Browsing by Author "Board, Barbara A."

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    Assessing the Perceptions of Black American Women Within Virginia's Faith Community Regarding Their Health and Nutrition Practices and Concerns
    Mondelus, Cyndy Victoria (Virginia Tech, 2003-07-21)
    Black Americans are one of the largest minority groups in the United States and were estimated to be 35 million (13%) by the 2000 U.S. Census. In that same year, the American Cancer Society reported that Black Americans are at higher risk of dying from the nations leading causes of death, such as cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular disease, cancer, accidents, and diabetes. Whereas the five leading causes of death among Black American women include cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, accidents, and kidney-related diseases as reported by the American Heart Association in 2002. Black American women, in general, are less likely to engage in health promoting activities, such as physical activity and proper dietary intake. Black American women consume diets that are high in fat and in 1998, only 15.2% of Black American women reported engaging in regular, moderate exercise. The lack of physical activity and poor nutrition has also been correlated with the occurrence of overweight and obesity among Black American women. The 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that 49.7% of Black American women are obese. The purpose of this study is to assess the perceptions of Black American women regarding their health and nutrition practices, concerns, and solutions. Qualitative (focus groups and key informant interviews) and quantitative (participatory activities) research data were collected from Black American women within the faith community of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Five focus group sessions were conducted with a total of 25 Black American church women. The participants answered focus group questions and engaged in visual participatory activities to rank top nutrition and health concerns and barriers. Key informant interviews were conducted with health professionals within the faith community. Overweight/obesity, diabetes, heart disease/stroke, high blood pressure were predominate health themes raised in the focus group sessions. Also, the women ranked overweight /obesity, diabetes, heart disease/stroke, and high blood pressure as their top health concerns. The key informant interview also confirmed that overweight/obesity, diabetes, and hypertension (high blood pressure) were the main health concerns among Black American women. The predominate nutrition themes were the reluctance in giving up traditional foods, not eating enough of the right foods, and the time of day when they ate. The top nutrition concerns ranked by the women were not drinking enough water, not eating enough fruit and vegetables, and eating too many sugars. Major barriers raised by the participants were not having enough time, conflicting schedules, and familial commitments prohibited proper nutrition and health activities. The key informants agreed that a major barrier for Black American women was not prioritizing their health and nutrition practices. The preferred learning method by the women was workshops or programs that were sponsored by the community using the church as a venue. Data obtained from this study will be used to develop useful nutrition education strategies to improve the dietary habits and overall status among women in this segment of the population.
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    An Examination of the Nature and Experience of Community Collaboration in Extension Education for At-Risk Populations in Virginia
    Board, Barbara A. (Virginia Tech, 2005-04-27)
    For several decades, a growing realization has evolved that a single entity often cannot address complex issues. Collaboration has been touted as an effective approach to addressing such issues and is generally defined as multiple parties jointly identifying problems, developing a shared vision for addressing those problems, and sharing resources and responsibilities for a determined solution. In spite of the growing literature regarding collaboration, the predominant focus has been on advocacy, leaving a void in the literature concerning the processes and behaviors involved in establishing community collaboration. In essence, the importance of collaboration is widely recognized; how to collaborate is not as noted. Therefore, it is essential to examine the experience of community collaboration. The purpose of this study was to investigate a collaborative community experience in the context of extension education for children, youth, and families at risk in four localities in Virginia. The following research questions were addressed: a) What has been the nature and experience of collaboration for Extension Leadership councils (ELCs) involved with children, youth, and families at risk (CYFAR) projects; b) What has contributed to successful collaboration in Extension education with the CYFAR projects; and c) What have been the challenges to collaboration for the CYFAR projects? The qualitative case study design utilized in-depth face-to-face interviews with seventeen community representatives in the selected localities involved in the experience. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcriptions were analyzed to determine themes, patterns, and common ways of thinking. Findings, which revealed that ELCs were primarily involved in situation analysis, illuminated the following perceived contributions to successful collaboration: having a process for involvement, addressing a need, commitment of those involved, leadership, and paid staff. Challenges to collaboration were identified as lack of time to commit, lack of understanding of collaboration, and pre-existing ways of thinking and acting. The results have implications for Cooperative Extension understanding how ELC involvement can occur in programming and the collaborative nature of their educational process with the community. The findings will also contribute to human service providers' understanding of contributions and challenges to collaboration and to the emerging body of knowledge on collaboration.
