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NATIONAL 4-H HEALTHY LIVING PROFESSIONAL AND VOLUNTEER
DEVELOPMENT NEEDS ASSESSMENT: A DELPHI APPROACH
FINAL REPORT
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D.
Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
John J. Toman, Ph.D.
Teresa Moody, M.S.
November 25, 2013
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National 4-H Healthy Living Professional and
Volunteer Development Needs Assessment:
A Delphi Approach
Contents List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. 4
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 5
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 7
Purpose of the Needs Assessment................................................................................................... 7
Plan ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Study Questions .............................................................................................................................. 8
Methods........................................................................................................................................... 8
Delphi Technique ...................................................................................................................... 8
Nominations/Panels................................................................................................................... 9
Table 1. Random Assignment of State 4-H Program Leaders for Panel Nominations ........... 9
Table 2. Source of Panel Nominations ................................................................................. 10
Table 3. Panel Participation by Nomination Source ............................................................. 11
Instrumentation....................................................................................................................... 11
Table 4. Response Rates for the Study Questionnaires, Rounds One, Two and Three ........ 12
Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 13
Findings......................................................................................................................................... 14
Study Question One – What are the major development needs for 4-H professionals and
volunteers working in the Healthy Living initiative as identified by expert panels of state
Extension directors/college deans, local 4-H professionals, state 4-H professions, adult
volunteers, and key partners? ................................................................................................ 14
Table 5. Top 20 Needs Identified by State Extension Directors/College Deans (n=4) ........ 16
Table 6. Top 20 Needs Identified by State 4-H Professionals (n=7) .................................... 17
Table 7. Top 20 Needs Identified by Local 4-H Professionals (n=6) ................................... 18
Table 8. Top 20 Needs Identified by Volunteers (n=6) ........................................................ 19
Table 9. Top 20 Needs Identified by Partners (n=3) ............................................................ 20
Table 10. Top Development Needs Identified by Deans and Directors ............................... 22
Table 11. Top Development Needs Identified by State 4-H Professionals .......................... 23
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Table 12. Top Development Needs Identified by Local 4-H Professionals ......................... 24
Table 13. Top Development Needs Identified by Volunteers .............................................. 25
Study Question Two – What, if any, themes are represented among the expert panels in
the major development needs for 4-H professionals and volunteers working in the
Healthy Living initiative? ....................................................................................................... 27
Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 29
Conclusion A............................................................................................................................ 29
Evidence A ............................................................................................................................... 29
Conclusion B ............................................................................................................................ 29
Evidence B ............................................................................................................................... 29
Conclusion C............................................................................................................................ 29
Evidence C ............................................................................................................................... 29
Discussion/Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 30
Addressing All Dimensions of Human Health...................................................................... 30
Other Themes .......................................................................................................................... 30
Use of the Delphi Technique .................................................................................................. 31
Limitations .................................................................................................................................... 31
Future Research ............................................................................................................................ 32
References ..................................................................................................................................... 33
Author Biographies ....................................................................................................................... 35
Appendices .................................................................................................................................... 37
A. Project Timeline ................................................................................................................. 37
A1. 6-D Model for Project Management ............................................................................... 37
A2. Tasks and Milestones for June and July, 2013 .............................................................. 37
A3. Tasks and Milestones for August, 2013 .......................................................................... 37
A4. Tasks and Milestones for September, 2013 ................................................................... 37
B. Correspondence .................................................................................................................. 38
C. Questionnaires .................................................................................................................... 46
D. Full Data Set ..................................................................................................................... 106
D1. Dean and Director Responses ....................................................................................... 106
D2. Local 4-H Professional Responses ................................................................................ 108
D3. Volunteer Responses ...................................................................................................... 110
D4. State 4-H Professional Responses ................................................................................. 112
D5. Partner Responses .......................................................................................................... 114
Contact Information .................................................................................................................... 116
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List of Tables
Table 1. Random Assignment of State 4-H Program Leaders for Panel Nominations 9 Table 2. Source of Panel Nominations 10 Table 3. Panel Participation by Nomination Source 11 Table 4. Response Rates for the Study Questionnaires, Rounds One, Two and Three 12 Table 5. Top 20 Needs Identified by State Extension Directors/College Deans (n=4) 16 Table 6. Top 20 Needs Identified by State 4-H Professionals (n=7) 17 Table 7. Top 20 Needs Identified by Local 4-H Professionals (n=6) 18 Table 8. Top 20 Needs Identified by Volunteers (n=6) 19 Table 9. Top 20 Needs Identified by Partners (n=3) 20 Table 10. Top Development Needs Identified by Deans and Directors 22 Table 11. Top Development Needs Identified by State 4-H Professionals 23 Table 12. Top Development Needs Identified by Local 4-H Professionals 24 Table 13. Top Development Needs Identified by Volunteers 25
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National 4-H Healthy Living Professional and
Volunteer Development Needs Assessment:
A Delphi Approach
Executive Summary
Overview – This study was a needs assessment relative to professional development, training,
and technical assistance for Extension 4-H professionals and 4-H volunteers working in the 4-H
Healthy Living initiative. The intent was to provide recommendations in support of the 4-H
Healthy Living Mission Mandate – “to provide capacity building recommendations” that would
allow for program growth and increased competency for 4-H professionals and volunteers who
provide youth programs. Using the Delphi technique, the study solicited attitudes and opinions
from state Extension directors/deans, local and state Extension 4-H professionals, adult
volunteers, and key partners.
4-H Healthy Living programs are diverse and rich with regard to people, programs, products,
processes, and partnerships. 4-H Healthy Living programs target one or more of the following:
physical activity, unintentional injury, injury prevention, social/emotional development, healthy
eating, and/or substance abuse prevention. This study was requested by the National 4-H Healthy
Living Management Team, National 4-H Council, 4-H National Headquarters of the National
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and funded by Walmart.
Purpose – The overall aim was to provide recommendations to the National 4-H Healthy Living
Mission Mandate Management team that would inform decisions about training, professional
development, and technical assistance, and ultimately further the aims of 4-H Healthy Living
programs for healthier, happier young people. This study sought to address two primary
questions:
1. What are the major development needs for 4-H professionals and volunteers working in
the Healthy Living initiative as identified by expert panels of state Extension
directors/college deans, local 4-H professional, state 4-H professions, adult volunteers,
and key partners?
2. What, if any, themes are represented among the expert panels in the major development
needs for 4-H professionals and volunteers working in the Healthy Living initiative?
Methodology – This study was conducted using the Delphi technique—a technique that allowed
us to capture the richness and experiences of a diverse sample of Extension personnel and
stakeholders representing a cross-section of the nation’s 106 land-grant institutions in all states
and territories. This method was selected for several reasons including the shortened timeframe
of this project (approximately 14 weeks).
Nominations were sought for experts in 4-H Healthy Living programs. These experts represented
state Extension directors/deans, local and state Extension 4-H professionals, adult volunteers,
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and key partners (researchers, donors, and other stakeholders). The nominations came from the
State 4-H Program Leaders, the National 4-H Healthy Living Management Team, and a five-year
review of two journals, Journal of Extension and the Journal of Youth Development. The
nomination process produced 108 nominees who were all invited to participate. The number who
chose to participate in the study were five state Extension directors/college deans, eight state 4-H
professionals, seven local 4-H professionals, 10 4-H volunteers, and seven partners.
The experts received three questionnaires over a period of nine weeks. Consistent with the
Delphi method, the first questionnaire asked an open-ended question about the needs of
Extension 4-H professionals and 4-H volunteers for healthy living programs. Subsequent
questionnaires were developed from responses to the previous round. The response rate for all
questionnaires in this study was 82.2%.
Findings/Conclusions – At the completion of Round Three, we compared responses across all
panels for Round Two and Round Three to identify similarities and differences between the
groups. Trends and themes were identified to provide a comprehensive picture of the ideas from
all respondents. This analysis showed that technical assistance, professional development, and
training for Extension 4-H professionals and 4-H volunteers in the Healthy Living initiative
should address all dimensions of human health, affordable programming, empowering youth for
change, and program evaluation/research.
In regards to programming that reflects all dimensions of human health, the panelists described
this as a “holistic” approach. In the context of the panelist’s descriptions, the term “holistic” is
used to describe physical activity, unintentional injury, injury prevention, social/emotional
development, healthy eating, and/or substance abuse prevention. The panelists’ descriptions did
not indicate the medical practice of holistic health.
Recommendations – The major recommendation is that all aspects of 4-H programming reflect a
holistic view of health, reflecting all dimensions of human health. 4-H Healthy Living should be
viewed as broader than any project, curricula or training; it should be viewed as “the way we do
business” at 4-H camps, conferences, club meetings, project activities, etc. The context of the
youth-serving environment is paramount. Additionally, Extension 4-H professionals and 4-H
volunteers need more professionals development and training regarding “where youth are today”
in regards to their total health profile and lifestyles.
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Introduction
4-H Healthy Living programs are diverse and rich with regard to people, programs, products,
processes, and partnerships. We conducted this needs assessment using the Delphi technique—a
technique that allowed us to capture the richness and experiences of a diverse sample of
Extension personnel and stakeholders representing a cross-section of the nation’s 106 land-grant
institutions in all states and territories.
We used the Delphi technique to solicit attitudes and opinions from state Extension
directors/deans, local and state Extension 4-H professionals, volunteers, and key partners. The
Delphi technique ensured that we had both qualitative and quantitative data. In this study, the
Delphi technique actively involved the respondents in identifying and prioritizing the needs and
issues with the process and outcomes being participant-driven and not controlled by the
researchers (Gross, 1981). Given the timeframe for this needs assessment (June 17 – October 7,
2013), a Delphi technique was deemed the best approach for involving the most people who had
the knowledge and background in 4-H Healthy Living programs to fully respond to questions
about professional and volunteer development.
The goal of this report was to provide information that would meet the needs of the 4-H Healthy
Living Mission Mandate – “to provide capacity building recommendations” that would allow for
program growth and increased competency for 4-H professionals and volunteers who provide
youth programs.
