Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/18
Outputs
Target Audience:This project targeted residents of rural communities for two purposes, (1) to become volunteers that could support Family and Consumer Science Extension Agents education programs in general and with a diabetes lifestyle management program (Balanced Living with Diabetes, BLD) specifically, and (2) to participate in the BLD program. We recruited residents of the target rural communities to become Master Food Volunteers, and rural community members with diabetes to participate in the BLD. Twenty-five Master Food Volunteers were trained during the project period, and were of both genders and diverse racial/ethnic and economic backgrounds. What all have in a common is a desire to learn more about food and food preparation, and to serve as volunteers with Cooperative Extension, assisting in food and health related programs conducted by Family and Consumer Science Extension Agents. Thirty Balanced Living with Diabetes programs were conducted in sixteen rural counties during the project period reaching 290 community members. The demographics of the population served by the project are: • Gender: 20% male, 75% female, 5% Missing data • Mean Age: 63 +/- 12.3; Range (21 - 90 years) • Race: Caucasian (67%), African American (26%), American Indian (1.0%), Other (0.5%), Missing data (5.5%) • Ethnicity: Hispanic (1.3%), non-Hispanic (93%), Missing data (5.77%) • Education: High school or less (37%), Some college (23%), College graduate (27.6%), Missing data (12%) • Income: < $20,000 (22.9%); $10,001 - $50,000 (31%); $50,001 - $80,000 (14.5%); > $80,000 (28.3%); Missing (3.3%) Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Standard training materials for the BLD program have been developed for use during agent orientation to the BLD program. Training on the BLD program has been offered during each of the project periods. A training on the updated BLD program was provided to 13 Extension Agents during the annual Virginia Cooperative Extension conference in early 2018. In addition two Extension Agents who were unable to attend that training were provided a seperate BLD training to orient them to the program. The Master Food Volunteer online BLD training program was developed in the second year of the project, and is available to MFV's interested in assisting Extension Agents with the BLD program. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Across the project period the project outcomes have been disseminated locally and nationally through several mechanism: Conference presentations: Jiles, Kristina,Chase ME,Hosig K, Rafie C, Wenzel S, Schlenker E., "The Master Food Volunteer Continuing Education Program: A model for volunteer capacity building," presented at the National Extension Conference on Volunteerism, March, 2017, Asheville, NC. Rafie, Carlin, "Virginia Cooperative Extension as a Diabetes Prevention Program Provider: Reaching hard to reach populations through existing community connections," presented at the Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 88th Annual Meeting, Building the Future of the Profession, March 26-28, 2017, Blacksburg, VA. Rafie C, Chase ME, Hosig K, Jones D, Wenzel S, Schlenker E, Jiles K. Balanced Living with Diabetes: Impacting rural community health through evidence-based program implementation by Cooperative Extension. Presented at the 2017 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo, November 4 - 8, 2017 Journal publications: Jiles, KA, Chase ME,Hosig K, Rafie C, Wenzel S, Schlenker E. The Master Food Volunteer Continuing Education Program: A model for volunteer capacity building. In review by the Journal of Extension, October, 2018. Rafie C, Chase ME, Hosig K, Jones D, Wenzel S, Schlenker E, Jiles K.Balanced Living with Diabetes: Impacting rural community health through evidence-based program implementation by Cooperative Extension. Manuscript in preparation for submission to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Impact statements: Impact statements were created for each county annually detailing the impact of the BLD program on the county residents. These are used to present to county boards and other interested organizations to illustract the program value. Statewide impact statements detailing the collective impact of the BLD programs are prepared annually and submitted to relevant Federal agencies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
The three goals of the BLD project were 1) Create the capacity to use Master Food Volunteers (MFV) to assist the BLD Program, 2) Create sustained capacity for implementation of the Balanced Living with Diabetes (BLD) program in rural counties of Virginia, and 3) Produce a BLD toolkit to be made available to other state and local Extension Programs. Goal 1 (Objs. 1.1 & 1.2): Objectives 1.1 & 1.2 were accomplished in the first project period. Thirty-five MFV's were trained and 15 have taken the BLD continuing education training developed in the first project period. MFVs have continued to assist the BLD program with food demonstrations and participant education on food safety and preparation. Goal 2 (Objs. 2.1 & 2.2): Objective 2.1 In the first year of the project, all 12 Extension agents in the targeted counties were trained on the BLD Program. Thirteen additional agents were oriented to the updated curriculum during the annual Extension conference in February, 2018. Objective 2.2 Each county was to conduct two BLD programs