Cooperative Extension in Urban America: Place-Based Approaches for Improving Health

Abstract

While the bulk of Cooperative Extension’s (Extension) historical work has been with rural populations, its future work should also address the needs of those living in urban areas. The opportunity to live a long and healthy life is paramount among those needs. Cooperative Extension’ National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being (Framework) provides a roadmap by which Cooperative Extension can help ensure that all people have that opportunity. The central premise of the Framework is that future work of Extension must include but extend beyond the promotion of healthy behaviors to place-based approaches for improving conditions in which people live, learn, work, and play. Recommendations for doing so include advancing health equity as a systemwide value, integrating data science with community voice to surface health inequities, investing in health-focused work, initiating new partnerships, and utilizing community development principles to influence social determinants of health. This article sequentially introduces the reader to the five recommendations and highlights how each of those recommendations is already being put into practice in urban areas of the United States.

It All Goes Back to Trust: A qualitative exploration of extension professionals perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines in rural Florida

“…Extension professionals in this study did not seem keen on participating in public health efforts, despite Extension prioritizing health and wellness and being well-suited to address challenges related to public health (Braun et al, 2014;Braun and Rodgers, 2018;Burton et al, 2021). Most participants felt that engaging in activities related to vaccine awareness went beyond their training.…”

“…Action teams were developed and worked toward addressing Extension's role in health and wellness through curriculum development, expansion of partnerships, and applied research (Braun and Rodgers, 2018). The most recent Extension framework for health equity posits effective communication as the first step in promoting health behaviors (Burton et al, 2021). However, it is still unclear how local Extension agents see themselves fitting into this framework and addressing health and wellness challenges on a local level.…”

Cooperative extension as a key partner to behavioral health in rural communities.

“…Laying a strong foundation also involves integrating with existing national frameworks and recommendations including the Extension Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup (2018), National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being (Burton et al, 2021), and Capacity-Building Framework for Behavioral Health Extension (Spoth et al, 2020). Such recommendations are addressed within each of the core functions.…”

“…This also aligns with existing national frameworks and recommendations. The Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup (Extension Opioid Crisis Response Workgroup, 2018) recommends delivery of evidence-based approaches, while the National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being (Burton et al, 2021) recommends making datainformed and research-based decisions. The behavioral health extension model (Spoth et al, This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.…”

“…Rather than respond in a series of disjointed local efforts, a system-wide approach could achieve greater outcomes. In 2021, the Cooperative Extension National Framework for Health Equity and Well-Being was published as a revision to the 2014 National Framework for Health and Wellness (Burton et al, 2021;Health Task Force, Extension Committee on Organization & Policy, 2014). The updated framework acknowledges the growth of health-focused efforts in extension and advocates for a dual approach of using both educational outreach as well as policy, systems, and environmental work to address root causes of health inequity.…”