Purpose of the Needs Assessment
The overall aims of the needs assessment were to assess the level of skills and competencies
needed to be an effective 4-H professional (local and state) and 4-H volunteer (young adult and
adult); and identify needs related to training, professional development, and technical assistance
required to increase capacity and competency levels of 4-H professionals and volunteers working
in the Healthy Living initiative. The purpose was to provide research to the National 4-H Healthy
Living Mission Mandate Management team that would inform decisions about training,
professional development, and technical assistance, and ultimately further the aims of 4-H
Healthy Living initiative for healthier, happier young people.
Plan
The method of project management that was followed, 6-D Model, was previously used
successfully on a number of large-scale projects, including the University of Tennessee
Extension Strategic Plan, Advancing Tennessee, 2010-2020 (UT Extension, 2013). The 6-D
Model consists of: discover, define, design, develop, data analysis, and delivery. For the project
timeline, see Appendix A. After the proposal was accepted by the National 4-H Council and the
4-H National Headquarters of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the next step was to
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seek approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Tennessee. The
IRB approved this research under expedited review (IRB protocol #9260).
Study Questions
The specific study questions were:
1. What are the major development needs for 4-H professionals and volunteers working in
the Healthy Living initiative as identified by expert panels of state Extension
directors/college deans, local 4-H professional, state 4-H professions, adult volunteers,
and key partners?
2. What, if any, themes are represented among the expert panels in the major development
needs for 4-H professionals and volunteers working in the Healthy Living initiative?
Methods
This section details the Delphi technique, the population (including the process to nominate
panels), and the instrumentation.
Delphi Technique The Delphi Technique is a method for soliciting ideas from a nominated group of experts using a
series of questionnaires (Hsu & Sandford, 2007; Ludwig, 1997). This technique is credited to
Norman Dalkey and Olaf Helmer of the Rand Corporation and was pioneered by the United
States Department of Defense for making predictions about large-scale issues including war and
population changes (Dalkey & Helmer, 1963; Lindeman, 1981). Over the next 50 years,
numerous public service agencies and organizations including Cooperative Extension used the
Delphi Technique for needs assessments, program planning and evaluation purposes (Gamon,
1991; Ludwig, 1997).
This method was selected for this project for several reasons including:
(1) the importance of including a diverse sample of respondents with the objective of
soliciting input from representatives associated with the nation’s 106 land-grant
institutions as well as from people who are serving 4-H in different roles;
(2) the shortened timeframe of this project that limited the use of other techniques such as
focus groups and traditional surveys; and
(3) the ability to use a method that would facilitate the collection of many different needs and
would also allow the nominated experts to refine and select the top needs for their groups.
The Delphi Technique lends itself to a project like this because it allows for collecting
information from a diverse group of participants who cover a wide geographical area and it is
cost-effective (Mayfield, Wingenbach, & Chalmers, 2005). Furthermore, the process allowed
each group to identify their own key needs and issues without influence from other groups
(Lorenzo, Blanche, & Henson, 2003).
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Nominations/Panels Six groups were identified as having the most knowledge about the needs of 4-H Healthy Living
professionals and volunteers. These groups consisted of:
(1) College Deans/State Extension Directors
(2) State 4-H Professionals
(3) Local 4-H Professionals
(4) Young Adult Volunteers (18 – 21 years)
(5) Adult Volunteers (over 21 years)
(6) Partners (researchers, donors, and other stakeholders)
To solicit nominations for the first five groups listed above, the National 4-H Council provided
us with a list of all State 4-H Program Leaders from 1862, 1890 and 1994 institutions. This list
consisted of 90 names. We randomly assigned the 90 State 4-H Program Leaders to one of five
groups (college deans/state Extension directors; state 4-H professionals; young adult volunteers;
adult volunteers; and local 4-H professionals) as shown in Table 1. Random assignment was
made by numbering the 90 individuals 1-90 and using a random number generator to select
random numbers for the panels numbered 1-5 (Haahr, 2008).
Table 1. Random Assignment of State 4-H Program Leaders for Panel Nominations
n=90a
1994 Institutions 1890 Institutions 1862 Institutions
n=2 % (100%)
n=24 % (100%)
n=64 % (100%)
College Deans and
State Extension
Directors
1 50 7 29.2 10 15.6
State 4-H Professionals 0 0 6 25 12 18.8
Local 4-H
Professionals
1 50 4 16.6 13 20.3
Adult Volunteers 0 0 3 12.5 15 23.4
Young Volunteers
(ages 18-21)
0 0 4 16.6 14 21.9
a Percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding
For each group we e-mailed the State 4-H Program Leaders describing the project objectives and
asked them to share names and contact information of two to three individuals whom they
viewed as key informants for 4-H Healthy Living programs (see Appendix B for example copies
of letters). In the e-mail, a link was provided for a nomination form where State 4-H Program
Leaders could record names and e-mail addresses for potential participants. State 4-H Program
Leaders were given two weeks to submit nominations. The State 4-H Program Leaders provided
54 potential panel members across the five groups.
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To identify partners, the National 4-H Council provided a mailing list of the 4-H Healthy Living
Management Team members; at the time this group was composed of 11 members. We e-mailed
individuals asking them to nominate partners (researchers, donors, and other stakeholders). As
with the State 4-H Program Leaders, Management Team members received a link to a
nomination form where they could record names and e-mail addresses for potential panel
members. We received five potential panel members for this group.
To increase the number of panel members for the partner group, we reviewed articles in two
peer-reviewed professional journals: Journal of Extension and the Journal of Youth
Development. We selected articles related to aspects of 4-H healthy living such as nutrition
education, physical activity, and other aspects of healthy youth development published during
the past five years. These searches identified a total of 55 potential panel members for a total of
114 nominations (Table 2).
Table 2. Source of Panel Nominations
State 4-H
Program
Leaders
National 4-H
Healthy
Living
Management
Team
Journal of
Extension
Journal of
Youth
Development
College Deans and State
Extension Directors (n=10) 6 0 4 0
State 4-H Professionals (n=19) 14 0 3 2
Local 4-H Professionals (n=23) 15 0 7 1
Adult Volunteers (n=5) 5 0 0 0
Young Adult Volunteers (n=14) 14 0 0 0
Partners (n=43) 0 5 20 18
Totals (n=114) 54 5 34 21
We had one email returned and five panel members indicated that they were not able to
participate due to changing job responsibilities. Of these, five were partners who were either
Journal of Extension or Journal of Youth Development authors and one was a young adult
volunteer nominated by a State 4-H Program Leader. The adjusted total was 108 panel members
(see Table 3).
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Table 3. Panel Participation by Nomination Source
State 4-H
Program
Leaders
National 4-H
Healthy Living
Management
Team
Journal of
Extension
Journal of
Youth
Development
College Deans and State Extension
Directors (n=10)
6 0 4 0
State 4-H Professionals (n=19) 14 0 3 2
Local 4-H Professionals (n=23) 15 0 7 1
Young Adult Volunteers (n=14) 13 0 0 0
Partners (n=43) 0 5 18 15
Totals (n=108) 53 5 32 18
Because there were only five nominees for the Adult Volunteer group, we combined the Adult
Volunteers and Young Adult Volunteers into one Volunteer panel. The final totals for the five
expert panels were:
10 College Deans and State Extension Directors
19 State 4-H Professionals
23 Local 4-H Professionals
19 Volunteers
43 Partners
Instrumentation
A modified Delphi Technique consisting of three Rounds of questionnaires was employed with
the five panels. Consistent with this method, after we developed the first questionnaire, the
subsequent questionnaires were developed from responses to the previous round. In Round One,
panelists were asked for their top 10 issues rather than an unlimited list of issues. In Round
Three, panelists were shown the average ratings from Round Two for the 10 highest rated issues.
Typically, panelists would see the group average and their individual average for each item, and
they would describe why they disagree. These modifications were made to create a prioritized
list of needs.
Response rates for the three rounds are shown in Table 4. Response rates were calculated based
on the nominees who accepted the invitation to be part of this study. Response rate is defined as
those who read the information sheet and started the first questionnaire. The combined response
rate for the 15 questionnaires was 82.2%.
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Table 4. Response Rates for the Study Questionnaires, Rounds One, Two and Three
Round One Round Two Round Three
f % f % f %
State Extension Directors/College Deans (n=5) 5 100 4 80 4 80
State 4-H Professionals (n=8) 8 100 7 87.5 8 100
Local 4-H Professionals (n=7) 6 85.7 6 85.7 7 100
Volunteers (n=10) 10 100 6 60 4 40
Partners (n=7) 7 100 3 42.8 5 71.4
Round One – For Round One, each nominated panel member received an e-mail explaining that
they had been identified as a national expert for 4-H Healthy Living programs and the objectives
of the project (see copies of letters in Appendix B). The e-mail contained a link to a
questionnaire, created using the Survey Monkey online software.
The first questionnaire consisted of one open-ended prompt: “To build capacity and competence
for 4-H healthy living programs, 4-H professionals and volunteers have the following needs:”
Respondents were asked to list up to 10 answers.
Round Two – Using the Round One results, we created five questionnaires (one for each panel)
for Round Two (see copies of each questionnaire in the Appendix C). The responses from Round
One were grouped by categories to make the Round Two questionnaire easier for panel members
to complete.
Round Two questionnaire instructions were: “Following is a list of those responses you and other
panel members provided us. To determine priorities for these statements, we are asking that you
rate each of them on a nine-point continuum, ranging from nine for most important to one for
least important. Statements have been categorized into groups to assist you. Please be selective in
choosing those NEEDS you consider as most important.”
Panel members were also allowed to include additional statements if they believed the list was
incomplete. All the panel members received an e-mail with a link to the Round Two
questionnaires in Survey Monkey (see copies of letters in Appendix B).
