FAMILY & CONSUMER STUDIES
Family and Consumer Studies provides an interdisciplinary approach to those factors that influence the well-being of families, consumers, and communities. General areas of study and research include consumer studies and family economics, human development and family studies, environment and behavior, and human development and social policy.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Colleen Cluff Caputo
1976 – 2002 Family and Consumer Studies Faculty
1984 – 1989 Department Chair
1993 – 1997 Director, Graduate Studies
During 1985 – 1989 the University experienced major funding cuts from the legislature
which impacted and needed to be addressed by every department on campus.
MOST DIFFICULT EVENT:
The decision to eliminate the Home Economics Teaching Major. The major was one of three offered in the Department. Only 3 to 6 students a year graduated from the major. State certification for the major required clothing construction, food preparation and interior design which were all low enrollment courses and required large lab space and expensive equipment. The courses were not required by either of the other two majors. This was not a popular decision among my Home Economics colleagues.
Also, being an interdisciplinary department without a graduate program made it obvious the entire department could be easily eliminated. It was a difficult decision at the time, but has proven to be the best decision for the Department and the University.
MOST REWARDING EVENT:
Establishing a Master’s degree program in the Department. The original program was Family Ecology but has since been changed to Human Development and Social Policy. The Department also offers a PhD degree which involves intensive research on important policies and issues in the family, community and social life.
FACULTY:
The Family and Consumer Studies faculty represented several disciplines but were committed to the interdisciplinary concept. Research studies were enhanced by input from other faculty members. It was exciting to see the interaction among the faculty and the support of the Department. New faculty positions were always addressed and filled by candidates that valued and supported the cross discipline perspective.
As Department Chair, I appreciated and valued the faculty support and their commitment to the development of the program and our students.
STUDENTS:
Students drawn to the Department were usually wanting the cross discipline education for their future employment and personal goals. As a faculty, we enjoyed the opportunity to work with very bright and capable students!
Department Research & Projects
The CHI Lab - Community Health and Inequities
Preterm Birth Risk Among Black Mothers
The research project aims to reveal the social and structural determinants of preterm birth risk among black mothers by examining determinates that include systemic barriers to healthcare, residential segregation, economic inequities, and criminal justice factors.
The Community and Health Inequities Lab at the University of Utah is under the direction of Dr. David Curtis. Please email any questions to david.curtis@fcs.utah.edu .
The CHI Lab - Community Health and Inequities
Recreational Spaces in the Wasatch Front and the Obesity Epidemic
The research project includes a large data collection effort of neighborhood recreational spaces within the four most populous counties in Utah; data is merged with geocoded administrative and health records from the Utah Population Database. A key project goal is to understand connections between access to quality recreational spaces and class-based disparities in weight-related health outcomes. Data are also being used to inform health interventions.
The Community and Health Inequities Lab at the University of Utah is under the direction of Dr. David Curtis. Please email any questions to david.curtis@fcs.utah.edu .
BIRD-WINDOW COLLISION PROJECT
Millions of birds die in bird-window collisions in the United States each year. In specialized test settings, researchers have developed methods to alter window designs to mitigate collisions. However, few published studies provide pretest and posttest evaluations of mitigation treatment areas and untreated control areas on existing buildings. Professor Barbara Brown encourages you to follow the study and get involved!