The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics and motivational factors of effective Extension advisory leaders. This Delphi study was conducted with a selected group of County Extension Directors and a group of Extension State Advisory Leaders. The study identified 10 characteristics that distinguish an effective Extension advisory leader. Some of these characteristics are explicit and easy to observe, while others are implicit and difficult to directly observe. Therefore, it is practical to use directly observable characteristics of effective advisory leaders when selecting volunteers. Once potential volunteers are spotted in the community, implicit characteristics of effective advisory leaders should be used to further screen them before they are selected. The study also identified the eight most important factors motivating individuals to volunteer as effective advisory leaders. Understanding these motivational factors is helpful for creating an environment for attracting and retaining effective volunteers. Understanding their motivation for volunteer work and creating an environment for them to meet the motivating factors for volunteering will lead to volunteer satisfaction and retention. The findings of this study can be used to build strong Extension advisory councils.
We undertook a study to determine county commissioner perceptions of Cooperative Extension. The majority of county commissioners had had prior involvement with Extension. Nearly 59% represented rural counties, and 94% indicated that agriculture is important to their county economies. Overall, the commissioners had a positive perception of Cooperative Extension, and their overall perception positively correlated with the significance of agriculture to the local economy. Our findings have implications for county-based Cooperative Extension professionals seeking to build all-important strong partnerships with county commissioners.
In this era of globalization, competency is an issue of concern to any field of professionals and their clients. Competency is an integrated set of skills, knowledge, and attitudes that allow one to effectively carry out the activities of a given work to the standards expected in the employment context. The purpose of this descriptive survey study was to determine the current proficiency level of North Carolina Cooperative Extension agents' competencies and the other competencies they need to develop to be successful in Cooperative Extension. Findings indicate that the current proficiency level of competency for Extension agents in North Carolina Cooperative Extension varies from moderate to high in all 42 items listed in the survey. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that Extension agents' years of Extension experience and age were major determinants of their overall proficiency level. Extension agents' proficiency levels did not vary with gender, level of education, professional association affiliation, job position, or area of job responsibility. The research revealed that emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, flexibility for adapting to changing environments, and ability to manage resources were the most significant other competencies needed for Extension agents to be successful in current context.
This study describes professional development for Extension educators and curricula expectations for those preparing for Extension careers – as perceived by members of the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) and Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP). We relate and differentiate findings from two surveys with open-ended questions. Regarding professional development, JCEP respondents identified program planning and evaluation, but AAAE respondents prioritized research methods. JCEP respondents prioritized practical experiences in Extension Education college courses, and AAAE members reported some practical Extension experiences in the college curriculum. College faculty may apply the results for impactful academic, professional development, and research programs.
The social movement focused on re-localizing food systems is oriented toward recreating relationships between producers, consumers, and other community stakeholders. Sustaining community efforts to build local food systems requires preparation of county Extension educators to understand how food supply chains function as systems, facilitate community partnerships, and create equitable access to locally produced food. This paper shares how North Carolina Cooperative Extension designed, delivered, and evaluated a local foods in-service training on these three topics, as well as shares lessons learned through the process. The implications of this study are helpful for Extension educators planning, delivering, and evaluating in-service training programs that support development of local food systems.
Purpose.To ascertain the effectiveness of a behavior-change weight management program offered to teachers and state employees in North Carolina (NC).Design.Fifteen-week weight management program with premeasures and postmeasures.Setting.State agencies and public K-12 schools in five NC counties.Subjects.A total of 2574 NC state employees enrolled in 141 classes.Intervention.Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less (ESMMWL) is a 15-week weight management program delivered by trained instructors. Lessons inform, empower, and motivate participants to live mindfully as they make choices about eating and physical activity.Measures.Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, confidence in ability to eat healthy and be physically active, changes in eating, and physical activity behaviors.Analysis.Descriptive statistics, t-tests, χ2tests, and analyses of variance.Results.Data are reported for 1341 participants in ESMMWL who completed the program, submitted an evaluation, and had not participated in the program in the past; 89% were female and mean age was 48.8 years. Average BMI and waist circumference decreased significantly. Confidence in eating healthfully and being physically active increased significantly. The percentage of participants with a BMI < 30 kg/m2increased from 40% to 45% and those with a normal blood pressure increased from 23% to 32.5%. Participants reported being more mindful of what and how much they ate (92%), being more mindful of how much daily physical activity they got (88%), and eating fewer calories (87.3%).Conclusion.This project demonstrated the feasibility of implementing a behavior change–based weight management program at the worksite to achieve positive outcomes related to weight, blood pressure, healthy eating, and physical activity behaviors. Programs such as this have the potential to provide health care cost savings.