in the project period. Extension agents provided feedback on the program materials and implementation that was used to revise the program process and materials. All 16 counties conducted the program at least once. Five counties did not conduct a second program. Of these five counties, two had their agents resign, one could not recruit enough participants for a second program, and the agent serving the last two counties prioritized an alternate educational program to the BLD. To make up for the five counties that did not conduct a second BLD, 3 of the original counties conducted the BLD three times, and an agent from an additional qualifying rural county was trained on the BLD and implemented the program twice. Over the life of the project, 30 BLD programs were conducted, with a total of 290 participants. BLD PROGRAM OUTCOMES:: Glycemic Control: 25% of participants with diabetes reduced their Hemoglobin A1c(A1c) into the clinical goal range of <7.0 There was a significant reduction in A1c of participants with diabetes (Mean=0.345±1.013; p=.001) There was a greater reduction in A1c in participants with diabetes who started with an A1c>7.0 (Mean= 0.384± 1.182; p=.014) 23% of participants with pre-diabetes reduced their A1c into the normal range of <5.7 15% of participants with diabetes or pre-diabetes had a clinically significant reduction in their A1c (reduction of ≥1.0) Weight Change: Weight control helps control Type 2 diabetes, and weight loss often occurs as a result of the lifestyle changes recommended by the BLD program. Sixty-one percent of the BLD participants providing follow-up data (N=169) lost weight, with an average weight loss of 2.71% of body weight (5.4±6.31 pounds). Changes in Health Behaviors, Knowledge, and Self-Efficacy: Significant improvements occurred in health behaviors, diabetes and food knowledge, and self-efficacy among the BLD participants. (See Table 1) Table 1: Change in Behavior, Knowledge, and Self-Efficacy of Participants in the BLD Program Health Behaviors (days/week in the past 3 months) Pre-program Post-program Sig. Score Score p Eat 5 fruit and vegetable servings (N=136) 3.08±2.22 4.51±1.80 0.000 Eat 3 servings of whole grains (N=126) 2.81±2.20 4.13±2.06 0.000 Use the Plate Method (N=117) 1.55±2.31 4.04±2.34 0.000 Plan to walk or exercise (N=125) 2.97±2.40 4.41±2.18 0.000 Walk or exercise (N=132) 3.20±2.42 4.33±2.13 0.000 Knowledge Diabetes self-management knowledge 3.13±1.53 3.83±1.18 0.000 (5 question composite, N=169) Food knowledge(3 question composite, N=169) 1.63±0.95 1.86±0.88 0.019 Self-Efficacy Composite score of 5 questions (N=142) 3.51±0.83 3.75±0.70 0.001 Diabetes Management Days/week taking diabetes medication as directed 5.95±2.28 6.05±2.28 0.461 (N=101) Days/week checking blood glucose (N=103) 4.31±2.98 4.73±2.84 0.031 Goal 3 (Objs 3.1 & 3.2) Objective 3:1 Feedback on the BLD program was obtained from agents and MFVs through individual interviews. Interviews queried experience with the BLD training, systems for accessing program materials, role of the MFV, community collaborations, program sustainability, and suggestions for program improvement. A list of recommendations was compiled from the summarized information. Recommendations included support for public awareness of the MFV and BLD programs, development of retention materials, updating program recipes, and financial systems for program support. The following actions were taken: The BLD facilitator, speaker and participant manuals and session powerpoints were revised Standardized BLD program advertising materials were created Retention materials and retention plan were developed for the 8 weeks between the fourth and final (reunion) BLD sessions. A standard Memorandum of Understanding was developed for use by agents with community collaborators interested in supporting the BLD program Objective 3:2 A curriculum toolkit has been developed and includes agent, facilitator, and participant manuals, session presentation slides, evaluation forms, and cutomizable recruitment and retention materials. A web-based program site has been developed that houses all BLD toolkit materials, and through which program materials are accessed. The program and online site was introduced to additional Virginia Extension Agents in the current program period. PROCESS OUTCOMES: Number of BLD programs and average participation 30 programs were conducted (30/32 proposed = 94%) Programs had an average of 9 participants (range: 3 - 19) Program retention rate was 58% Characteristics of 5 counties not completing 2 BLD programs The two counties that lost their agent were in Southwest Virginia, had a predominantly white population (94% & 99%), and had the lowest median household incomes ($26,204 & $28,296) of all the counties. The county with lack of public interest in a second program was in Central Virginia, had a median income ($40,776) higher than the average of the other counties ($39,885), and a population that was 56% white and 50% African American. And the two counties that did not prioritize the BLD were in North Virginia, had higher median incomes ($43,435 & $47,364), and a predominantly white population (95-96%). Demographic characteristics of BLD participants were comparable with county demographics. BLD participants were 67% white, 27% black, and 1.3% Hispanic which was similar to the racial/ethnic make-up of the counties where they were conducted (75% white, 23% black, and 2% Hispanic). Local partners involved in BLD program