Round Three – Using the Round Two results, we created five questionnaires (one for each panel)
for Round Three (see copies of each questionnaire in the Appendix C). All panel members
received an e-mail with a link to the Round Three questionnaires (see copies of the letters in the
Appendix B). As in the Round Two questionnaire, panel members were asked in the Round
Three questionnaire to include any additional needs not represented on the questionnaire.
The instructions for the Round Three questionnaires were:
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“The following is a prioritized list of the TOP 20 NEEDS you and other panel members provided
to us during our panel study process. These statements are listed as they are ranked from most
important to least important (from nine to one where nine is most important). The mean score
(shown in parentheses) is the average of all panel members’ responses.”
For Round Three, respondents were asked to consider the list and identify up to three needs as
most important for Extension personnel. Next, they were presented with the same list and asked
to identify up to three needs as most important for volunteers.
Data Analysis
Round One responses were grouped into categories and some responses were edited to reduce
wordiness and potential bias for other panel members. For example, one participant mentioned a
specific healthy living curriculum as an illustration of their answer but this was not included in
the next round.
Mean scores and standard deviations were calculated for all Round Two responses for each
panel. Responses were ranked in order by mean score for Round Three questionnaires.
Frequencies were calculated for Round Three responses. Responses were ranked based on
number of panel members who selected those responses. Responses were calculated separately
for 4-H professionals and for 4-H volunteers. At the completion of Round Three, we compared
responses across all panels for Round Two and Round Three to identify similarities and
differences between the groups by identifying codes, sketching notes, and displaying data
(Creswell, 1998). Trends and themes were identified to provide a comprehensive picture of the
ideas from all respondents. The full data set is shown in Appendix D.
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Findings
Study Question One – What are the major development needs for 4-H professionals
and volunteers working in the Healthy Living initiative as identified by expert
panels of state Extension directors/college deans, local 4-H professionals, state 4-H
professions, adult volunteers, and key partners?
Round One – Using the Round One results, we created five questionnaires (one for each panel)
for Round Two. The responses from Round One were grouped by major category to make the
Round Two questionnaires easier for the panel members to complete. The listing of categories by
panel follows:
(1) College Deans and State Extension Directors
a. Curriculum Content—5 responses
b. Resources—5 responses
c. Skill Building—4 responses
d. Curriculum Materials—4 responses
e. Program Expansion and Reach—3 responses
f. Other—3 responses
(2) State 4-H Professionals
a. Training Related to Skill Building—12 responses
b. Training Related to Knowledge—8 responses
c. Curriculum Content—6 responses
d. Curriculum Resources—3 responses
e. Other—3 responses
(3) Local 4-H Professionals
a. Program content/curriculum—8 responses
b. Program Development and Operations—8 responses
c. Professional Development/Training: Human Development—7 responses
d. Professional Development/Training: Other—5 responses
e. Commitment—4 responses
(4) Volunteers
a. Training Topics—14 responses
b. Program Management—9 responses
c. Teaching Methods/Materials—7 responses
d. Activities Development and Training—6 responses
e. Professional Development—5 responses
f. Healthy Living Knowledge/Understanding—3 responses
g. Other—2 responses
(5) Partners
a. Training Related to Increasing Knowledge—11 responses
b. Other—11 responses
c. Training Related to Skill Building—5 responses
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d. Partnerships—4 responses
e. Resources—2 responses
f. Curriculum—1 response
Round Two— Round Two questionnaire instructions were: “Following is a list of those
responses you and other panel members provided us. To determine priorities for these
statements, we are asking that you rate each of them on a nine-point continuum, ranging from
nine for most important to one for least important.” Using the mean scores, the top 20 needs
were identified by panel. Tables 5-9 show the top 20 needs, mean scores, and standard deviations
per panel. Panels may have more than 20 items due to ties. The entire data set is found in
Appendix D.
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Table 5. Top 20 Needs Identified by State Extension Directors/College Deans (n=4)
Mean
Scorea
Standard
Deviation
Develop a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating agriculture and
health issues, healthy eating, menu planning, and cooking
competitions
8.75 0.5
Develop a cohesive and collaborative effort between 4-H Council
and Headquarters with a common vision and expected outcomes 8 0.82
Develop a national voice that aligns with 4-H Council and
Headquarters 7.75 0.96
Develop creative, current curriculum aligned with National
Headquarters 7.5 1.91
Funding to hire staff to focus on healthy living efforts 7.5 1.29
Create a national database of healthy living programs 7.33 1.53
Develop comprehensive evaluation and assessment tools 7 1.63
Increase skills for working with limited resource audiences 6.75 2.06
Increase teaching skills for outdoor safety programs specifically
ATV and Hunting Safety 6.75 2.06
Increase diversity 6.75 2.63
How to read and interpret food labels 6.75 0.96
Expand programs to more limited resource audiences 6.5 2.65
How to grow and use produce from home, community and school
gardens 6.5 3.79
Expand programs to underserved youth populations 6.25 2.5
Develop curriculum that honors cultural differences including
Native American 6.25 2.36
Develop mobile apps for youth 6 2.71
Importance of proper hydration as part of an approved exercise
program 6 3.46
Funding for programming and purchases 6 2.58
Funding not attached to controversial groups 6 2.65
Model proper exercise and nutrition behaviors for youth 5.75 3.3
Teach junior leaders to be trainers for younger students 5.75 0.96
How to develop healthy, budget-wise meals 5.67 4.04
Scholarships to attend healthy living training 5.5 2.08
Nutritional issues of fresh fruits and vegetables versus cooked fruits
and vegetables 4 2.16
Note. Panels may have more than 20 items due to ties. aScale: Items were ranked on a nine-point continuum from 1=least important to 9=most
important
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Table 6. Top 20 Needs Identified by State 4-H Professionals (n=7)
Mean
Scorea
Standard
Deviation
Identify strategies that integrate healthy practices into all aspects of 4-
H programming 7.86 0.90
Identify strategies that incorporate physical activity into educational
programming 7.86 0.69
Identify strategies to empower youth to promote and adopt healthy
living practices 7.86 0.90
Teach “hands-on” learning techniques that promote engagement 7.86 1.35
Positive youth development link to promoting healthy eating 7.86 1.07
Concept of holistic health—looking at the physical, social/emotional
and cognitive aspects of healthy living 7.86 0.90
Ways to incorporate physical activity into daily routine 7.57 0.98
Develop curricula list 7.57 1.51
Develop national tools 7.29 1.60
How to decrease screen time and increase physical activity 7.14 0.90
Build skills in developing and facilitating inclusive programs and
activities 7.00 1.41
Develop supportive colleagues and collegial networks 7.00 1.63
Identify strategies to work with teens as teachers of healthy living
programs 6.86 1.57
Increase cultural competence in working with economically and
ethnically diverse audiences 6.86 2.04
Nutritional and health needs of early, middle and late adolescence 6.86 1.07
How to interpret and teach healthy eating and physical activity
principles 6.86 1.07
Develop curriculum rubrics 6.86 1.46
Identify strategies to decrease and deal with bullying behaviors 6.71 1.38
Increase skills for partnering with community agencies 6.71 1.80
Bullying and negative impact on youth 6.71 1.25
Healthy eating on a tight budget 6.71 1.25
How to adapt recipes to make them healthier 6.71 1.25
Top health issues faced by youth and the program implications of
these issues 6.57 0.98
How to reduce food portions especially for high calorie foods 6.57 0.98
Increase opportunities for youth to team teach healthy living programs 6.57 1.13
Note. Panels may have more than 20 items due to ties. aScale: Items were ranked on a nine-point continuum from 1=least important to 9=most
important
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Table 7. Top 20 Needs Identified by Local 4-H Professionals (n=6)
Mean
Scorea
Standard
Deviation
Uniformity and simplicity evaluation protocols and tools – For evaluation,
professional access would be very helpful. 8.40 0.89
Have easy to use, low-budget activities. 8.20 0.84
Increase teaching skills for healthy eating on a tight budget. 7.80 0.45
Increase family involvement. 7.67 0.82
Increased understanding of where youth are today (trends and data regarding
lifestyle choices, emotional challenges, sexual temptations, trending peer
pressure, current drug, and alcohol use, etc.). 7.40 1.14
Increase knowledge in tools to use and curriculum to use in health and
wellness. 7.20 0.45
Good communication, idea, and resource sharing within the university and
communities served. 7.20 1.30
Increase knowledge in social and emotional development. 7.20 0.45
Realization that they should lead by example by having healthy habits. 7.00 1.00
Community partners, connections, and identity. This is key to success and
takes time. 7.00 1.87
Increased resources for active and meaningful recreation centered on boosting
health with physical activity. 6.83 1.60
Increase knowledge base and comfort level in substance abuse prevention. 6.80 1.10
Finding food choices that are healthy and available. 6.67 2.58
Realization that they don't have to be experts or medical professionals to teach
health living topics/curriculum. 6.67 1.37
Finding quick, convenient, and inexpensive food choices. 6.60 2.30
Increase train the trainer (teens) involvement. 6.60 1.52
Increased resources geared towards a broad age range that may be found in a
club setting (3rd-12th grade). 6.40 2.61
Increased awareness of their own habits, healthy or unhealthy. 6.40 1.95
Increase collaboration with other youth serving organizations. 6.40 1.67
Increase knowledge and teaching skills for proper stretching. 6.40 0.89
Note. Panels may have more than 20 items due to ties. aScale: Items were ranked on a nine-point continuum from 1=least important to 9=most
important
19
Table 8. Top 20 Needs Identified by Volunteers (n=6)
Mean
Scorea
Standard
Deviation
Working with a tight budget and how to save money on healthy foods 8.00 0.71
Ways to make programs interesting for participants 8.00 0.71
