Reaching Tomorrow’s Extension Customer: A Food and Health Needs Assessment

Authors

Morgan Szczepaniak, Cornerstone Church of AmesFollow
Sarah L. Francis, Iowa State UniversityFollow
Ruth Litchfield, Iowa State UniversityFollow
Ulrike Genschel, Iowa State UniversityFollow
Shannon Coleman, Louisiana State UniversityFollow
Anirudh Naig, Iowa State UniversityFollow

Volume

63

Issue

2

DOI

10.34068/joe.63.02.22

Abstract

The food and health needs and preferences of Iowans (n=452) were examined. The leading food and health information sources were online platforms, social media, and print media. Program topics with high participation likelihood were cooking, food preservation, food safety, and gardening. Short, low-cost, online programs were preferred. Extension use was more likely among those who identified as persons of color, Hispanic/Latino, or were food insecure (p < 0.030). Those with less education and chronic disease were less likely to be interested in Extension programming (p < 0.040). These results provide valuable information regarding future directions for Extension programming.

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Recommended Citation

Szczepaniak, M., Francis, S. L., Litchfield, R., Genschel, U., Coleman, S., & Naig, A. (2025). Reaching Tomorrow’s Extension Customer: A Food and Health Needs Assessment. The Journal of Extension, 63(2), Article 22. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.63.02.22