OBJECTIVE: To generate a global reference for caesarean section (CS) rates at health facilities. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Health facilities from 43 countries. POPULATION/SAMPLE: Thirty eight thousand three hundred and twenty-four women giving birth from 22 countries for model building and 10,045,875 women giving birth from 43 countries for model testing. METHODS: We hypothesised that mathematical models could determine the relationship between clinical-obstetric characteristics and CS. These models generated probabilities of CS that could be compared with the observed CS rates. We devised a three-step approach to generate the global benchmark of CS rates at health facilities: creation of a multi-country reference population, building mathematical models, and testing these models. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Area under the ROC curves, diagnostic odds ratio, expected CS rate, observed CS rate. RESULTS: According to the different versions of the model, areas under the ROC curves suggested a good discriminatory capacity of C-Model, with summary estimates ranging from 0.832 to 0.844. The C-Model was able to generate expected CS rates adjusted for the case-mix of the obstetric population. We have also prepared an e-calculator to facilitate use of C-Model (www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/maternal_perinatal_health/c-model/en/). CONCLUSIONS: This article describes the development of a global reference for CS rates. Based on maternal characteristics, this tool was able to generate an individualised expected CS rate for health facilities or groups of health facilities. With C-Model, obstetric teams, health system managers, health facilities, health insurance companies, and governments can produce a customised reference CS rate for assessing use (and overuse) of CS. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: The C-Model provides a customized benchmark for caesarean section rates in health facilities and systems.
ObjectiveTo generate a global reference for caesarean section (CS) rates at health facilities. DesignCross-sectional study. SettingHealth facilities from 43 countries. Population/SampleThirty eight thousand three hundred and twenty-four women giving birth from 22 countries for model building and 10045875 women giving birth from 43 countries for model testing. MethodsWe hypothesised that mathematical models could determine the relationship between clinical-obstetric characteristics and CS. These models generated probabilities of CS that could be compared with the observed CS rates. We devised a three-step approach to generate the global benchmark of CS rates at health facilities: creation of a multi-country reference population, building mathematical models, and testing these models. Main outcome measuresArea under the ROC curves, diagnostic odds ratio, expected CS rate, observed CS rate. ResultsAccording to the different versions of the model, areas under the ROC curves suggested a good discriminatory capacity of C-Model, with summary estimates ranging from 0.832 to 0.844. The C-Model was able to generate expected CS rates adjusted for the case-mix of the obstetric population. We have also prepared an e-calculator to facilitate use of C-Model (). ConclusionsThis article describes the development of a global reference for CS rates. Based on maternal characteristics, this tool was able to generate an individualised expected CS rate for health facilities or groups of health facilities. With C-Model, obstetric teams, health system managers, health facilities, health insurance companies, and governments can produce a customised reference CS rate for assessing use (and overuse) of CS. Tweetable abstractThe C-Model provides a customized benchmark for caesarean section rates in health facilities and systems. Tweetable abstract The C-Model provides a customized benchmark for caesarean section rates in health facilities and systems. ; NICHD NIH HHS ; World Health Organization ; Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Dept Social Med, Av Bandeirantes, BR-3900 Ribeirao Preto, Brazil ; WHO, World Bank Special Programme Res Dev & Res Traini, UNDP UNFPA UNICEF WHO, Dept Reprod Hlth & Res, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland ; Univ Paris 05, Sorbonne Paris Cite, UMR 216, Inst Dev Res, Paris, France ; WHO Reg Off Amer, Women & Reprod Hlth CLAP WR, Latin Amer Ctr Perinatol, Montevideo, Uruguay ; Emory Univ, Rollins Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA ; Paris Descartes Univ, Ctr Epidemiol & Biostat, Obstetr Perinatal & Pediat Epidemiol Res Team, Inserm U1153, Paris, France ; Natl Inst Publ Hlth, Ctr Populat Hlth Res, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico ; Univ Technol, Fac Hlth, Sydney, NSW, Australia ; Natl Ctr Child Hlth & Dev, Dept Hlth Policy, Tokyo, Japan ; Ctr Rosarino Estudios Perinat, Rosario, Argentina ; Lindsay Stewart R&D Ctr, Off Res & Clin Audit, Royal Coll Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, London, England ; London Sch Hyg & Trop Med, Dept Hlth Serv Res & Policy, London WC1, England ; Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Sch Med, Xinhua Hosp, Shanghai Key Lab Childrens Environ Hlth,Minist Ed, Shanghai 200030, Peoples R China ; Univ Estadual Campinas, Sch Med Sci, Dept Obstet & Gynaecol, Campinas, SP, Brazil ; Family Hlth Bur, Minist Hlth, Colombo, Sri Lanka ; Fiocruz MS, ENSP, BR-21045900 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil ; Natl Inst Hlth & Welf, Helsinki, Finland ; Univ Tokyo, Grad Sch Med, Dept Paediat, Tokyo, Japan ; Bayer Krankenhausgesellschaft, Bayer Arbeitsgemeinschaft Qualitatssicherun Stati, Munich, Germany ; Khon Kaen Univ, Fac Med, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Khon, Kaen, Thailand ; Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Dept Obstet & Gynaecol, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, Brazil ; Minist Sante, Direct Sante Famille, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso ; Univ Washington, Inst Hlth Metr & Evaluat, Seattle, WA 98195 USA ; Univ Mongolia, Hlth Sci, Sch Publ Hlth, Ulaanbaatar, Mongol Peo Rep ; GLIDE Tech Cooperat & Res, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil ; Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Dept Paediat, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil ; Univ Calif San Francisco, Dept Obstet & Gynaecol & Global Hlth Sci, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA ; Khon Kaen Univ, Fac Publ Hlth, Dept Biostat & Demog, Khon Kaen, Thailand ; Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Sch Med Sao Paulo, Dept Obstet, Sao Paulo, Brazil ; Inter Amer Dev Bank, Social Protect & Hlth Div, Mexico City, DF, Mexico ; Fortis Mem Res Inst, Gurgaon, Haryana, India ; Hosp Nacl Itaugua, Itaugua, Paraguay ; Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Sch Med Sao Paulo, Dept Obstet, Sao Paulo, Brazil ; NICHD NIH HHS: T32 HD052460 ; World Health Organization: 001 ; Web of Science
ObjectiveTo generate a global reference for caesarean section (CS) rates at health facilities. DesignCross-sectional study. SettingHealth facilities from 43 countries. Population/SampleThirty eight thousand three hundred and twenty-four women giving birth from 22 countries for model building and 10045875 women giving birth from 43 countries for model testing. MethodsWe hypothesised that mathematical models could determine the relationship between clinical-obstetric characteristics and CS. These models generated probabilities of CS that could be compared with the observed CS rates. We devised a three-step approach to generate the global benchmark of CS rates at health facilities: creation of a multi-country reference population, building mathematical models, and testing these models. Main outcome measuresArea under the ROC curves, diagnostic odds ratio, expected CS rate, observed CS rate. ResultsAccording to the different versions of the model, areas under the ROC curves suggested