Cooking healthy and quick meals 8.00 0.71
Cheap and easy meals 7.80 0.84
Tips for easy healthy living 7.60 1.67
Healthy options for busy lifestyles 7.40 0.89
Budgeting for food 7.40 0.89
Useful programs and materials with realistic and achievable goals 7.20 1.10
Examples of hands-on activities 7.20 0.84
“Movement games” that take 5-10 minutes 7.17 0.75
Improve teaching skills 7.00 1.58
Fun physical activities for children and adults to do together 6.83 1.72
Age-related activity games/hands on learning 6.83 1.94
Ways to keep youth engaged in healthy living topics 6.80 1.30
Set lesson plans that allow time for lessons, games and snacks 6.80 0.84
Support for the program. 6.60 1.67
Public speaking games and/or classes to promote self-confidence 6.60 1.82
Increase teaching skills. 6.60 0.89
Ideas for team-building so that members learn kindness 6.60 1.34
Basic information about foods and their effects on the body 6.60 0.89
Note. Panels may have more than 20 items due to ties. aScale: Items were ranked on a nine-point continuum from 1=least important to 9=most
important
20
Table 9. Top 20 Needs Identified by Partners (n=3)
Mean
Scorea
Standard
Deviation
Ability to translate healthy eating research and knowledge into
practices 9.00 0.00
Provide healthy options for food, activities, and environments at 4-H
events and educational opportunities 9.00 0.00
Research models and data collection methods to demonstrate impacts
and behavior change 8.33 0.58
Increase collaborations with FCS professionals who have a
health/wellness background 8.33 1.15
Improve relationship with partners who are already doing this work
outside of 4-H 8.33 1.15
Integrate positive health outcomes into existing 4-H youth
development activities and programs 8.33 1.15
Access to and understanding of latest research and references on
healthy living topics 8.00 1.00
How to motivate youth to adopt healthy behaviors 8.00 1.00
Impact of technology on sedentary lifestyles and ways to increase
physical activity 8.00 0.00
The role and influence of families and peers in health behaviors 7.67 1.53
Improve relationships with healthy living specialists across Extension 7.67 1.15
Impact of body dissatisfaction on inappropriate weight control
practices 7.33 1.15
Develop user friendly tools on healthy living topics 7.33 2.08
Develop new funding sources to support healthy living education 7.33 0.58
Increase self-awareness regarding their ability to acquire knowledge
and skills necessary to help 4-H youth live healthier lives 7.33 2.08
How their own attitudes and behaviors about healthy living influence
the attitudes and behaviors of 4-H youth 7.00 2.00
How to increase community resources and accessibility for physical
activity 7.00 0.00
Holistic model of healthy living beyond nutrition and physical activity 7.00 2.65
Increase focus on individual changes and changes needed in the
environment and community 7.00 0.00
The broad spectrum of issues associated with healthy living 6.67 0.58
Develop partnerships with health care professionals in the medical
community 6.67 2.08
Increase motivation and commitment to building their own capacity
and competencies related to healthy living 6.67 0.58
21
Increase dissemination of 4-H healthy living efforts 6.67 1.15
Place more emphasis on youth development practices and less
emphasis on competitions 6.67 1.53
Note. Panels may have more than 20 items due to ties. aScale: Items were ranked on a nine-point continuum from 1=least important to 9=most
important
22
Round Three— For Round Three, respondents were asked to consider the top 20 list of needs
and identify up to three needs as most important for Extension personnel. Next, they were
presented with the same list and asked to identify up to three needs as most important for
volunteers. The results show the percentage of panelists who identified the statement a one of the
top three needs, and the panels may have more than three needs for 4-H professionals and 4-H
volunteers due to ties.
“Funding to hire staff to focus on healthy living efforts” was the top need identified by state
Extension directors and college deans (75%). This panel described the top needs for 4-H
volunteers as “Teach junior leaders to be trainers for younger students” (50%); “Expand
programs to underserved youth populations” (50%); and “Develop a multi-disciplinary approach
incorporating agriculture and health issues, healthy eating, menu planning, and cooking
competitions” (50%). See Table 10.
Table 10. Top Development Needs Identified by Deans and Directors
Statement f %
Needs of 4-H Professionals (n=4)
Funding to hire staff to focus on healthy living efforts 3 75
Develop a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating
agriculture and health issues, healthy eating, menu
planning, and cooking competitions 2 50
Develop a cohesive and collaborative effort between 4-
H Council and Headquarters with a common vision
and expected outcomes 2 50
Needs of 4-H Volunteers (n=4)
Teach junior leaders to be trainers for younger students 2 50
Expand programs to underserved youth populations 2 50
Develop a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating
agriculture and health issues, healthy eating, menu
planning, and cooking competitions 2 50
23
The state 4-H professionals panel selected “strategies that integrate healthy practices into all
aspects of 4-H programming” as the most important need for both 4-H professionals (87.5%) and
4-H volunteers (62.5%) as shown in Table 11.
Table 11. Top Development Needs Identified by State 4-H Professionals
Statement f %
Needs of 4-H Professionals (n=8)
Identify strategies that integrate healthy practices into all aspects
of 4-H programming 7 87.5
Identify strategies to empower youth to promote and adopt
healthy living practices 4 50
Concept of holistic health—looking at the physical,
social/emotional and cognitive aspects of healthy living 4 50
Needs of 4-H Volunteers (n=8)
Identify strategies that integrate healthy practices into all aspects
of 4-H programming 5 62.5
Identify strategies to empower youth to promote and adopt
healthy living practices 3 37.5
Teach “hands-on” learning techniques that promote engagement 3 37.5
Build skills in developing and facilitating inclusive programs
and activities 3 37.5
Note. Panels may have more than three needs for 4-H professionals and 4-H volunteers due to
ties.
24
The local 4-H professionals identified the need for “uniformity and simplicity of evaluation
protocols and tools” as the most important need for Extension professionals (57.1%). For 4-H
volunteers, the local 4-H professionals identified the need for easy to use, affordable activities
(71.4%); see Table 12.
Table 12. Top Development Needs Identified by Local 4-H Professionals Statement f %
Needs of 4-H Professionals (n=7)
Uniformity and simplicity evaluation protocols and tools – For
evaluation, professional access would be very helpful. 4 57.1
Increased resources geared towards a broad age range that may be found
in a club setting, 3rd-12th grade. 3 42.8
Have easy to use, low-budget activities. 3 42.8
Increase family involvement. 3 42.8
Increased understanding of where youth are today, i.e., trends and data
regarding lifestyle choices, emotional challenges, sexual temptations,
trending peer pressure, current drug, and alcohol use, etc. 3 42.8
Needs of 4-H Volunteers (n=7)
Have easy to use, low-budget activities. 5 71.4
Increased understanding of where youth are today, i.e., trends and data
regarding lifestyle choices, emotional challenges, sexual temptations,
trending peer pressure, current drug, and alcohol use, etc. 3 42.8
Increase knowledge in tools to use and curriculum to use in health and
wellness. 3 42.8
Realization that they don't have to be experts or medical professionals to
teach health living topics/curriculum. 3 42.8
Note. Panels may have more than three needs for 4-H professionals and 4-H volunteers due to
ties.
25
The expert panel of 4-H volunteers identified “Movement games that take 5-10 minutes” (60%)
and “Ways to make programs interesting for participants” (60%) as the most important needs for
4-H professionals. For 4-H volunteers, the expert panel of volunteers identified “Ways to make
programs interesting for participants” (60%) as the most important need (Table13).
Table 13. Top Development Needs Identified by Volunteers
Statement f %
Needs of 4-H Professionals (n=4)
“Movement games” that take 5-10 minutes 3 60
Ways to make programs interesting for participants 3 60
Tips for easy healthy living 2 40
Needs of 4-H Volunteers (n=4)
Ways to make programs interesting for participants 3 60
“Movement games” that take 5-10 minutes 2 40
Working with a tight budget and how to save money
on healthy foods 2 40
26
The partners identified the “ability to translate healthy eating research and knowledge into
practices” as the most important need for Extension 4-H professionals (80%). For 4-H
volunteers, 80% of the partners’ panel agreed on two top needs: “How to motivate youth to adopt
healthy behaviors” and “Provide healthy options for food, activities, and environments at 4-H
events and educational opportunities” (Table 14).
Table 14. Top Development Needs Identified by Partners
Statement f %
Needs of 4-H Professionals (n=5)
Ability to translate healthy eating research and
knowledge into practices 4 80
Research models and data collection methods to
demonstrate impacts and behavior change 2 40
Integrate positive health outcomes into existing 4-H
youth development activities and programs 2 40
Needs of 4-H Volunteers (n=5)
How to motivate youth to adopt healthy behaviors 4 80
Provide healthy options for food, activities, and
environments at 4-H events and educational
opportunities 4 80
Integrate positive health outcomes into existing 4-H
youth development activities and programs 2 40
Note. Panels may have more than three needs for 4-H professionals and 4-H volunteers due to
ties.
27
Study Question Two – What, if any, themes are represented among the expert
panels in the major development needs for 4-H professionals and volunteers
working in the Healthy Living initiative?
The top needs from each of the five panels were analyzed to determine if any common themes
emerged among the panels. This was done by identifying codes, sketching notes, and displaying
data as described by Creswell (1998). This analysis elicited four themes described as:
Programming that reflects all dimensions of human health
Affordable programming
Empowering youth for change
Program evaluation/research
In regards to programming that reflects all dimensions of human health, the panelists described
this as a “holistic” approach. In the context of the panelist’s descriptions, the term “holistic” is
used to describe physical activity, unintentional injury, injury prevention, social/emotional
development, healthy eating, and/or substance abuse prevention. The panelists did not, in any
reference, indicate that they meant the medical practice of holistic health.
All of these themes apply to both Extension 4-H professionals and 4-H volunteers, except for
“program evaluation/research” which applies to only Extension 4-H professionals. The following
list organizes the major needs thematically. The panels are identified in parenthesis.
