their children, how can we best equip them to fill those roles? Q: How does a parent’s role in managing a child’s mental health crisis differ from the roles of a physician or therapist? Dr. Weissinger: I studied family intervention science, which looks at both the individual and family processes that may be related to adolescent suicide risk or any other mental health concern, so I like to ask the question: what is this person's role in their family system? Parents oftentimes have a particular role in the family system, and when there's any kind of mental health crisis, that role may have to change: how they act, what tasks they perform, etc. I’m studying the role transition of a parent during a suicide crisis—what are their struggles and what are parents identifying as their big needs? I’m finding that a lot of parents are feeling really alone or shameful in some way, and then they’re using their own money, time or social resources to try to provide care for their child. This often happens because they feel like the mental health system is not providing the support they need to take on that role, so they’re trying to figure out what to do on their own. Q: An additional part of your research surrounds the role of a nurse practitioner in suicide crises. What are some of the findings from your recent research with nurse practitioners (NPs) about their suicide prevention education? Dr. Weissinger: The findings, which will soon be published, are really interesting because they’re very mixed. I went out and asked NPs what they were taught about suicide prevention and when they were taught it as part of their education and training. Some said that their primary care education integrated suicide prevention as a focus of the curriculum. Others mentioned that they didn’t learn about it in their undergraduate or master’s programs, but they’re still expected to know about suicide prevention as part of their job responsibilities. It’s important to highlight these discrepancies and how we need to think about adapting nursing education to include these important topics. Q: What are some of the overlooked responsibilities and challenges of nurses in managing adolescent mental health? Dr. Weissinger: A large percentage of primary care visits are currently conducted by nurse practitioners, and now suicide screenings are expected to be a standard of practice in primary care visits, even though some NPs don't have that specific training. NPs are often left out of consideration and conversation around best practices related to suicide prevention, so we need to make sure that anyone who's conducting these screenings surrounding suicide has the training and the preparation to do so. It's a difficult conversation for NPs to have, especially when they’re working with kids and families. Q: Why is suicide prevention important to study from a nursing lens? Dr. Weissinger: So much mental health research lumps together groups or only studies psychologists and physicians, so a lot of people who provide mental health services or do suicide prevention screenings are left out of these studies. For example, nurses provide a majority of the discharge education on what parents are expected to do at home when a child leaves the hospital—whether that’s administering injections for a child with diabetes or making a house safer for preventing self-harm. Most of the time, a nurse is walking parents through next steps, answering questions and checking in on patient progress. It’s not the psychologists who evaluated the child, or the physicians who decided that the individual needed to be inpatient, it’s the nurses who are providing those points of contact. Q: What do you hope is the main takeaway from your work surrounding mental health and suicide crises? Dr. Weissinger: Suicide is a really complex thing to address, and it needs to be a conversation that isn’t looking for a silver bullet. It’s a conversation that asks the questions: how do we improve the mental health care system? How do we get primary care providers trained and involved in these discussions? How do we best prepare family members to support individuals who are struggling? Not all researchers need to work on every part of this, but it needs to be a total, all-encompassing effort.