implementation Local hospital systems (6 counties) Local department of health (2 counties) Local Area Agency on Aging (2 counties) Dietetic internship program of a state university Local grocery store chain YMCA Religious organization Community college Public library Three collaboration models for increased program sustainability were tested during the project period: A collaboration with the Virginia State University Dietetic internship program provided consistent facilitators for the BLD by the Dietetic interns. A formal relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding has been formed between Extension and a local Area Agency on Aging to provide the BLD program in their 9 nutrition sites. The AAA is funding the material costs of the program. A collaboration between a local hospital rehabilitation center and Extension for the conduct of the BLD program. The hospital system is providing the CDE, location, and patient referrals to the program. Number of requests for additional BLD programs Five participating counties and 3 additional counties received requests for additional BLD programs.
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Jiles K, Chase M, Rafie C, Hosig K, Schlenker E. The Master Food Volunteer Continuing Education Module for the Balanced Living with Diabetes Program in Virginia. Presented at the 2017 National Extension Conference on Volunteerism, Asheville, NC, April 20 - 13.
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Progress 09/01/16 to 08/31/17
Outputs
Target Audience:The Balanced Living with Diabetes program was conducted in twelve rural counties during this reporting period resulting in participation by 71 community members. The demographics of the population served to date by the project are: Gender: 20.5% male, 76.0% female, 3.5% Missing data Mean Age: 63 +/- 11.14; Range (24 - 90 years) Race: Caucasian (77.5%), African American (17%), Other (0.5%), Missing data(5%) Ethnicity: Hispanic (0.5%), non-Hispanic (92%), Missing data (7.5%) Education: High school or less (38%), Some college (26%), College graduate (29%), Missing data (7%) Income: 38.5% $90,000; 25.5% Missing data Changes/Problems:The major change to the project consists of the inability to conduct the BLD program in 2 counties due to the loss of the FCS Extension Agents in those counties. This was the result of an early retirement initiative in Virginia Cooperative Extension, and these positions may not be refilled. In addition, one county did not have enough interest in the program to be repeated in the coming year. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Master Food Volunteers have ongoing access to the BLD continuing education modules, which is now a requirement for MFV's to assist FCS Extension Agents in the implementation of the BLD program. FCS Extension Agents have been provided monthly team meetings at which time program outcomes, updates, and best practices are reviewed. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Impact statements of the results of the BLD program were prepared for each county in which the program was conducted. These impact statements were shared with county boards and county leadership councils as deemed appropriate by the FCS Extension Agents implementing the program. A state impact statement that provided the compiled results and impacts of the BLD program in Virginia was prepared and distributed to the State Cooperative Extension Administration for inclusion in the Federal Extension report as part of the outcomes of Virginia Cooperative Extension. The development of the MFV Continuing Education module was presented at the National Extension Volunteer Conference, and has been submitted for publication to the Journal of Extension (See "Products"). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the coming year the following activities will be conducted to support the goals and objectives of the project: Support the conduct and data collection of the remaining BLD programs being conducted in 13 counties. Finalize the Balanced Living with Diabetes toolkit with its companion training module. Provide an introduction to the Balanced Living with Diabetes toolkit to interested Extension personnel through a web-based presentation (eXtension). Present outcomes of the BLD program at the 2017 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo in November, 2017. (abstract accepted for presentation). Prepare and submit a manuscript describing the outcomes of the BLD project.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Non-Technical Summary: Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US, and the leading cause of kidney failure, lower limb amputations, and adult-onset blindness. More than 20% of health care spending is diabetes related, and the prevalence of diabetes has increased at an alarming rate, soaring by 45% between 2001 and 2010. Currently there are 29 million U.S. adults living with diabetes, and 86 million with pre-diabetes. Over half a million Virginia adults were living with diabetes in 2013, with an annual diabetes related death rate of 18.8%. Rural communities disproportionately suffer from the morbidity, mortality, andfinancial costs associated with this disease. The primary driver of diabetes, overweight/obesity, is found in 62% of Virginia adults. At the same time, only 20% of adults eat the recommended 5 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, and only half meet exercise guidelines. There is a critical need for