Programming that reflects all dimensions of human health [participants described this
approach as holistic]
Needs of 4-H Professionals and Needs of 4-H Volunteers
o Increased understanding of where youth are today, i.e., trends and data regarding
lifestyle choices, emotional challenges, sexual temptations, trending peer
pressure, current drug, and alcohol use, etc. (Local 4-H Professionals)
o Identify strategies that integrate healthy practices into all aspects of 4-H
programming (State 4-H Professionals)
o Concept of holistic health—looking at the physical, social/emotional and
cognitive aspects of healthy living (State 4-H Professionals)
o Integrate positive health outcomes into existing 4-H youth development activities
and programs (Partners)
o Develop a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating agriculture and health issues,
healthy eating, menu planning, and cooking competitions (State Extension
Directors/College Deans)
o Ability to translate healthy eating research and knowledge into practices
(Partners)
o Provide healthy options for food, activities, and environments at 4-H events and
educational opportunities (Partners)
Affordable programming
Needs of 4-H Professionals and Needs of 4-H Volunteers
o Have easy to use, low-budget activities (Local 4-H Professionals)
o Movement games that take 5-10 minutes (4-H Volunteers)
Empowering youth for change
28
Needs of 4-H Professionals
o Identify strategies to empower youth to promote and adopt healthy living
practices (State 4-H professionals)
o Tips for easy healthy living (4-H Volunteers)
o Ways to make programs interesting for participants (4-H Volunteers)
Needs of 4-H Volunteers
o Identify strategies to empower youth to promote and adopt healthy living
practices (State 4-H professionals)
o Teach “hands-on” learning techniques that promote engagement (State 4-H
professionals)
o How to motivate youth to adopt healthy behaviors (Partners)
Program evaluation/research
Needs of 4-H Professionals
o Uniformity and simplicity evaluation protocols and tools – For evaluation,
professional access would be very helpful. (Local 4-H Professionals)
o Research models and data collection methods to demonstrate impacts and
behavior change (Partners)
29
Conclusions
This study involved 37 experts. The average response rate across the five panels for all
questionnaires was 82.2%. The conclusions and the respondents represent a cross-section of the
major professionals and stakeholders in the 4-H Healthy Living initiative.
Conclusion A The area of most similarity among the panels is the need for programming that reflects all
dimensions of human health. Panelists described this approach as “holistic”. Panelists identified
the need to enrich all 4-H programs, projects, activities, etc. through this all-encompassing view
of human health and programming. This should be viewed as the most important need for the 4-
H Healthy Living initiative.
Evidence A All of the panels except volunteers identified the need for programming and 4-H environments
that reflect all dimensions of human health. The panelists described this as a “holistic” approach.
In the context of the panelist’s descriptions, the term “holistic” is used to describe physical
activity, unintentional injury, injury prevention, social/emotional development, healthy eating,
and/or substance abuse prevention. The panelists did not, in any reference, indicate the practice
of holistic health, that is, an association with alternative medicine. The state 4-H professional
panel selected “strategies that integrate healthy practices into all aspects of 4-H programming” as
a top need for 4-H professionals (87.5%) and 4-H volunteers (62.5%).
Conclusion B In addition to the top theme of programming that reflects all aspects of human health, there were
three other themes. Major themes identified for building capacity among Extension 4-H
professionals and 4-H volunteers in the Healthy Living initiative are:
The need for affordable programming described by respondents as both easy to
implement and low-budget.
The need to empower youth to adopt healthy lifestyle choices and practices.
The need for uniform and user-friendly program evaluation for local 4-H professionals
to implement and the use of research models to demonstrate program results including
youth behavior change.
Evidence B Each of the four themes was evident in the top needs identified by the expert panels.
Conclusion C The Delphi technique is an acceptable method for understanding attitudes and opinion from state
Extension directors/college deans, state 4-H professional, local 4-H professional, 4-H volunteers,
and partners.
Evidence C The panelists’ responses elicited both similarities and differences. For example, local 4-H
professionals were the only ones to identify a need to “increase family involvement.”
30
Discussion/Recommendations
The major recommendation from this study is that technical assistance, professional
development, and training for Extension 4-H professionals and 4-H volunteers in the Healthy
Living initiative should address all dimensions of human health (physical activity, unintentional
injury, injury prevention, social/emotional development, healthy eating, and/or substance abuse
prevention), affordable programming, empowering youth for change, and program
evaluation/research. Additional recommendations are provided for the use of the Delphi
technique for needs assessment studies.
Addressing All Dimensions of Human Health It is recommended that Extension 4-H professionals and 4-H volunteers receive professional
development, training, and technical assistance in programs that take a holistic view of health
and that include a response to “where youth are today” in regards to their total health profile and
lifestyles.
Additionally, it is recommended that this all-encompassing view of health be integrated into all
aspects of 4-H programming. The four H’s in “4-H” stand for Hands, Heart, Head and Health. In
particular, healthy eating was an issue raised across the panels. Other dimensions identified by
panelists were: lifestyle choices, emotional challenges, physical activity, unintentional injury,
injury prevention, social/emotional development, and substance abuse prevention.
Professionals and volunteers need to view 4-H Healthy Living as much broader than a project,
curricula or training; it should be viewed as the way we do business at 4-H camps, conferences,
club meetings, project activities, etc. The context of the youth-serving environment is paramount.
Encouraging healthy living at a young age provides a foundation for the rest of the individual’s
life.
The needs identified for all dimensions of human health and programming should be viewed as
the single most important priority for the 4-H Healthy Living initiative (again, panelists
described this as a “holistic” approach). This conclusion is consistent with the 4-H Healthy
Living Literature Review and Recommendations for Program Planning and Evaluation (Hill,
McGuire, Parker & Sage, 2009). Perhaps, Hill et. al described this need best: “effective attempts
to define and promote healthy living must consider not only youth and children, but also the
contexts in which they live and grow.”
Other Themes Technical assistance, professional development, and training for Extension 4-H professionals and
4-H volunteers should be directed toward affordable programming, empowering youth for
change, and program evaluation/research. As with the need for holistic programming, the
program evaluation and research aspects are consistent with the 4-H Healthy Living Literature
Review and Recommendations for Program Planning and Evaluation (Hill, et al, 2009).
It is recommended that additional research and communication is needed regarding 4-H
Common Measures in the context of healthy living programs. 4-H Common Measures is a set of
31
questionnaires that provides tested, high-quality instruments to assist in evaluating the outcomes
of 4-H programs (Le Menestrel & Walahoski, 2013). Research is needed to determine the extent
to which 4-H Common Measures align with 4-H healthy living programing. While the panelists
identified the need for easy-to-use evaluation tools, they did not mention 4-H Common
Measures. It is recommended that more communications about 4-H Common Measures are
warranted throughout the Cooperative Extension System.
Use of the Delphi Technique The use of the Journal of Extension and the Journal of Youth Development to secure nominations
proved useful. The authors identified from these journals participated in this study at high rates.
It is possible that this recruitment technique over-sampled researchers in the field of youth
development and healthy living for the partners’ panel.
We suggest that a national needs assessment of this scope should have at minimum 12-month
timeframe. A 12-month timeframe would have allowed researchers to secure nominations of
volunteers from local leaders. The longer timeframe was also needed to secure informed consent
and assent from participants who are under 18 years of age. In this study, we did not seek to
recruit teen volunteers due to the short timeframe for obtaining consent/assent. In addition, it is
suggested that approximately one month is needed to secure nominations from State 4-H
Program Leaders.
Limitations
This study had several limitations. First, this project was funded for 14 weeks which was not
enough time to complete a comprehensive needs assessment. The short timeframe impacted the
study in several significant ways but the most critical was the inability to collect input from
youth under 18 years of age. There was not adequate time for institutional human subjects review
or time to collect parental consent and youth assent. This is a real shortcoming since these youth
are the target audience for these programs and would have valuable insight to the needs of 4-H
professionals and volunteers. We recommend that future studies have adequate time to collect
information from youth participants.
Another limitation was the low response rate. Panels ranged from five participants (State
Extension Directors/College Deans) to 10 participants (Volunteers). Ziglio (1996) argued that it
is difficult to determine an exact statistical number of experts needed for Delphi studies but in
general, 10 to 15 experts is the recommended minimum with 35 being the highest recommended
number (Gordon, 1994). However, Dalkey as cited in Linstone (1978, p. 296) did find seven to
be a suitable panel size. For this study, the lowest response rate was three participants (Partners
in Round Two). Given the timeframe of the project (July through October), one possible reason
for the low response rate is that many potential respondents were committed to 4-H summer
activities such as overnight camps that would make participating in a study a low priority. Future
research should have adequate time to recruit and retain participants.
One final limitation is that some of the identified needs were difficult to interpret. The study was
conducted anonymously so it was not possible to follow-up with participants to clarify the
32
statements. Future research should include other methods that would help to define needs and
provide a more comprehensive understanding of issues. These methods could include focus
groups and additional surveys.
In summary, the results reported here should be viewed as a preliminary step towards identifying
the needs for 4-H professionals and volunteers involved in 4-H Healthy Living programs. We
recommend that adequate time and resources be allocated for conducting a comprehensive needs
assessment. We feel that this process would benefit from a multi-method approach including
focus groups and surveys that could further examine the needs identified here.
The major finding of this study was the need to incorporate healthy living into all aspects of 4-H
programming. Research has found that youth who participate in 4-H experience a number of
benefits (Lerner & Lerner, 2012). However, it is important to note that 4-H youth continue to be
at risk for obesity, drug and tobacco abuse and mental illness (Bartoszuk & Randall, 2011;
Seevers, Hodnett, & Van Leeuwen, 2011). As the 4-H Healthy Living Programs continue to
expand, it is critical that these ideas about holistic healthy programming be further examined,
defined, and refined. To this end, several questions need to be considered including: If 4-H
incorporated a holistic idea of health, how would the program look? The potential answers to
these questions could range from relatively simple solutions that have been incorporated into 4-H
programs such as tobacco free campuses and increased emphasis on healthy meals and physical
activity to more complicated solutions such as working with volunteers and professionals to
achieve healthy goals to become role models for youth. Meeting these challenges will be an
important step for continuing the positive legacy that 4-H has on youth.
