After attending UC ANR's Science for Citrus Health webinars, over 50% of participating citrus professionals say they intend to adopt actions related to psyllid management. These practices can help safeguard abundant, healthy food for all Californians.

The Issue

Huanglongbing?  Never heard of it? Why should I care? Maybe you need to learn more?

Huanglongbing, HLB, a bacterial disease of citrus also called Greening Disease, is spread by the Asian Citrus Psyllid. It causes the citrus fruits to be deformed and taste salty and bitter. HLB was first reported over a century ago in southern China. But why is it a problem for U.S. citrus? Diseases don't “respect” country borders and in 1998 the psyllid and the disease arrived in Florida in the early 2000's. Because there is no cure, damage caused in the largest orange producing state was extensive. By 2019, citrus production decreased in Florida by 74%. Despite federal bans on interstate movement of host plants, the psyllid did not abide by those rules!   

And the disease also easily spreads from state to state. The first tree with HLB in California was found in 2012 in Los Angeles County. Then the question became, even though millions of research dollars were being spent, is there progress toward a cure?  What could be done in California to slow the spread?  Much was learned in Florida's battle and much is being learned through research. But it is hard for growers, the media, and the public to understand how that information might be used in California.

How UC Delivers

To address this information gap, Cooperative Extension Specialist Beth Grafton Cardwell and I started Science for Citrus Health (SCH) in 2015. It is designed to spread in lay language information about research aimed at understanding and combating HLB. SCH is now a cooperative effort with individuals from California, Florida and Texas, involving many activities.

These included developing Snapshots, short, two-page pieces on HLB research, written in lay language, posted on the SCH website, on Instagram, and disseminated at citrus meetings. In total, 45 Snapshots have been written, focusing on five themes related to detection, disease and psyllid management and the tools being used. Another resource for educational efforts is a large PowerPoint slide set, covering genetics, as well as regulatory and consumer issues. Recently efforts expanded, owing to grad students and postdocs, to include a YouTube channel on HLB and a popular podcast series that focuses on HLB researchers, their approaches and their career stories. Another effort involves translating citrus information and Snapshots into Spanish to reach Hispanic growers and workers in the citrus industry. In 2021, five informational webinars were convened on topics, such as ACP and HLB Management, the use of particle films to manage HLB, and citrus thrips. A recent webinar on the biology and management of ACP was presented in Spanish. These webinars attracted international audiences of up to 300 people.

The Impact

Post-meeting polls from UC ANR's Science for Citrus Health webinars indicated that more than 50% of attendees would implement at least one new practice they learned at the session. Research from the University of Florida has shown that the application of particle film screens, for example, has the potential to reduce ACP populations by more than 80% compared to monthly insecticide treatments, thereby contributing to UC ANR's public value of safeguarding abundant, healthy food for all Californians. Creation and proliferation of SCH efforts, providing information on research efforts focused on HLB, is an important educational resource for citrus growers, the media and industry. Another resource provides slides and educational materials to be used by educators for presentations to these groups, and the public. These newly created educational resources, some in Spanish, are unparalleled on other citrus sites.

Huanglongbing Illustration. Credit: Barbara Alonso

Partnering to support nutrition incentive programs at farmers markets provides increased access to healthy food for CalFresh recipients and generated over $380,000 in revenue for local farms.

The Issue

For low-income community members, CalFresh/SNAP incentive programs can increase their purchasing power, help reduce hunger, and improve nutrition. Farmers market nutrition incentives provide economic benefits to local farmers and communities, reduce food miles traveled, and can increase access to healthy food in low-income communities. In San Luis Obispo County eight year-round farmers markets accept CalFresh and offer the market incentive Market Match. However, these programs are underutilized, and many low-income shoppers are unaware or uncertain about where and how to use their CalFresh card.

How UC Delivers

To increase access to farmers market incentive programs and address barriers, UC staff convened partners through the EBT at Farmers Markets working group of the San Luis Obispo Food System Coalition. The work group includes partners from multiple sectors, including agriculture, government, private industry, and community-based organizations. The purpose of the work group is to increase the use of CalFresh at farmers markets to 1) create equitable access to healthy food and 2) support for local farmers. Through this work group, partners have collaborated to increase the visibility of farmers market incentives through social media, text messaging, materials distribution to local client-serving organizations, press releases, paid advertisements, and promotion at local food bank distributions and farmers markets.