accessible, effective lifestyle change programs for people with diabetes to change the trajectory of these statistics. The Virginia Cooperative Extension has formed a unique collaboration with diabetes educators, healthcare organizations, local departments of health, and community organizations to bring evidence based diabetes self-management education to resource limited rural counties. The Balanced Living with Diabetes Program, is a five session lifestyle change program that spans 3 months, and leads participants through a process of developing healthy diet and activity behaviors that result in improved diabetes management. The BLD program was implemented by Family and Consumer Science Extension Agents with the assistance of Master Food Volunteers in 15 counties in the first phase of the project, reaching 141 residents. Participants had an average age of 62 years, were mostly female (79%), with less than a college education (79%) and an annual income less than $40,000 (55%). Racial representation approximated the state (24% Black, 75% White). Improvements in diabetes control were seen in both diabetic and pre-diabetic participants. Hemoglobin A1c (A1c) is a measure of blood sugar control over the past 3 months. The target A1c for people with diabetes is <7%, and a 1% decrease in A1c is clinically significant. A quarter of diabetic and prediabetic participants in the BLD whoprovided follow up data had a reduction of A1c of ≥ 1.0. Of those who started the program with an A1c >7%, 28% saw declines of A1c to <7%. Finally, a third of participants who were pre-diabetic had an A1c reduction into the normal range (<5.7). A change of lifestyle behaviors can be credited with these positive clinical results. Weight control is a driving factor in the control of Type 2 diabetes, and weight loss often occurs as a result of the lifestyle changes recommended by the BLD program. 61% of participants who provided follow-up information lost weight, with an average weight loss of 6.9 pounds (1.3% of body weight) in the twelve weeks. In addition, 60% of participants reported an increase in their fruit and vegetable consumption, and 52% reported an increase in their weekly exercise. Virginia Cooperative Extension will continue to target diabetes as a priority for lifestyle education programming and will strengthen collaboration with current community partners, including 8 healthcare organizations, a regional food provider, the YMCA, and local Health Departments. Sustained provision of the BLD will improve the health of Virginia residents with diabetes, reduce healthcare costs, and increase the length and quality of their lives. Accomplishments in this Project Period: The three goals of the BLD project are (1) Create the capacity to use Master Food Volunteers (MFV) to assist the BLD Program, (2) Create sustained capacity for implementation of the Balanced Living with Diabetes (BLD) program in rural counties of Virginia, and (3) Produce a complete BLD curriculum kit to be made available to other state and local Extension Programs. Goal 1 (Objs. 1.1 & 1.2): The two objectives associated with goal 1 were accomplished in the first project period.Engagement of MFV in all of the BLD programs being offeredin the second project period is being promoted. All but one of the counties have Master Food Volunteers (MFV) who are assiting with the BLD program. In total, there are 35 MFV's assisting agents, and of these15 have taken the Balanced Living with Diabetes continuing education training developed in the first project period. Master Food Volunteers have continued to assist the BLD program through conducting food demonstrations and preparing food prior to demonstrations to free up Agents' time.Comments during interviews with MFV's indicate that they have enjoyed the food demonstration work; the continuing education modules prepared them well for their role in this program; and the additional training has given them more insight into the benefits of eating a healthy diet. Goal 2 (Objs. 2.1 & 2.2): Objective 2.1 - Prepare FCS Extension Agents in qualified rural locations to implement the BLD program in theirlocations This objective was accomplished in the first year of the project. All 12 Family and Consumer Science Agents were trained on the implementation of the BLD Program, and the role of Master Food Volunteers in the Program. We conduct monthly video conference meetings with the participating FCS Agents to discussprogram planning and provide updates to the program. Objective 2.2 - Implement the BLD program in 16 qualified rural Virginia counties/cities with FCS Extension Agents and MFV engagement where possible. Sixteen counties were targeted to implement the BLD twice during the project. The BLD program was conducted in 11 counties during the first project reporting period, with 99 participants attending these programs. The five remaining counties conducted their first program in this reporting period, with 51 participants attending these classes. In addition, six counties have completed or started their second BLD program with an attendance of 60 participants , and an additional seven counties have scheduled their program for the Fall. Two counties have lost their FCS Extension Agents, and have not yet replaced them.A third rural county Agent has decided not to implement the BLD program in the coming year due to low interest in the first year. All but one of the counties conducting the BLD now have Master Food Volunteers who are assisting with