Future Research
It is recommended that additional research be conducted to explore the major themes identified
in this study. Researchers may consider focus groups or other interview techniques so that
follow-up and probing questions can be used to adequately describe the respondent’s needs. In
this study, panel members identified the need to use research models in 4-H Healthy Living
programs. It is not known if the panelists have certain models in mind; therefore, interviews
would provide the opportunity for follow-up questioning and clarification.
It is also suggested that additional research should seek to identify Cooperative Extension’s
capacities and best practices for programming that addresses all human health dimensions
(physical activity, unintentional injury, injury prevention, social/emotional development, healthy
eating, and/or substance abuse prevention).
33
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35
Author Biographies
This section provides brief descriptions of the research team. The team members’ evaluation,
professional development, and healthy living experiences are detailed.
Dr. Joseph L. Donaldson is an accomplished program evaluator, teacher and researcher. Dr.
Donaldson is an Extension Specialist for the University of Tennessee Extension. He is the
primary author of the Program Evaluation Network, online software used by 700 Extension
employees in five states. He teaches the UT College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural
Resources graduate course in program planning and evaluation, an online course with 25
graduate students. He has developed numerous staff development courses for Extension
employees on needs assessment, program planning, evaluation, and accountability topics. His
online Extension courses regularly have 800 employees enrolled. He conducted numerous focus
groups with over 50 Tennessee producers to describe learning among today’s farmers. The
research focused on organic producers, female producers, and value-added producers. The
research was widely shared through various sources, including the Qualitative Report journal,
Journal of Extension, and American Evaluation Association conference. Donaldson has served
as evaluator for numerous projects and has published on topics including online course
supplements for undergraduates in the agricultural sciences, the value of Extension plant and pest
diagnostics programs; and Extension Agent performance appraisal. He is an active member of
the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents, and he received the organization’s Air Force
Recruiting Salute Award in 2012. As an Extension 4-H Agent, he provided healthy living
programs for 2,500 youth enrolled in 80 4-H clubs in Giles County, Tennessee.
Dr. Karen Franck is an Extension Specialist for the University of Tennessee Extension Family
and Consumer Sciences (FCS). She is the program evaluator for two federally funded nutrition
education interventions including the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)
and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) program. She has
been serving as co-chair of a national EFNEP committee tasked to revise one of the behavior
change measures for adults. Dr. Franck has conducted program evaluations for a variety of
diverse programs including drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs for women with children,
domestic violence programs, and programs for at-risk youth including runaways and youth in
foster care. She has served as Co-Principal Investigator on several grants evaluating the
effectiveness of nutrition education interventions on children and adults and is currently
evaluating a state funded project looking at the effectiveness of health and safety interventions
including teen seat belt use and the effects of graduated drivers’ license laws. She is also
coordinating the efforts to develop a valid and reliable tool to measure core competencies for
FCS agents. She is proficient in a variety of statistical data analysis packages including SPSS,
MPlus, Amos, STATA, and QDA Miner.
Dr. John Toman has been with the University of Tennessee Extension for twelve years. He is
responsible for providing technical support for System for University Planning Evaluation and
Reporting and the Program Evaluation Network, through database and computer programming,
systems testing, working with end-users and providing technical guidance. While at Extension,
he has implemented major information systems, taught numerous workshops to faculty, staff,
and youth, introduced new technologies for learning and communication across the state of
36
Tennessee, and developed and provided technical consultation for a variety of educational
programs. He is the lead developer for eWellness an online nutrition and exercise program
serving over 750 participants nationwide. Additionally, he developed and taught a masters level
technology course to students across the state using both asynchronous and synchronous delivery
methods.
Ms. Teresa Moody is a staff assistant with the University of Tennessee Extension Evaluation and
Staff Development. She is a Tennessee native from Pulaski where she was active in several 4-H
programs including Poultry, Poultry judging, Livestock judging and Fashion. She recently
graduated with a Master of Science in Forestry Wildlife and Fisheries. Her research focused on
the role Plestiodon skinks play in the Lyme disease cycle. Her Bachelor of Science in Wildlife
Biology was completed at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Her goals are to teach and
research environmental sciences as a career.
37
Appendices
A. Project Timeline
This section provides an overall timeline of the needs assessment. The method of project
management that we followed, 6-D Model, has been used successfully on a number of large-
scale projects, including the University of Tennessee Extension Strategic Plan, Advancing
Tennessee, 2010-2020 (UT Extension, 2013). The 6-D Model is shown in Table xx. The tasks
and milestones for July, August and September are shown in Tables 2, 3, and 4 respectively.
A1. 6-D Model for Project Management Project Workflow Major Milestones
Discover Identifying panels
Define Identifying key questions for panels to address
Design Design communications and instruments
Develop Data collection
Data Analysis Statistical tests/discourse analysis
Delivery Final report/presentations
A2. Tasks and Milestones for June and July, 2013 June and July 2013
June 24 July 1 July 8 July 15 July 22 July 29
Round I Delphi
with Six
Participant Panels
Panel Nomination/Recruitment
Panel Communications
Round I Analyze Round I Data
A3. Tasks and Milestones for August, 2013 August 2013
Aug 5 Aug 12 Aug 19 Aug 26
Round II Delphi
with Six
Participant Panels
Panel Communications
Round II Analyze Round II Data
A4. Tasks and Milestones for September, 2013 September 2013
Sept 9 Sept 16 Sept 23 Sept 30
Round III Delphi
with Six
Participant Panels
Panel Communications
Round III Analyze Round III Data
38
B. Correspondence
Sent: Monday, July 22, 2013 3:07 PM
Subject: National 4-H Healthy Living Needs Assessment
July 22, 2013
YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED FOR THE
National 4-H Healthy Living Professional and Volunteer Development Needs Assessment
Dear Colleagues,
We are honored to conduct the needs assessment for the National 4-H Healthy Living Mission
Mandate. We are assessing the development needs of professionals and volunteers, both teens
and adults, for healthy living programs.
We need your help. We are asking members of your group to nominate individuals for our study.
Please help us to identify partners who you consider key informants for 4-H healthy living
programs. We have already asked state 4-H leaders to nominate college deans, extension
directors, 4-H adult volunteers, 4-H young adult volunteers, and local and state extension
professionals. You might consider researchers, donors, and other stakeholders.
We are asking you to identify 2-3 partners – those you believe have the knowledge and
background to respond to questions about the development needs of 4-H professionals and
volunteers for healthy living programs. As a reminder, healthy living programs include those
targeting one or more of the following: physical activity, unintentional injury, injury prevention,
social/emotional development, healthy eating, and/or substance abuse prevention.
The individuals you nominate will be asked to answer three brief questionnaires over the next
eight weeks. Each questionnaire should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Your
name will never be linked to your nominations. Please enter the name, email, and phone (if
known) for your nominations at this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/4HPartners
We need your responses by August 2, 2013. We anticipate that the results of this needs
assessment will influence training, technical assistance, and professional development for 4-H
professionals and volunteers who provide youth programs. Please do not hesitate to contact
Joseph Donaldson ([email protected]; 865-974-7245) or Karen Franck
([email protected]; 865-577-9963) with any questions.
Thank you for your interest and your participation!
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D. Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist Extension Specialist
Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating.
UT Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.
39
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 11:14 AM Subject: National 4-H Healthy Living Needs Assessment
YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED FOR THE
National 4-H Healthy Living Professional and Volunteer Development Needs Assessment
Dear Colleagues:
We are conducting a needs assessment for the National 4-H Healthy Living Mission Mandate.
We are assessing the development needs of 4-H professionals and volunteers, both teens and
adults, for healthy living programs. Our goal is to involve a diverse sample of Extension
personnel and stakeholders representing the nation’s 106 land-grant institutions in all states and
territories.
We need your help. You have been identified as a national expert – someone who has the
knowledge and background to respond to questions about the development needs of 4-H
professionals and volunteers for healthy living programs. Healthy living programs include those
targeting one or more of the following: physical activity, unintentional injury, injury prevention,
social/emotional development, healthy eating, and/or substance abuse prevention.
We are asking you to answer three brief questionnaires over the next eight weeks. Each
questionnaire should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Your name will never be
linked to your individual responses. The first questionnaire is available now at this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RoundOneLocal4HProfessionals
We need your responses by August 16, 2013. The results of this needs assessment will influence
training, technical assistance, and professional development to 4-H professionals and volunteers
who provide youth programs. We hope you will take a few minutes to make the best better.
Please do not hesitate to contact Joseph Donaldson ([email protected]; 865-974-7245)
or Karen Franck ([email protected]; 865-577-9963) with any questions.
Thank you for your interest and your participation.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D. Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist Extension Specialist Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development.
University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating.
UT Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.
40
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 9:48 AM Subject: National 4-H Healthy Living Needs Assessment
YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED FOR THE
National 4-H Healthy Living Professional and Volunteer Development Needs Assessment
Dear Colleagues:
We had a great response to the first questionnaire in our needs assessment study of the National
4-H Healthy Living Mission Mandate. The second questionnaire is available at this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RoundTwoLocal4HProfessionals
This questionnaire should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Your name will never be linked
to your individual responses. We need your responses by September 13, 2013.
The results of this questionnaire will be used in the third and final questionnaire. Please do not
hesitate to contact Joseph Donaldson ([email protected]; 865-974-7245) or Karen
Franck ([email protected]; 865-577-9963) with any questions.
Thank you for your interest and your participation.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D.
Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist Extension Specialist Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development.
University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating. UT Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.
41
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2013 12:33 PM Subject: National 4-H Healthy Living Needs Assessment
National 4-H Healthy Living Professional and Volunteer Development Needs Assessment
Dear Colleagues:
We have had a great response to the needs assessment study of the National 4-H Healthy Living
Mission Mandate. The third and final questionnaire is available at this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RoundThreeLocalProfessionals
This questionnaire should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Your name will never be linked
to your individual responses. We need your responses by October 4, 2013.
