Extension’s Potential to Respond to Suburban Food Insecurity

Between 2000 and 2013, the suburbs in the country’s largest metro areas saw their low-income population grow twice as fast as primary urban cities. In 2018, the Pew Research Center reported that poverty increased more sharply in suburbs than in urban and rural counties (Parker et al., 2018). The rise in suburban poverty coincides with an increasing prevalence of food insecurity. The social and physical environments of suburban communities pose unique food-related challenges for the suburban poor. Awareness and stigmatization of food assistance programs, lack of transportation options, access to food pantries, and limited community gardens are examples of challenges that many families face. With a growing suburban population facing poverty and food insecurity, Extension is positioned to address the complex problem of suburban food insecurity through community-engaged research and education involving the areas of family and consumer sciences, community development, agriculture and natural resources, and 4-H youth development

Using “Photovoice” to Identify Rural Community Food Issues

Rural communities experience unique barriers to food security. Developing food policy councils (FPCs) is a systematic approach to address food security. FPCs bring together a diverse network of community stakeholders to address local food system strengths and concerns. A six-state team developed new or provided support to existing FPCs in rural communities. Photovoice is a project component used to engage youths, helped identify community food issues, such as food access and affordability in studied communities. Furthermore, it was meant to engage FPCs in meaningful dialogue to identify solutions, such as community gardens and work with local food pantries. Because of the multistate nature of the project, unique measures were employed to provide consistent, successful training and implementation of Photovoice. This article reveals the best practices learned

Strengthening Families Through a Re-envisioned Approach to Fatherhood Education

Fatherhood education has the potential to affect not only fathers\u27 nurturant behaviors but also multiple dimensions of family life. The weGrill program blends fatherhood, youth development, and nutrition education, with food grilling as the focal activity. Grounded in multiple learning theories, the program helps fathers and their adolescent children learn broadly about family life topics, planning for the future, and nutrition and healthful food behaviors. The program represents a re-envisioned approach to fatherhood education

Unifying Multi-State Efforts Through a Nationally Coordinated Extension Diabetes Program

The Cooperative Extension System translates research to practice and “brings the University to the people” throughout the U.S. However, the system suffers from program duplication and is challenged to scale-out effective programs. One program, Dining with Diabetes (DWD), stands out for its dissemination to multiple states. DWD is a community-based program aimed at improving diabetes management, nutrition, and physical activity behaviors. DWD was coordinated through a national working group and implemented by state Extension systems. A pragmatic, quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the national coordination model and the overall impact of DWD. Four states reported data representing 355 DWD participants. Significant differences were found in diabetes management behaviors and knowledge from pre to post- program. However, there were challenges with data analysis due to state differences in data management. We detail the transition from one state to a national workgroup, strengths and challenges of the national model, and implications for other Extension programs