the BLD program. In total, there are15 MFV's assisting agents in rural counties with the BLD, all of whom have completed the MFV continuing education module. Goal 3 (Objs 3.1 & 3.2) Objective 3:1 - Update BLD program and leader materials based on evaluation and feedback obtained from all counties Feedback was obtained about the BLD program from FCS Extension Agentsand Master Food Volunteers implementing the BLD programthrough individual interviews. Interviews queried Agent experience with BLD training, systems for accessing program materials, role of the MFV, community collaborations, program sustainability, and suggestions for program improvement. Interview information was summarized and a list of recommendations compiled. Primary recommendations were for support in public awareness of the MFV and BLD programs, recruitment and retention support materials, update of program recipes, and systems for financial support of the program. Objective 3:2 - Produce curriculum kit in electronic format to be made available to National Cooperative Extension and health professionals working in diabetes education. The curriculum kit has been developed and includes Agent instruction, Facilitator, and Participant Manuals, presentation slides for each session, evaluation forms, and cutomizable recruitment and retention materials. A recorded training module for the program is in preparation, and will allow forself-administered training in the Balanced Living with Diabetes Program.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Under Review
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Jiles, KA, Chase ME,Hosig K, Rafie C, Wenzel S, Schlenker E. The Master Food Volunteer Continuing Education Program: A model for volunteer capacity building. Submitted to the Journal of Extension, May, 2017.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Rafie C, Chase ME, Hosig K, Jones D, Wenzel S, Schlenker E, Jiles K. Balanced Living with Diabetes: Impacting rural community health through evidence-based program implementation by Cooperative Extension. Accepted for presentation at the 2017 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo, November 4 - 8, 2017.
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Progress 09/01/15 to 08/31/16
Outputs
Target Audience:Two outreach efforts were conducted during this reporting period. One was to recruit residents of the target rural communities to become Master Food Volunteers, and the other was engagement of rural community members with diabetes in a diabetes self-management program (Balanced Living with Diabetes, BLD). Twenty-five Master Food Volunteers were trained in this project period, and were of both genders and diverse racial/ethnic and economic backgrounds. What all have in a common is a desire to learn more about food and food preparation, and to serve as volunteers with Cooperative Extension, assisting in food and health related programs conducted by Family and Consumer Science Extension Agents. Ninety-nine rural community members from 11 counties have participated in the BLD program by the end of this reporting period. Participant demographics gathered from participants responding to socio-demographic questions are as follows: Gender: 74.5% female, 25.5% male Age: Range = 24 - 80 years; Average age = 62 years Race/Ethnicity: 83% caucasian, 16% African American, 1% Other; 99% not Hispanic Education: 9% < 12 years, 38% high school, 22% some college, 31% college graduate Income: 32% ≤ $30,000; 35% - $30,001 - $50,000; 16% - $50,001 - $70,000; 7% - $70,001 - $90,000; 7% > $90,000 Changes/Problems:There have been no significant changes to the project approach, and we are on schedule to complete all activities as outlined in the project. There have been some minor challenges. Two counties have experienced a significant challenge in recruiting volunteers to take the MFV program. Long travel distances in rural counties are a barrier to participation. Finding and coordinating dates with qualified RD's or CDE's to assist with the BLD program has delayed scheduling of several programs. In general, however, all counties have found qualified collaborators. In several counties, recruitment for the BLD program was easier than for the MFV program resulting in multiple BLD programs conducted without MFV's. This will not be a problem for the second year of the grant, as all but 2 counties will have trained MFV's. We will work with the remaining 2 counties to complete the program. Finally, competing priorities for Extension Agents has delayed the BLD program in some of the 16 counties during the first year. All counties now have BLD programs scheduled. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provided training in diabetes and the conduct of the Balanced Living with Diabetes to fourteen Extension Agents in the first year. A second In-Service training for additional Agents interested in conducting the program will be conducted in the coming year. 21 Extension Agents were trained on the conduct of the Master Food Volunteer Training Program. Seven of these went on to provide the Master Food Volunteer training in their counties, and trained a total of 25 new Master Food Volunteers. Finally, a continuing education module for Master Food Volunteers has been developed to provide education on diabetes, the Balanced Living with Diabetes Program, and Food Safety to Master Food Volunteers interested in assisting Extension Agents with the BLD program. Nine MFV's have completed the CE training modules. