Early Adult Outcomes of 4-H Program Alumni: A Propensity-Matched Comparative Study

Authors

Steven M. Worker, University of California, Agriculture and Natural ResourcesFollow
Roshan K. Nayak, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityFollow
Anne Marie Iaccopucci, University of California, DavisFollow
Nicole Marshall-Wheeler, University of California, Agriculture and Natural ResourcesFollow

Abstract

A young person’s engagement in high-quality youth development programs should lead to stronger positive outcomes as a young adult. Theoretical literature advances broad indicators that mark success in young adulthood; however, there is a dearth of empirical publications reporting long-term outcomes to support this assumption. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study to report on three long-term outcomes (economic stability, health and well-being, and community involvement) of young adult (aged 19 to 34) alumni of the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program. We compared 4-H alumni outcomes to matched peers using secondary data sources. The 4-H alumni sample demonstrated more positive results than the comparison samples on almost all indicators (except family income). Admittedly, there are many challenges in conducting this type of research. We sought ways to overcome the significant biases inherent in this type of research and encourage future empirical research to grow the literature reporting long-term young adult outcomes experienced by previous participants in youth development programs.

Recommended Citation

Worker, Steven M.; Nayak, Roshan K.; Iaccopucci, Anne Marie; and Marshall-Wheeler, Nicole (2025) "Early Adult Outcomes of 4-H Program Alumni: A Propensity-Matched Comparative Study," Journal of Youth Development: Vol. 20: Iss. 3, Article 3.
Available at: https://open.clemson.edu/jyd/vol20/iss3/3