The final report will be available in November, and we will notify you when it is posted online.
Please do not hesitate to contact Joseph Donaldson ([email protected]; 865-974-7245)
or Karen Franck ([email protected]; 865-577-9963) with any questions.
Thank you for your interest and your participation.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D.
Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist Extension Specialist
Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development.
University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating.
UT Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.
42
Sent: Monday, September 30, 2013 9:39 AM Subject: FW: National 4-H Healthy Living Needs Assessment
Dear Colleagues:
Last week we wrote to you seeking your opinions about the needs of professionals and
volunteers for 4-H healthy living programs. Thanks to those of you who have already responded.
If you have not responded, please do so by Friday, October 4 at this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RoundThreeLocalProfessionals
The results of this needs assessment will influence training, technical assistance, and professional
development for 4-H professionals and volunteers who provide youth programs. We hope you
will take a few minutes to make the best better. Please do not hesitate to contact Joseph
Donaldson ([email protected]; 865-974-7245) or Karen Franck
([email protected]; 865-577-9963) with any questions.
Thank you for your interest and your participation.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D.
Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist Extension Specialist
43
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2013 12:33 PM
Subject: National 4-H Healthy Living Needs Assessment
National 4-H Healthy Living Professional and Volunteer Development Needs Assessment
Dear Colleagues:
We have had a great response to the needs assessment study of the National 4-H Healthy Living
Mission Mandate. The third and final questionnaire is available at this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RoundThreeLocalProfessionals
This questionnaire should take about 10-15 minutes to complete. Your name will never be linked
to your individual responses. We need your responses by October 4, 2013.
The final report will be available in November, and we will notify you when it is posted online.
Please do not hesitate to contact Joseph Donaldson ([email protected]; 865-974-7245)
or Karen Franck ([email protected]; 865-577-9963) with any questions.
Thank you for your interest and your participation.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D.
Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist Extension Specialist Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development.
University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating. UT Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.
44
Sent: Monday, August 12, 2013 8:54 AM Subject: FW: National 4-H Healthy Living Needs Assessment
Dear Colleagues:
Last week we wrote to you seeking your opinions about the needs of professionals and
volunteers for 4-H healthy living programs. Thanks to those of you who have already responded.
If you have not responded, please do so by Friday, August 16 at this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RoundOneLocal4HProfessionals
The results of this needs assessment will influence training, technical assistance, and professional
development for 4-H professionals and volunteers who provide youth programs. We hope you
will take a few minutes to make the best better. Please do not hesitate to contact Joseph
Donaldson ([email protected]; 865-974-7245) or Karen Franck
([email protected]; 865-577-9963) with any questions.
Thank you for your interest and your participation.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D.
Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist Extension Specialist
45
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2013 11:14 AM Subject: National 4-H Healthy Living Needs Assessment
YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED FOR THE
National 4-H Healthy Living Professional and Volunteer Development Needs Assessment
Dear Colleagues:
We are conducting a needs assessment for the National 4-H Healthy Living Mission Mandate.
We are assessing the development needs of 4-H professionals and volunteers, both teens and
adults, for healthy living programs. Our goal is to involve a diverse sample of Extension
personnel and stakeholders representing the nation’s 106 land-grant institutions in all states and
territories.
We need your help. You have been identified as a national expert – someone who has the
knowledge and background to respond to questions about the development needs of 4-H
professionals and volunteers for healthy living programs. Healthy living programs include those
targeting one or more of the following: physical activity, unintentional injury, injury prevention,
social/emotional development, healthy eating, and/or substance abuse prevention.
We are asking you to answer three brief questionnaires over the next eight weeks. Each
questionnaire should take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Your name will never be
linked to your individual responses. The first questionnaire is available now at this link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RoundOneLocal4HProfessionals
We need your responses by August 16, 2013. The results of this needs assessment will influence
training, technical assistance, and professional development to 4-H professionals and volunteers
who provide youth programs. We hope you will take a few minutes to make the best better.
Please do not hesitate to contact Joseph Donaldson ([email protected]; 865-974-7245)
or Karen Franck ([email protected]; 865-577-9963) with any questions.
Thank you for your interest and your participation.
Sincerely,
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D.
Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist Extension Specialist Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development.
46
C. Questionnaires
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59
60
61
62
63
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66
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D. Full Data Set
D1. Dean and Director Responses
Category Statement Mean
Score
Standard
Deviatio
n Number
Missing Number
Answered
Skill Building Increase skills for working with limited resource
audiences 6.75 2.06 0 4
Increase teaching skills for outdoor safety programs
specifically ATV and Hunting Safety 6.75 2.06 0 4
Model proper exercise and nutrition behaviors for
youth 5.75 3.30 0 4
Teach junior leaders to be trainers for younger
students 5.75 0.96 0 4
Program Expansion
and Reach Expand programs to more limited resource
audiences 6.50 2.65 0 4
Increase diversity 6.75 2.63 0 4
Expand programs to underserved youth populations 6.25 2.50 0 4
Curriculum
Materials Develop mobile apps for youth 6.00 2.71 0 4
Develop creative, current curriculum aligned with
National Headquarters 7.50 1.91 0 4
Develop curriculum that honors cultural differences
including Native American 6.25 2.36 0 4
Develop a multi-disciplinary approach incorporating
agriculture and health issues, healthy eating, menu
planning, and cooking competitions 8.75 0.50 0 4
Curriculum
Content Nutritional issues of fresh fruits and vegetables
versus cooked fruits and vegetables 4.00 2.16 0 4
How to develop healthy, budget-wise meals 5.67 4.04 1 3
How to read and interpret food labels t-wise meals 6.75 0.96 0 4
How to grow and use produce from home,
community and school gardens 6.50 3.79 0 4
Importance of proper hydration as part of an
approved exercise program 6.00 3.46 0 4
Resources Funding to hire staff to focus on healthy living
efforts 7.50 1.29 0 4
Funding for programming and purchases 6.00 2.58 0 4
Scholarships to attend healthy living training 5.50 2.08 0 4
Create a national database of healthy living
programs 7.33 1.53 1 3
Develop comprehensive evaluation and assessment
tools 7.00 1.63 0 4
Other
Develop a cohesive and collaborative effort between
4-H Council and Headquarters with a common
vision and expected outcomes 8.00 0.82 0 4
107
Develop a national voice that aligns with 4-H
Council and Headquarters 7.75 0.96 0 4
Funding not attached to controversial groups 6.00 2.65 1 3
108
D2. Local 4-H Professional Responses
Category Statement
Mean
Score Standard
Deviation Number
Missing Number
Answered Program
content/curriculu
m Finding food choices that are healthy and available 6.67 2.58 0 6
Increase knowledge base about different cultures 4.60 2.51 1 5
Increased resources for active and meaningful
recreation centered on boosting health with
physical activity 6.83 1.60 0 6
Finding quick, convenient, and inexpensive food
choices 6.60 2.30 1 5
Have materials available in Spanish. 5.40 2.41 1 5
Increased resources geared towards a broad age
range that may be found in a club setting (3rd-12th
grade) 6.40 2.61 1 5
Have easy to use, low-budget activities 8.20 0.84 1 5
Increase knowledge in tools to use and curriculum
to use in health and wellness 7.20 0.45 1 5
Our Commitment Realization that they should lead by example by
having healthy habits 7.00 1.00 1 5
A willingness and ability to practice, teach, and
model healthier eating and other healthy habits 6.17 2.14 0 6
Time and energy to teach and model these skills 5.00 2.45 0 6
Increased awareness of their own habits, healthy or
unhealthy 6.40 1.95 1 5
Program
Development and
Operations
Support staff - Through the years has been a steady
decline in support staff in the Extension offices. It
is an important consideration and often an obstacle
when engaging in new project areas and expanding
existing ones 5.20 2.28 1 5
Volunteer recognition, engagement, training, and
mentoring. Creative ways to attract and honor the
valuable contributions made by volunteers 5.20 2.59 1 5
Increase collaboration with other youth serving
organizations 6.40 1.67 1 5
Increase family involvement 7.67 0.82 0 6
Community partners, connections, and identity
This is key to success and takes time 7.00 1.87 1 5
More efficient system for the way grant funded
extension and outreach programs employ staff This
differs from the way the majority of the university
employs staff. It is an important consideration and
often an obstacle when engaging in new projects or
just trying to run existing ones 5.60 3.05 1 5
Good communication, idea, and resource sharing
within the university and communities served 7.20 1.30 1 5
Uniformity and simplicity evaluation protocols and
tools – For evaluation, professional access would 8.40 0.89 1 5
109
be very helpful Professional
Development/
Training: Human
Development Increase knowledge base and comfort level in
substance abuse prevention 6.80 1.10 1 5
Increased understanding of where youth are today
(trends and data regarding lifestyle choices,
emotional challenges, sexual temptations, trending
