Creating Quick and Easy Displays for Extension Events

Creating quick and easy displays for Extension can be an effective method for reinforcing and disseminating research-based information to consumers. A display of nine power point slides is an effective way to influence consumers. The slides can be laminated and mounted on foam board or displayed on traditional, fabric-covered display panels. Using computer-generated slides allows easy sharing through e-mail to other professionals. Displays can be prepared easily and inexpensively and are effective in reaching consumers with the newest information on a hot or traditional topic

Burnout: How Does Extension Balance Job and Family?

Avoiding burnout by balancing job and family is a necessity for Extension employees. This article reviews several state efforts regarding employee loss and retention. Keys to job satisfaction are discussed along with the coping skills needed to prevent burnout. Stress reduction ideas, a review of a successful wellness program, and a description of the young Generation X agent, and their challenges working for Extension are included. Suggestions for changes in the Cooperative Extension System to reduce stress and prevent burnout will challenge the reader

Personal Health and Finance Quiz: A Tool for Outreach, Research, and Evaluation

Rutgers Cooperative Extension developed an online self-assessment tool called the Personal Health and Finance Quiz available at http://njaes.rutgers.edu/money/health-finance-quiz/. Believed to be among the first public surveys to simultaneously query users about their health and personal finance practices, the quiz is part of Small Steps to Health and Wealth™ (SSHW), a Cooperative Extension program developed to motivate Americans to take action to improve both their health and personal finances (see http://njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/). Respondents indicate one of four frequencies for performance of 20 daily activities and receive a Health, Finance, and Total score indicating their frequency of performing activities that health and financial experts recommend. In addition to providing users with personalized feedback, the quiz collects data for research about the health and financial practices of Americans to inform future Extension outreach and can be used as a pre-/post-test to evaluate the impact of SSHW programs. Initial research analyses are planned for 2015

Reading Nutrition Labels: A Predictor of Health and Wealth?

This study explored relationships between the practice of reading Nutrition Facts labels on food products and the frequency of performance of 19 positive health and financial practices. Data were collected using an online survey with 3,361 observations that provided a simultaneous assessment of the participating individuals’ health and financial practices. Few publicly-available instruments of this type exist. The reliability of the overall scale used in this study was .845. Support was found for three hypotheses: there are differences in demographic characteristics between those who read Nutrition Facts labels and others and respondents who reported reading nutrition labels had both higher health practice scores and higher financial practice scores than others. Those who were more likely to read nutrition labels were females, older respondents, and those with higher education and incomes. Findings of this study, which provide evidence of positive associations between two different aspects of people’s lives, imply that it might be useful for both health and financial practitioners to know if their clients/students read nutrition labels on a regular basis. Having this information can inform the content and duration of interventions to change health- and financial-related behaviors

Use of the Plate-Waste Method to Measure Food Intake in Children

Childhood overweight is increasing in the U.S. and is often associated with excess food intake. Because children consume at least one meal in school approximately half the days each year, it is important to develop accurate and cost-effective methods to measure food intake in schools. We compared the aggregated plate waste method with actual weighed food measurements. The aggregated plate waste measurements were similar to the energy and macronutrient intake determined by weighed food measurements. The plate waste methodology is a simple and accurate method that can be implemented by Extension professionals and teachers to assess children\u27s energy intake

Small Steps to Health and Wealth – Second Edition (NRAES-182)

This 132 page publication (NRAES-182) was originally published by the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES, previously known as the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service), a multi-university program in the Northeast US disbanded in 2011. Plant and Life Sciences Publishing (PALS) was subsequently formed to manage the NRAES catalog. Ceasing operations in 2018, PALS was a program of the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University. PALS assisted university faculty in publishing, marketing and distributing books for small farmers, gardeners, land owners, workshops, college courses, and consumers.Learn how personal health and wealth issues are related, how to overcome obstacles to change, and learn strategies to improve your health and wealth. Use worksheets, tables and Web-based resources to adapt goals and create an achievable personal action plan. The book has been updated to reflect the introduction of the USDA’s ChooseMyPlate.gov web site and MyPlate Graphic. It includes advice from USDA’s ChooseMyPlate.gov web site, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans as well as updated information on credit card laws and the health and financial status of US households. Includes actions steps and health and wealth benchmarks. Contains 25 behavior change strategies, 44 worksheets, and 16 information packed tables

Have It Their Way: Creating Personalized Online Challenges to Motivate Learners

This article describes the development and evaluation of an online health and personal finance behavior change challenge that can be adapted for other Extension subject matter areas. The Small Steps to Health and Wealth™ Challenge is a behaviorally focused activity in which registered users self-report health and financial behaviors and receive feedback about their progress compared to other program participants. Ten daily practices are included, with 10 points awarded for each. Findings from two pilot tests in which participants were provided an opportunity to substitute their own daily challenge activities for those that were pre-selected by program sponsors are discussed