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    Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices of Child Care Providers Relative to the Factors that Cause Childhood Obesity
    Coates, Kimberly D. (Virginia Tech, 2002-04-10)
    Childhood obesity is a national epidemic. Many factors contribute to the rise in childhood obesity such as poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and poor role models. Child care providers can be postive role models and educators for children. The Virginia Cooperative Extension is concerned about the health of children and the role that child care providers play in their well-being. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, perceptions, and practices of child care providers relative to the factors that influence childhood obesity. Thirty child care providers participated in five focus groups held throughout Southwest Virginia. Triangulation techniques employing qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative methodologies(participatory activities) were utilized. Nutritional concerns, physical inactivity, and illness were the predominant themes related to health concerns for preschoolers. Poor eating habits, colds, and immunizations were ranked as top health concerns. Many providers stated that preschool aged children do not get enough physical activity due to time restraints and a lack of space. Providers did not believe that overweight and obesity were problems in their day care settings, but it was ranked fourth. The did state that overweight and obesity were problems in their communities and among older children. Not eating enough vegetables, sugary foods at breakfast, and picky eaters were the predominant themes for nutrition concerns. Providers ranked eating too much fast or convenience foods, not eating enough fruits and vegetables, and not eating a variety of foods as top nutrition concerns. Participatory activities revealed a lack of basic knowledge such as serving size and number of recommended servings. Only 33.3% correctly answered the serving size for peanut butter, 50% for crackers, 53% for cheese, 34.2% for juice, 17.2% for carrots and 23.3% for apples. Only 7.4% chose the correct number of servings from the bread group and only 3.1% from the dairy group. Most providers believed they played an integral role in the health/nutritional well-being of the children they worked with. However, some providers did not believe that their own personal health habits influenced the children they worked with. The preferred methods of education for the providers were workshops/trainings, nutrition education kits, and videos. The data obtained from this study will be used to design effective nutrition education strategies for child care providers that will be used by the Virginia Cooperative Extension.
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    Nutrition, Health, and Food Security Practices, Concerns, and Perceived Barriers of Latino Farm/Industry Workers in Virginia
    Essa, Jumanah S. (Virginia Tech, 2001-08-08)
    Farm and industry workers are a growing population in the United States (U.S.) and are critical to the success of the agriculture industry. In 1993, the Migrant Legal Services estimated that there were 42,000 migrant and seasonal farm workers in the state of Virginia (Wilson, 1998). These workers are essential in the state's production of fruits, vegetable crops, and poultry. The 1995 National Agricultural Worker Survey (NAWS) indicated that 80% of farm workers in the U.S. are of Latino origin. Data from the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES) reveals that Hispanics in the U.S. are at a greater risk for developing serious health problems, such as tuberculosis, cancer, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension, than the general population (HHANES, 1990). Latino farm and industry workers are reported to be at a high risk or developing nutrition-related health problems as a result of their low socioeconomic status and migratory lifestyles (Loria et al., 1995). Farm and industry workers also are at an increased risk of food insecurity due to low incomes, low literacy, poor health, migratory lifestyles, and lack of transportation (Shotland, 1989). The evidence from the literature suggest that long work hours, low wages, inconsistent work opportunities, and linguistic and cultural barriers may make it difficult for Latino farm/industry workers to meet their nutritional needs (Kowalski et al., 1999). About 30% to 40% of the Latino population fails to meet the minimum nutrient standards of the World Health Organization primarily due to poverty (Kittler and Suchar, 1998). A study was conducted to assess the nutrition, health, and food security problems, concerns, and perceived barriers of Latino farm/industry workers in Virginia because Virginia Cooperative Extension is concerned about the nutrition and health status of this important agricultural workforce. Triangulation techniques employing qualitative (focus group discussions and participatory activities) and quantitative (questionnaires) methodologies were utilized. Six focus group sessions were conducted with a total of 51 Latino farm/industry workers. Lack of money, time, transportation, and linguistic barriers were predominant themes that emerged from the focus group discussions related to health and nutrition concerns and barriers. Farm workers reported osteoporosis, anemia, urinary tract infections, and HIV/AIDS as top health concerns. Industry workers indicated gastritis, arthritis, and cancer as their top health concerns. Apples, bananas, oranges, and watermelon were the most commonly consumed fruits. Beans, tomatoes/onions, potatoes, and chili peppers were the most commonly consumed vegetables. Participants indicated that they preferred learning about health and nutrition from non-interactive sources, such as cassettes, radio, brochures, and television, due to lack of time and their migratory lifestyles. The Cornell/Radimer Food Security Questionnaire was administered to assess hunger and food insecurity. Approximately 98% of the 49 Latino farm and industry workers surveyed suffer from food insecurity. Females were more food insecure when compared to males. Data obtained from this study will be used to develop useful and culturally appropriate nutrition education strategies to improve dietary habits and overall health and nutrition status of Latino farm/industry workers and their families.
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    Preference of selected Virginia citizens for information and education in personal financial management
    Board, Barbara A. (Virginia Tech, 1992-11-07)
    This study gained insights into preferences of selected citizens of Virginia for information and education in personal financial management. Quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated. The quantitative data used were collected by Porter (1990) by a mail survey. The Porter database (N=506) was sorted to identify those respondents (n=50) with addresses located in the Central District of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service. The resulting Central District database was then sorted to identify those respondents with characteristics similar to the participants in the qualitative data collection. This resulted in 12 respondents. The respondents' (n=12) responses to four questions on the Porter survey were reported. The qualitative data were collected from five focus groups (N=35) conducted in the Central District in October, 1991. The focus group participants were primarily the financial decision maker of the household, between the ages of 19 to 49, had annual gross incomes between $10,000 and $29,000, and had an educational level of at least a high school degree, but did not have a four year college degree. An 11 question interview guide was used in the focus groups to gain insights into the 4 closed-ended questions on the Porter survey.