Key work group partner representatives (n=6) were surveyed in September 2021 using the Wilder Collaboration Factors Survey. This survey includes 44 evidence-based items for collaboratives. Strengths are indicated by an average score of 4.0 to 5.0, while areas needing attention are 3.9 or lower. Strengths reported by respondents included: skilled leadership (4.3), unique purpose (4.3), mutual respect and trust (4.4). Weaknesses and areas of growth included: adequate funds (2.7) and time (2.7), and having all the organizations that we need as members of the group (3.2).

To address some of the issues related to time and resources, the work group applied for and received $30,000 in funding from the Danone Foundation to pilot a Farmers Market Navigator program to increase access to farmers market incentives among Hispanic and Latino customers who use CalFresh.

The Impact

Since 2017, when UC started convening the EBT at Farmers Markets work group, we have seen a 171% increase in CalFresh and Market Match redemption. Research has shown that access to fruits and vegetables supports healthy eating behaviors and improved health outcomes. Additionally, these purchases have generated a total of $386,000 in direct income to local farmers and farmers markets.

Incentives Redeemed at Farmers Markets in SLO County

In addition, the work group has supported two additional markets in launching their Market Match program and has advocated for and achieved a regional standard incentive amount of $15 from Paso Robles in northern San Luis Obispo County to Lompoc in northern Santa Barbara County. This regional standard simplifies communication to low-income clientele and ensures a meaningful and standardized food budget when clients shop at local farmers markets.

Increasing access to local fruits and vegetables supports UC ANR's public values of safeguarding abundant and healthy food for all Californians and promoting healthy people and communities.

Our favorite quote:

“This work group really helped our market to be accepted into the Market Match program. I think without the visibility and partnership that this work group provided, we would not have been considered for Market Match. So you all should really feel good about that and thank you.”

– Farmers market manager and work group partner

Making Every Dollar Count participants reported running out of food before the end of the month significantly less often, suggesting an improvement in their families' food security.

The Issue

According to the California Association of Food Banks, one in five Californians struggled with food insecurity during 2020. Making Every Dollar Count (MEDC) is a curriculum that teaches adults food buying/budgeting skills and food and resource management techniques that can support limited-resource families. The primary tool for evaluating this curriculum is the MEDC retrospective survey. This survey primarily collects participant knowledge, limiting the program outcomes collected particularly regarding potential improvements in food resource management (FRM) behaviors. In addition, FRM behaviors are a key focus area identified in California's CalFresh Healthy Living statewide goals and objectives for FFY 2020-22.

How UC Delivers

During evaluation planning for FFY 2019-20, the CalFresh Healthy Living, UC State Office (CFHL, UC State Office) asked San Joaquin County if there was a possibility to transition from the MEDC survey to the Plan, Shop, Save and Cook (PSSC) evaluation tool to better capture food resource management (FRM) behavioral data. As a result, the CalFresh Healthy Living, UCCE San Joaquin team asked a long-time partner, First 5 of San Joaquin, if their MEDC-in-home educators could adopt the  new survey. Given this new opportunity to capture FRM behavioral outcomes, First 5 approved the transition based on the recommendation of the CFHL, UC State Office in January 2020.  FFY2020-21 was the first complete year in which the First 5 in-home educators used the PSSC evaluation tool for all participants that received MEDC lessons.

Preliminary results of the PSSC pre/post survey evaluating the MEDC curriculum delivery in San Joaquin County showed opportunity for capturing FRM behavioral outcomes related to MEDC. A total of 95 matched pre/post PSSC surveys were analyzed among the MEDC series participants.

Survey respondents were primarily female (95%) and all 18-59 years old. Most participants self-identified as Hispanic or Latino (88%).

The Impact

Adults (n=95) who participated in the Making Every Dollar Count series showed statistically significant improvements (p<.000) from the pre- to post- survey in how often they:

• Compared unit prices before buying food;
• Shopped with a grocery list;
• Thought about healthy food choices when deciding what to feed their family;
• Used the “Nutrition Facts” on the food label to make food choices;
• Used MyPlate to make food choices; and
• Used food resource management behaviors (plan, price, shop, think, fact).

