4-H Healthy Living programs with impact: a national environmental scan.

Area of Science:

• Youth Development
• Public Health
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• The 4-H Healthy Living initiative, established in 2008, aims to enhance youth and family well-being.
• It operates within the Cooperative Extension System, reaching millions of youth nationwide.
• The initiative focuses on promoting optimal physical, social, and emotional health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify 4-H Healthy Living programs focused on healthy eating and physical activity.
• To assess programs ready for national evaluation or replication.
• To understand program characteristics linked to positive health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• An environmental scan of existing 4-H programs was conducted.
• Programs were evaluated for adherence to the 4-H Healthy Living mission.
• The RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework was introduced for program assessment.

Main Results:

• Identified specific 4-H programs demonstrating evidence of promoting healthy diets and physical activity.
• Described the impacts of these programs on youth healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.
• Clarified program characteristics associated with successful healthy eating and physical activity outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The environmental scan successfully identified impactful 4-H Healthy Living programs.
• The RE-AIM framework offers a robust method for evaluating out-of-school time health initiatives.
• Findings support the national expansion and replication of effective youth health programs.