Preventing Injury in the Garden

Master Gardener Volunteers (MGV) participate in physically demanding service activities that put them at an increased risk for injury. Workshops were presented to MGVs to address ways to prevent or minimize injury and pain by using best practices, proper posture, and correct tool use when working in the garden.  Participants reported that the average perceived pain level decreased from 4.65 to 3.00 (on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most pain) after the workshops.

Read the full article here.

Priority Community Needs and Issues in Summit County

Utah State University Extension conducted a needs assessment in Summit County to identify the most pressing social issues related to home and community. Five major themes were identified from the key informant interviews as the most important home and community needs in Summit County. These included mental health, substance use, family issues, economic stress, and lack of resources for Latinx and rural residents.

Read the full article here.

Promoting Well-being Among Utah Women

The Celebrating Women Conference is an annual Utah State University (USU) Extension event designed to increase Utah women’s knowledge of health and well-being. Participants reported that their knowledge improved after the conference on the following topic areas: healthy ways to manage stress, caring for their body in a positive way, and creating a positive outlook. In addition, most participants reported they were “likely” or “very likely” to make a positive change in their lives after the conference.

Read the full article here.

Diabetes Prevention and Management

The “Food as Medicine” webinar series targeted preventable diabetes among adults in Utah. The webinar series aimed to increase at-risk individuals’ awareness of and enrollment in public diabetes programs. Evaluation results indicated an increase in awareness of diabetes programs and nutrition information needed to improve personal diabetes management. The Food as Medicine webinar series provided valuable health information to 124 live participants and 123 viewers of recorded sessions.

Read the full article here.

Suicide Prevention Training in Davis County

Suicide prevention and mental health have been prioritized in Utah at both the local and state levels. In response, Utah State University (USU) Extension and partners provided an evidence-based training, VitalCog, to organizations to proactively address suicide in the workplace to the Davis County workforce. Short-term evaluation results indicated that attendees had an increase in knowledge related to suicide and suicide prevention in the workplace following the training. In addition, most participants reported an improved level of confidence about talking to someone about getting help following the training.

Read the full article here.