The percent who reported improvements in these behaviors at five weeks post-series ranged from 88% (for thinking about healthy food choices when deciding what to feed their family) to 98% (for using MyPlate to make food choices). In addition, after attending the MEDC series, adult participants reported running out of food before the end of the month significantly less often (p<.000) suggesting an improvement in their families' food security.

Clientele Testimonials

Participants responded to the question, “What changes have you made since you have taken these classes?”

”Ahorrar dinero al hacer una lista de mis compras.”
Translation: “Save money by making a shopping list.”

“Aprendí a cuidar mi economía.”
Translation- “I learned to take care of my finances.”

These outcomes, along with efforts to understand the behavioral impacts of MEDC programming, are part of UC ANR's commitment to improving economic prosperity and securing safe, abundant food for all Californians.

Teens enrolled in Contra Costa County's virtual YPAR series gained knowledge about the social determinants of health and explored career trajectories to address critical health issues in their community. These projects help to increase community health and wellness and promote college readiness and access

The Issue

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed health inequities associated with the social determinants of health (SDOH),¹ which “are the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play that affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life-risks and outcomes.”² Educating young people about the SDOH and engaging them in youth-led research to address health issues in their community is essential in shaping their future education and career goals.

How UC Delivers

The pandemic presented challenges initiating and engaging students in educational programs such as a Youth-Led Participatory Action Research Project (YPAR) because of the transition to online learning. Meeting the challenge to pivot from in-person to virtual programming, the Contra Costa County YPAR coordinator successfully facilitated a 100% remote youth-led program during the 2020-2021 school year at a new site, Dozier Libbey Medical High School (DLMHS), in Antioch, California.

DLMHS is a charter school where 58.9% of students are socioeconomically disadvantaged^.3 The school focuses on health and medicine and developing future health professionals and was selected because its mission and values align with CFHL, UC to help people lead healthier lives.

An existing relationship with a DLMHS teacher and 4-H parent led to a virtual meeting with the principal who agreed to offer a YPAR program at DLMHS. Students were recruited through the school website and social media platforms, and five teens from the 11^th grade were interviewed and selected to join the program and were also enrolled in 4-H.

The YPAR coordinator and a colleague from Merced County met with the teen leaders weekly over Zoom. They used various educational tech tools to facilitate activities from the Community Futures, Community Lore's Nine Stepping Stones guides to educate student leaders about YPAR. To encourage critical thinking and learning, the coordinators assigned videos and readings for group discussion that addressed the SDOH. These activities exposed the teens to health inequities in their community to consider for their YPAR project and fueled their career aspirations to make a difference in individual and community health.

Remote YPAR Meeting

The Impact

After this program year, four of the five teens completed a survey. They reported learning about the SDOH and when asked what, if any, impact this project had on their future education plans or future career interests, responses included:

“This project has opened my eyes to many different issues in my community and I feel like in my future job/career interests I will bring these issues with me and try to make a change so new generations don't see the same issues that we did. I want to make a change with my line of study.”

“I want to be a Doctor of Internal Medicine due to the program since I have learned the factors in the environment that affect health and can even cause chronic conditions which could be prevented or alleviated with the right nutrition and physical activity.”

These responses indicate new learning about community health and wellness, as well as increased college readiness. Youth participating in YPAR projects focused on nutrition and physical activity interventions, have been shown to promote healthy weight and reduce the risk of chronic disease.^4;5 UCCE Contra Costa County's effort demonstrate UC ANR's public value of Healthy People and Communities.

Teen Leaders with YPAR Coordinators at Program Celebration

 References

 1. Abrams, E. M., & Szefler, S. J. (2020). COVID-19 and the impact of social determinants of health. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 8(7), 659-661.

 2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Social Determinants of Health: Know What Effects Health. https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/index.htm. Accessed September 7, 2021.

 3. California Department of Education. California School Dashboard. 2020. https://www.caschooldashboard.org/reports/07616480117218/2020. Accessed September 7, 2021

4. Nour, M., Lutze, S., Grech A., & Allman-Farinelli, M (2018). The Relationship between Vegetable Intake and Weight Outcomes: A Systematic Review of Cohort Studies. Nutrients. 10(11), 1626. 

5. US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf. Accessed October 18, 2021.