Abstract
Introduction: Enhanced Extension outreach strategies combine traditional direct education programs with public health approaches like policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change. However, the Cooperative Extension system and county-based Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension agents have historically prioritized direct education programming and diffusion of enhanced outreach strategies has varied. Extension personnel may lack capacity and readiness for successful PSE change implementation. This study explored perceived acceptability, capacity, and readiness for PSE change work among FCS Extension agents in two states.
Method: A survey was developed framed by selected domains from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research: Intervention Characteristics, Inner Setting, Characteristics of Individuals, and Process. All questions utilized a 5-point Likert scale, except for an item examining respondents' stage of change regarding PSE change strategies. Descriptive statistics and response frequencies for all variables were calculated.
Results: Survey responses (n = 116) indicated PSE change work was perceived as valuable. Potential barriers included perceived complexity, organizational readiness issues (e.g., reporting and evaluation structures; performance incentives), and worries about stakeholder responses in shifting away from direct education. Responses indicated self-efficacy for skills important in implementing PSE change. Most respondents (53%) indicated being at the pre-contemplation or contemplation stage of change in pursuing PSE change work.
Discussion: Combining PSE change strategies and direct education programming allows Extension to do what it does best – provide effective programs to improve and sustain health and wellbeing of individuals and families. Findings are informative for others aiming to build capacity within community educators, Extension and public health professionals to implement PSE change.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-26-2022
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.856788
Related Content
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.
Repository Citation
Washburn, Lisa T.; Norman-Burgdolf, Heather; Jones, Natalie; Kennedy, Lauren E.; and Jarvandi, Soghra, "Exploring Extension Agent Capacity and Readiness to Adopt Policy, Systems and Environmental Change Approaches" (2022). Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications. 49.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/foodsci_facpub/49
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Frontiers in Public Health, v. 10, article 856788.
© 2022 Washburn, Norman-Burgdolf, Jones, Kennedy and Jarvandi.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.