Browsing by Author "Hightower, Lisa S."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Exploring Immigrant Farming Programs and Social Capital: A Mixed Method Approach to Program Evaluation
    Hightower, Lisa S. (Virginia Tech, 2012-12-06)
    African immigrants in the United States (U.S.) experience immense challenges in the form of poverty, unemployment, and underemployment. One strategy used by community development organizations to address these challenges is the development of farm entry programs that assist immigrants in beginning and sustaining farm operations in the United States. Organizations such as Cooperative Extension, resettlement agencies, and African mutual aid associations have developed beginning farmer programs that provide a supportive foundation for immigrant farmers to gain access to farmland, technical training, and markets.  Returning to farming provides African immigrants with a series of benefits including supplemental income, food security, and social integration. Drawing upon social capital theory, this study offers a novel approach to measure the community and economic development outcomes of immigrant farming programs. In this mixed-method program evaluation, immigrant farming programs are analyzed as social networks that connect immigrants to technical training, farming resources, and community members who can provide access to markets. Data were collected through a survey of 112 agricultural educators working with immigrant farming programs across the United States. Data were also collected through case studies of a Midwestern program and a Southern program. The case studies include two focus groups and 20 interviews with individuals associated with the programs as participants, agricultural educators, and community partners. Regression tests were conducted to determine the social capital factors associated with well-being outcomes occurring through the programs. The models show that interaction outside of the program, and access to information are positively associated with well-being outcomes. Analysis of variance tests show differences between programs with African immigrant participants and programs with participants from other world regions. Programs with African immigrants tend to have more requirements to use farming resources compared to programs with immigrants from other world regions. Qualitative analysis found that female African immigrant participants have a lower levels of agency compared to male African immigrant participants. The study concludes with a discussion of recommendations for implementing and evaluating immigrant farming programs, as well as applying social capital theory to the field of agricultural education.
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    How often is the office visit needed? Predicting total knee arthroplasty revision risk using pain/function scores
    Hightower, Charles D.; Hightower, Lisa S.; Tatman, Penny J.; Morgan, Patrick M.; Gioe, Terence; Singh, Jasvinder A. (2016-08-24)
    Background Most patients have favorable outcomes after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Well-validated methods to predict the risk of poor outcomes have not been developed or implemented. Several patients have annual clinic visits despite well-funcitoning TKA, as a routine practice, to detect early failure requiring revision surgery. It is not known whether assessment of pain and function can be used as a predictive tool for early failure and revision to guide practice. Our objective was to determine whether pain and function can predict revision after TKA. Methods We retrospectively studied data from a large prospectively gathered TKA registry to examine changes in outcome scores for primary TKAs undergoing revision compared to those not requiring revision to determine the factors that are predictive for revision. Results Of the 1,012 patients, 721 had had a single-sided primary TKA and had American Knee Society (AKS) Scores for three or more visits. 46 patients underwent revision, 23 acutely (fracture, traumatic component failure or acute infection) and 23 for latent causes (late implant loosening, progressive osteolysis, or pain and indolent infection). Mean age was 70 years for the non-revision patients, and 64 years for those revised. Both AKS Clinical and AKS Function Scores for non-revised patients were higher than in revision patients, higher in acute revision compared to latent revision patients. Significant predictors of revision surgery were preoperative, 3- and 15-month postoperative AKS Clinical Scores and 3-month AKS Function Scores. At 15-month post-TKA, a patient with a low calculated probability of revision, 32 % or less, was unlikely to require revision surgery with a negative predictive value of 99 %. Conclusion Time dependent interval evaluation post-TKA with the AKS outcome scores may provide the ability to assign risk of revision to patients at the 15-month follow-up visit. If these findings can be replicated using a patient-reported measure, a virtual follow-up with patient-reported outcomes and X-ray review may be an alternative to clinic visit for patients doing well.
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    Surveying agrifood stakeholders to identify priorities as part of a Virginia food system assessment
    Benson, Matthew C.; Hightower, Lisa S.; Bendfeldt, Eric S.; Tyler-Mackey, Crystal; Niewolny, Kimberly L.; Groover, Gordon E. (2012)
    Throughout Virginia there are a multitude of social, environmental, and economic challenges facing farmers and communities. In 2010 and 2011, an interdisciplinary team of faculty, practitioners, and graduate students collaborated to address these challenges through the creation of the Virginia Farm to Table Plan. As part of the plan, the team completed a comprehensive food system assessment. Comprehensive food system assessments use qualitative and quantitative methodologies to analyze the systematic nature of a local, state, or regional food system to address the interactions of food with social, environmental, and economic concerns. The overall purpose of this article is to present the results of an online survey of Virginia agrifood system stakeholders that investigated their priorities for strengthening Virginia's local and regional food systems. A total of 1,134 Virginia respondents completed the online survey. Respondents were asked to rank 34 items in four major categories in terms of their level of importance for strengthening Virginia's food systems. Respondents rated increasing the "understanding by government officials of the economic, environmental, and social issues surrounding local food systems" as the most important priority among all of the items listed. The category with the most highly rated items was "food system planning, management, and policy." This survey provided key information for developing the Virginia Farm to Table Plan.
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    Virginia Farm to Table. Healthy Farms and Healthy Food for the Common Wealth and Common Good
    Bendfeldt, Eric S.; Tyler-Mackey, Crystal; Benson, Matthew C.; Hightower, Lisa S.; Niewolny, Kimberly L. (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2018-08-29)
    Discusses the importance of identifying issues facing farmers and communities in Virginia, and suggest how these issues can be addressed to strengthen Virginia's overall food system.
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    Virginia Farm to Table: Healthy Farms and Healthy Food for the Common Wealth and Common Good
    (Virginia Cooperative Extension, 2012-02-14)
    A strategic plan for strengthening Virginia's food system and economic future. The plan's objective is to identify issues facing farmers and communities across the state and to suggest how those can be addressed to strengthen Virginia's overall food system. Recommendations were developed and distilled from research and information gathered over a 15-month period by the Va Farm to Table Team and the Va Food System Council.