Dissemination in Extension: Health Specialists’ Information Sources and Channels for Health Promotion Programming
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Framework
2.2. Design
2.3. Participants
2.4. Survey
- Which information channels and sources are used to influence the intervention adoption-decision making process for Extension health specialists and channels used for educator communication? Which sources (e.g., journals, other specialists, etc.) and channels of communication (e.g., email, phone, face-to-face, etc.) are used most often (1—Never; 5—Most often use) to seek intervention information? Response options were informed by previous literature on Extension [5,7,8,14,31].
- Which channels communication and frequency of communication do specialists utilize with educators? Which sources (e.g., journals, other specialists, etc.) and methods of communication (e.g., email, phone, face-to-face, etc.) are used most often (1—Never; 5—Most often use) to seek intervention information? Response options were informed by information sources, channels, and previous literature on Extension [5,7,8,14,31].
- What are the specialists’ perceptions of a dissemination strategy and interest level surrounding dissemination in Extension? This question explored the demand of a dissemination strategy (e.g., How useful do you believe a dissemination (the active targeting of information delivery) intervention would be that actively distributed new evidence-based practices to you, specialists, that you could use to distribute to Extension health educators? (1 = Not at all Useful and 5 = Extremely Useful)
- Demographic variables were assessed based on standard variables in methodology literature [35,36] and previous work [37,38,39] and included race, ethnicity, sex, age, state of employment, official role title within Extension, duration of employment within Extension, and educational degree and field.
Survey Analysis
2.5. Semi-Structured Interviews
Semi-Structured Interview Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Sample
3.2. Quantitative Results
3.2.1. Specialists’ Information Sources and Channels for Programming Information
3.2.2. Specialists’ Frequency and Channels for Educator Communication
3.3. Qualitative Results
3.3.1. Specialist Information Sources and Channels
3.3.2. Specialists Communication with Educators
3.3.3. Initial Perceptions of a Dissemination Strategy
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Demographics Variable | Survey Respondents (N = 47) | Interview Respondents (N = 10) |
---|---|---|
Gender | ||
Male n (%) | 4 (9) | 2 (20) |
Female n (%) | 42 (89) | 8 (80) |
Other n (%) | 1 (2) | 0 (0) |
Age Mean (STD) | 46.9 (±13.4) | 40.1 (±12.9) |
Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino | ||
Yes | 3 (7) | 0 (0) |
No | 44 (93) | 9 (90) |
Race | ||
White or Caucasian | 33 (70) | 10 (100) |
Black or African American | 7 (15) | 0 (0) |
Asian | 1 (2) | 0 (0) |
Other | 5 (11) | 0 (0) |
Percentage of time spent (Mean Percent) (STD) | ||
Research | 21 (±19) | 23 (±20) |
Extension | 68 (±30) | 68 (±31) |
Teaching | 19 (±15) | 21 (±15) |
Duration as a Specialist in Cooperative Extension Mean (STD) | 10.19 (9.69) years | 7.86 (±9.5) |
Highest level of Education n (%) | ||
Master’s degree (course option) | 11 (23) | 3 (30) |
Master’s degree (Thesis Option) | 6 (13) | 1 (10) |
Doctorate degree | 29 (62) | 6 (60) |
Theme | Sub-Theme (n = Number of Specialists Contributing Meaning Units) | Sub-Theme Descriptions (n = Number of Specialists Contributing Meaning Units) |
---|---|---|
Specialist Information Sources and Channels | Academic Journals (10) | Frequency: Use as needed (8) Information Channel: Internet (website/google scholar) (2) Direction of Dissemination: Bi-directional (8) Perceptions: Trustworthy source of information (9), For evidence-based information, not programming-specific (8), Journals [17 mentioned] (8) Suggestions for Improvement: More details in intervention methodology (1), Prefer journal article be supplemental to intervention information (1) |
Specialist (10) | Frequency: Use as needed (6), Rarely or infrequent (2) Information Channel: Conferences (7), Meetings (6), Email (3), Phone calls (2) Direction of Dissemination: Bi-directional (3), Actively reaches out (1) Perceptions: Use in-state specialist (6), Use out-of-state specialist (6), Trustworthy source of information (8), Not a trustworthy source of information (1), Good information source for programming information (6) Suggestions for Improvement: Programming can be costly coming from other specialist (1), Specialist should be more uniform in qualifications (1) | |
Government Organizations (10) | Frequency: Use as needed (10) Information Channel: Internet (websites or online repositories) (10) Direction of Dissemination: Bi-directional (5) Perceptions: Use a variety of sources such as: CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] (7), Extension (8), USDA [United States Department of Agriculture] (4), eXtension (3), NIH [National Institutes of Health] (3), Federal Trade Commission (1), Public Health Department (1), Center TRT [Training and Research Translation] (1), Use trustworthy sources of Information (8), Non-branded resource (2) Suggestions for Improvement: Programming can be costly coming from other specialist (1), Specialist should be more uniform in qualifications (1) | |
Non-Profit Organizations (3) | Perceptions: American Diabetes Association (2), American Heart Association (2), Dairy Council (1) | |
Private Organizations (1) | Perceptions: Gatorade Sports Science Institute (1) | |
Specialist Communication with Educators | Email (10) | Content: Emails contain information on community needs or addressing community needs (10) Frequency: Daily-weekly (10), Listserv (as needed or scheduled updates) (7) Direction of dissemination: Bi-directional (10) Rationale: Most common channel to communicate with multiple educators (7) |
Training (8) | Content: Extension-approved programming for delivery (8) Dose: Intervention dependent (8) Information channel:
Rationale: Specialist believe that training improves program adoption and fidelity (1), Needs a funding mechanism (1) | |
Web-based Tool (WebEx/Zoom/Dropbox) (5) | Content: Statewide initiative information/health topics in communities/intervention information (4) Frequency: Monthly and based on health topics and intervention needs (4) Direction of dissemination: Specialist to educator (5) Rationale: Educators requested this channel of communication as it is convenient and easier to facilitate statewide meetings (3) | |
Social Media (5) | Rationale: Specialists often state that social media was not a tool to be used to communicate with educators (5) | |
Additional Communication Information(Unique Insight provided by Specialist) (5) |
| |
Phone (3) | Content: Community need and intervention information (3) Frequency: Episodic (1), as needed (2) Direction of dissemination: Bi-directional (3) Rationale: Informal means of communication (1), Can use conference calls for multiple individuals, specialist also believes talking improves personal relationships increasing intervention success (2) | |
Dissemination Strategy | Specialists (10) | Dissemination Content: Intervention-specific information (9), Extension intervention information (7) Frequency: As needed for intervention information, updates, etc. (5), Monthly (1), Quarterly (2), Systematic approach to dissemination (1) Information Channel: Email (8), online programming repository (2), Phone (1), Webinar (1) Direction of Dissemination: Specialist to educators (9), Specialist to specialist then to educators (3) |
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Strayer, T.E., III; Balis, L.E.; Ramalingam, N.S.; Harden, S.M. Dissemination in Extension: Health Specialists’ Information Sources and Channels for Health Promotion Programming. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 16673. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416673
Strayer TE III, Balis LE, Ramalingam NS, Harden SM. Dissemination in Extension: Health Specialists’ Information Sources and Channels for Health Promotion Programming. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(24):16673. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416673
Chicago/Turabian StyleStrayer, Thomas E., III, Laura E. Balis, NithyaPriya S. Ramalingam, and Samantha M. Harden. 2022. "Dissemination in Extension: Health Specialists’ Information Sources and Channels for Health Promotion Programming" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 24: 16673. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192416673