peer pressure, current drug, and alcohol use, etc.) 7.40 1.14 1 5
Increase knowledge and teaching skills for age
appropriate physical activity training 5.67 2.50 0 6
Increase knowledge base and comfort level in
social/emotional development in different ages 5.83 1.94 0 6
Increase knowledge and teaching skills for age
appropriate nutrition requirements in youth 6.00 2.53 0 6
Increase knowledge in injury prevention 5.80 0.84 1 5
Increase knowledge in social and emotional
development 7.20 0.45 1 5 Professional
Development/Trai
ning: Other
Realization that they don't have to be experts or
medical professionals to teach health living
topics/curriculum 6.67 1.37 0 6
Increase teaching skills for healthy eating on a tight
budget 7.80 0.45 1 5
Increase teaching skills for circuit training 6.20 1.64 1 5
Increase train the trainer (teens) involvement 6.60 1.52 1 5
Increase knowledge and teaching skills for proper
stretching 6.40 0.89 1 5
110
D3. Volunteer Responses
Category Statement Mean
Score
Standard
Deviatio
n Number
Missing Number
Answered Activities
Development and
Training Strategies to implement daily exercise into our
meetings, projects and regular 4-H activities 4.83 1.17 0 6
Age-related activity games/hands on learning 6.83 1.94 0 6
Healthy activity games that children can do on
their own 5.67 1.63 0 6
“Movement games” that take 5-10 minutes 7.17 0.75 0 6
Ways to make exercise fun 6.33 2.42 0 6
Fun physical activities for children and adults to
do together 6.83 1.72 0 6 Healthy Living
Knowledge/
Understanding Training about what “healthy” actually means—
according to what standards 6.17 1.33 0 6
Training about what a healthy lifestyle entails 6.33 1.37 0 6
Training about the importance of healthy living 6.17 1.17 0 6
Training Topics Difference between trend diets and healthy
eating 6.00 1.87 1 5
My Plate 5.80 1.30 1 5
Basic information about foods and their effects
on the body 6.60 0.89 1 5
Healthy options for busy lifestyles 7.40 0.89 1 5
Tips for easy healthy living 7.60 1.67 1 5
Budgeting for food 7.40 0.89 1 5
Cheap and easy meals 7.80 0.84 1 5
Working with a tight budget and how to save
money on healthy foods 8.00 0.71 1 5
Cooking healthy and quick meals 8.00 0.71 1 5
Dangers of drug and alcohol abuse 6.00 1.58 1 5
Importance of sleep on healthy habits 6.20 1.79 1 5
Emotional Intelligence 5.60 1.14 1 5
Public speaking games and/or classes to
promote self-confidence 6.60 1.82 1 5
Ideas for team-building so that members learn
kindness 6.60 1.34 1 5
Teaching
Methods/Materials Ways to keep youth engaged in healthy living
topics 6.80 1.30 1 5
Having easily accessible research based
information 6.40 1.67 1 5
Useful programs and materials with realistic and
achievable goals 7.20 1.10 1 5
Set lesson plans that allow time for lessons,
games and snacks 6.80 0.84 1 5
Handouts so children can reread and teach
others 5.60 2.70 1 5
111
Interactive computer games and reinforcement
opportunities 6.20 1.30 1 5
Ways to make programs interesting for
participants 8.00 0.71 1 5 Professional
Development Improve teaching skills 7.00 1.58 1 5
Complete and timely training on materials 5.80 0.84 1 5
Ways to deal with bullying and other issues that
affect youth 5.80 1.79 1 5
Training on children’s development 6.20 1.64 1 5
Examples of hands-on activities 7.20 0.84 1 5
Program Management Supplies or financial support to purchase
supplies 6.40 1.14 1 5
Chain of command. 4-H professionals need
information and where to go when they have
questions or concerns 6.20 1.48 1 5
Require the person who takes the training
course to go out and teach 5.40 2.70 1 5
Increase teaching skills 6.60 0.89 1 5
Support for the program 6.60 1.67 1 5
Appropriate location to teach the classes 5.60 2.70 1 5
“Thank yous” 6.00 1.22 1 5
Increase outreach 6.40 0.89 1 5
Increase diversity 5.20 2.59 1 5
Other
Recognition of what we are already doing right
(example: many 4-H families eat "organic"
without even knowing it!). 5.20 2.39 1 5
Parents to support youth attendance. 6.20 1.92 1 5
112
D4. State 4-H Professional Responses
Category Statement
Mean
Score Standard
Deviation Number
Missing Number
Answered Training Related
to Skill Building Identify best practices for recruiting and developing
volunteers for healthy living programs 6.14 2.04 0 7
Identify strategies that integrate healthy practices into
all aspects of 4-H programming 7.86 0.90 0 7
Identify strategies that incorporate physical activity into
educational programming 7.86 0.69 0 7
Identify strategies to empower youth to promote and
adopt healthy living practices 7.86 0.90 0 7
Teach “hands-on” learning techniques that promote
engagement 7.86 1.35 0 7
Identify strategies to decrease and deal with bullying
behaviors 6.71 1.38 0 7
Increase skills for partnering with community agencies 6.71 1.80 0 7
Identify strategies to work with teens as teachers of
healthy living programs 6.86 1.57 0 7
Build skills in developing and facilitating inclusive
programs and activities 7.00 1.41 1 6
Increase cultural competence in working with
economically and ethnically diverse audiences 6.86 2.04 0 7
How to find and translate research to inform practice 6.00 1.41 0 7
How personal experiences affect programming and
teaching 5.29 0.76 0 7 Training Related
to Knowledge Nutritional and health needs of early, middle and late
adolescence 6.86 1.07 0 7
Positive youth development link to promoting healthy
eating 7.86 1.07 0 7
Top health issues faced by youth and the program
implications of these issues 6.57 0.98 0 7
Other factors that impact healthy living skills such as
family economics and neighborhood factors 6.14 1.21 0 7
Connection between diet and disease 6.14 0.90 0 7
Concept of holistic health—looking at the physical,
social/emotional and cognitive aspects of healthy living 7.86 0.90 0 7
How to interpret and teach healthy eating and physical
activity principles 6.86 1.07 0 7
Bullying and negative impact on youth 6.71 1.25 0 7
Curriculum
Content Healthy eating on a tight budget 6.71 1.25 0 7
How to adapt recipes to make them healthier 6.71 1.25 0 7
Ways to incorporate physical activity into daily routine 7.57 0.98 0 7
How to reduce food portions especially for high calorie
foods 6.57 0.98 0 7
Rethink Your Drink lessons 6.14 1.95 0 7
How to decrease screen time and increase physical
activity 7.14 0.90 0 7 Curriculum Develop national tools 7.29 1.60 0 7
113
Resources
Develop curricula list 7.57 1.51 0 7
Curriculum
Resources Develop curriculum rubrics 6.86 1.46 0 7 Other Develop supportive colleagues and collegial networks 7.00 1.63 0 7
Provide access to nonjudgmental professionals who can
answer healthy living questions 5.86 1.07 0 7
Increase opportunities for youth to team teach healthy
living programs 6.57 1.13 0 7
114
D5. Partner Responses
Category Statement
Mean
Score Standard
Deviation Number
Missing Number
Answered Training Related
to Skill Building Access to and understanding of latest research and
references on healthy living topics 8.00 1.00 0 3
Ability to translate healthy eating research and
knowledge into practices 9.00 0.00 0 3
How to motivate youth to adopt healthy behaviors 8.00 1.00 0 3
How to improve family communication and parenting
practices 5.33 4.04 0 3
How to improve healthy living behaviors to model
behavior for others 5.67 2.52 0 3 Training Related
to Increasing
Knowledge The importance of healthy living 6.00 3.61 0 3
The broad spectrum of issues associated with healthy
living 6.67 0.58 0 3
How behaviors develop in childhood and adolescence
and carry on to adulthood 6.33 3.06 0 3
How their own attitudes and behaviors about healthy
living influence the attitudes and behaviors of 4-H
youth 7.00 2.00 0 3
Types of mental health problems facing 4-H youth and
their families 5.67 0.58 0 3
Impact of body dissatisfaction on inappropriate weight
control practices 7.33 1.15 0 3
How to increase community resources and accessibility
for physical activity 7.00 0.00 0 3
Impact of technology on sedentary lifestyles and ways
to increase physical activity 8.00 0.00 0 3
Holistic model of healthy living beyond nutrition and
physical activity 7.00 2.65 0 3
The role and influence of families and peers in health
behaviors 7.67 1.53 0 3
Research models and data collection methods to
demonstrate impacts and behavior change 8.33 0.58 0 3
Partnerships Develop partnerships with health care professionals in
the medical community 6.67 2.08 0 3
Increase collaborations with FCS professionals who
have a health/wellness background 8.33 1.15 0 3
Improve relationships with healthy living specialists
across Extension 7.67 1.15 0 3
Improve relationship with partners who are already
doing this work outside of 4-H 8.33 1.15 0 3
Curriculum Develop evidenced based curriculum that is focused on
specific outcomes 6.33 2.89 0 3 Resources Develop user friendly tools on healthy living topics 7.33 2.08 0 3
Develop new funding sources to support healthy living
education 7.33 0.58 0 3
115
Other Increase focus on individual changes and changes
needed in the environment and community 7.00 0.00 0 3
Increase motivation and commitment to building their
own capacity and competencies related to healthy
living 6.67 0.58 0 3
Increase self-awareness regarding their ability to
acquire knowledge and skills necessary to help 4-H
youth live healthier lives 7.33 2.08 0 3
Increase self-confidence and engagement in teaching 4-
H healthy living by identifying healthy living aspects
that are personally meaningful 6.33 2.08 0 3
Increase the value of healthy living within 4-H 6.00 2.65 0 3
Increase dissemination of 4-H healthy living efforts 6.67 1.15 0 3
Increase understanding of liability issues 6.00 1.00 0 3
Place more emphasis on youth development practices
and less emphasis on competitions 6.67 1.53 0 3
Provide healthy options for food, activities, and
environments at 4-H events and educational
opportunities 9.00 0.00 0 3
Integrate positive health outcomes into existing 4-H
youth development activities and programs 8.33 1.15 0 3
Increase support from county and state leadership that
healthy living is an integral part of 4-H programming 6.00 2.00 0 3
116
Contact Information
Joseph L. Donaldson, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist
The University of Tennessee Extension
Department of Extension Evaluation and Staff Development
2621 Morgan Circle
212-D Morgan Hall
Knoxville, TN 37996-4525
Phone: 865-974-7245
Fax: 865-974-0882
Email: [email protected]
Karen L. Franck, Ph.D.
Extension Specialist
The University of Tennessee Extension
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
Phone: 865-200-4530
Email: [email protected]
John J. Toman, Ph.D.
Extension Information Technology Specialist
The University of Tennessee Extension
Department of Extension Evaluation and Staff Development
Phone: 865-974-7245
Email: [email protected]
Teresa Moody, M.S.
Student Assistant
The University of Tennessee Extension
Department of Extension Evaluation and Staff Development
Phone: 865-974-7245
Email: [email protected]