a good discriminatory capacity of C-Model, with summary estimates ranging from 0.832 to 0.844. The C-Model was able to generate expected CS rates adjusted for the case-mix of the obstetric population. We have also prepared an e-calculator to facilitate use of C-Model (). ConclusionsThis article describes the development of a global reference for CS rates. Based on maternal characteristics, this tool was able to generate an individualised expected CS rate for health facilities or groups of health facilities. With C-Model, obstetric teams, health system managers, health facilities, health insurance companies, and governments can produce a customised reference CS rate for assessing use (and overuse) of CS. Tweetable abstractThe C-Model provides a customized benchmark for caesarean section rates in health facilities and systems. Tweetable abstract The C-Model provides a customized benchmark for caesarean section rates in health facilities and systems. ; NICHD NIH HHS ; World Health Organization ; Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Dept Social Med, Av Bandeirantes, BR-3900 Ribeirao Preto, Brazil ; WHO, World Bank Special Programme Res Dev & Res Traini, UNDP UNFPA UNICEF WHO, Dept Reprod Hlth & Res, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland ; Univ Paris 05, Sorbonne Paris Cite, UMR 216, Inst Dev Res, Paris, France ; WHO Reg Off Amer, Women & Reprod Hlth CLAP WR, Latin Amer Ctr Perinatol, Montevideo, Uruguay ; Emory Univ, Rollins Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA ; Paris Descartes Univ, Ctr Epidemiol & Biostat, Obstetr Perinatal & Pediat Epidemiol Res Team, Inserm U1153, Paris, France ; Natl Inst Publ Hlth, Ctr Populat Hlth Res, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico ; Univ Technol, Fac Hlth, Sydney, NSW, Australia ; Natl Ctr Child Hlth & Dev, Dept Hlth Policy, Tokyo, Japan ; Ctr Rosarino Estudios Perinat, Rosario, Argentina ; Lindsay Stewart R&D Ctr, Off Res & Clin Audit, Royal Coll Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, London, England ; London Sch Hyg & Trop Med, Dept Hlth Serv Res & Policy, London WC1, England ; Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Sch Med, Xinhua Hosp, Shanghai Key Lab Childrens Environ Hlth,Minist Ed, Shanghai 200030, Peoples R China ; Univ Estadual Campinas, Sch Med Sci, Dept Obstet & Gynaecol, Campinas, SP, Brazil ; Family Hlth Bur, Minist Hlth, Colombo, Sri Lanka ; Fiocruz MS, ENSP, BR-21045900 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil ; Natl Inst Hlth & Welf, Helsinki, Finland ; Univ Tokyo, Grad Sch Med, Dept Paediat, Tokyo, Japan ; Bayer Krankenhausgesellschaft, Bayer Arbeitsgemeinschaft Qualitatssicherun Stati, Munich, Germany ; Khon Kaen Univ, Fac Med, Dept Obstet & Gynecol, Khon, Kaen, Thailand ; Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Dept Obstet & Gynaecol, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, Brazil ; Minist Sante, Direct Sante Famille, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso ; Univ Washington, Inst Hlth Metr & Evaluat, Seattle, WA 98195 USA ; Univ Mongolia, Hlth Sci, Sch Publ Hlth, Ulaanbaatar, Mongol Peo Rep ; GLIDE Tech Cooperat & Res, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil ; Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Med Sch, Dept Paediat, BR-14049 Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil ; Univ Calif San Francisco, Dept Obstet & Gynaecol & Global Hlth Sci, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA ; Khon Kaen Univ, Fac Publ Hlth, Dept Biostat & Demog, Khon Kaen, Thailand ; Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Sch Med Sao Paulo, Dept Obstet, Sao Paulo, Brazil ; Inter Amer Dev Bank, Social Protect & Hlth Div, Mexico City, DF, Mexico ; Fortis Mem Res Inst, Gurgaon, Haryana, India ; Hosp Nacl Itaugua, Itaugua, Paraguay ; Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Sch Med Sao Paulo, Dept Obstet, Sao Paulo, Brazil ; NICHD NIH HHS: T32 HD052460 ; World Health Organization: 001 ; Web of Science