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of the project are only preliminary at this point. Ongoing updates on outcomes of the MFV and BLD programs are provided to members of the Advisory Committee, which represent statewide organizations including a member of the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Rural Health Association, and the Southern Regional Development Center. Information about the BLD program has been disseminated within Virgina Cooperative Extension during the quarterly District Extension Meetings, and during the annual state Extension conference. Extension Agents participating in the project have reached out within their communities to establish community partners for the implementation of the BLD, and to market the program to community residents. A presentation proposal has been submitted to the National Health Outreach Conference scheduled for May 2 - 4, 2017, to present on the sustainability outcomes of the project, including the formal and informal community collaborations established and lessons learned. In addition, an article on the process of development of the continuing education module for Master Food Volunteers to create capacity for support of Extension Agents in implementation of the BLD is in preparation for submission to the Journal of Extension. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The objectives outlined for this project were in support of 3 overarching goals. Work will continue to accomplish these goals, as follows: Goal 1: Create the capacity to use Master Food Volunteers (MFV) to assist the BLD Program Master Food Volunteers trained during this project period will receive ongoing support by the research team and Extension Agents. Agents will be their primary contact, and will engage them in active participation in the BLD program that they will implement in the coming year. MFV who have not yet completed the CE BLD training modules will be encouraged to do so, before assisting with the BLD program. Extension Agents with a limited number of MFV's, will be encouraged to conduct a MFV training program in the coming year, to increase the support they have to sustain implementation of the BLD and other food/health related programs. Goal 2: Create sustained capacity for implementation of the Balanced Living with Diabetes (BLD) program in rural counties of Virginia All participating Extension Agents have received training on implementation of the BLD program. These agents will be brought together to discuss the lessons learned from the program that they conducted in the past project year. From this discussion, the BLD training and program materials will be modified to incorporate Agent recommendations and provide guidance for best practices for successful programs. Strong community partnerships are important for the sustainability of the program. An emphasis will be placed on strengthening collaborations established during the first year for conduct of the BLD program, and formalizing relationships for ongoing support of the program. Assistance will be provided to Agents by the Research Team and Advisory Committee in the identification of and communication with these partners. Goal 3: Produce a complete BLD curriculum kit to be made available to other state and local Extension programs. The BLD curriculum kit will be developed during the latter half of the second project year, after data from the second BLD programs has been received, in order to incorporate all of the lessons learned and best practices identified. Avenues for dissemination of information about the BLD curriculum kit will include eXtension, the Virginia Chronic Disease Collaborative, the 2018 National Health Outreach Conference, among others.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Accomplishments and challenges within each objective are detailed below. MILESTONES TO DATE: Obj. 1.1: All 12 participating Extension Agents have been trained on the MFV program. Five of the 16 counties had existing MFV available to assist with the BLD, 7 counties have conducted MFV trainings, and 2 counties had difficulties recruiting for the MFV program (see Challenges). A total of 25 new MFV's have been trained. Obj. 1.2: An online 5-module continuing education (CE) training program on diabetes and the BLD, complete with evaluation quizzes was developed and tested for MFV's. Nine MFV's have completed the CE training program. An additional 6 MFV's are in the process of completing the training. Obj. 2.1: Eleven of the 12 participating extension agents have been trained on the BLD program. BLD training is scheduled for the 12th Agent in the coming month. Obj. 2.2: Eleven counties have completed or started their BLD programs, 5 have completed the BLD program, 6 have programs ongoing. Programs are scheduled in October/November for 4 counties; 1 county has not yet scheduled a program. 99 participants have participated in the BLD program, with an average attendance of 9 per program. Obj. 3.1: Interviews with Extension Agents and Master Food Volunteers who participated in the BLD are ongoing. Upon completion of the interviews and review of the information provided, BLD materials and process will be modified as appropriate in preparation of implementation of the program in participating counties in the coming year. Obj. 3.2: The BLD toolkit will be developed in the coming project year, after all data has been collected.
Publications
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