Florida 4-H Senior Project Report

This report form is to be completed by senior (age 14–18) 4-H members as a record of their 4-H project completion. Project Reports should be turned in annually at the end of the 4-H year to their county 4-H agent. This 10-page major revision was compiled by the Florida 4-H Awards and Recognition Task Force; Geralyn Sachs and Laura Cash, chairs.https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/4h035

How can a coordinated regional smoking cessation initiative be developed and implemented? A programme logic model to evaluate the ‘10,000 Lives’ health promotion initiative in Central Queensland, Australia

ObjectiveThis study used a programme logic model to describe the inputs, activities and outputs of the ‘10,000 Lives’ smoking cessation initiative in Central Queensland, Australia.DesignA programme logic model provided the framework for the process evaluation of ‘10,000 Lives’. The data were collected through document review, observation and key informant interviews and subsequently analysed after coding and recoding into classified themes, inputs, activities and outputs.SettingThe prevalence of smoking is higher in the Central Queensland region of Australia compared with the national and state averages. In 2017, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Services set a target to reduce the percentage of adults who smoke from 16.7% to 9.5% in the Central Queensland region by 2030 as part of their strategic vision (‘Destination 2030’). Achieving this target is equivalent to 20,000 fewer smokers in Central Queensland, which should result in 10,000 fewer premature deaths due to smoking-related diseases. To translate this strategic goal into an actionable smoking cessation initiative, the ‘10,000 Lives’ health promotion programme was officially launched on 1 November 2017.ResultThe activities of the initiative coordinated by a senior project officer included building clinical and community taskforces, organising summits and workshops, and regular communications to stakeholders. Public communication strategies (e.g., Facebook, radio, community exhibitions of ‘10,000 Lives’ and health-related events) were used to promote available smoking cessation support to the Central Queensland community.ConclusionThe ‘10,000 Lives’ initiative provides an example of a coordinated health promotion programme to increase smoking cessation in a regional area through harnessing existing resources and strategic partnerships (e.g., Quitline). Documenting and describing the process evaluation of the ‘10,000 Lives’ model is important so that it can be replicated in other regional areas with high prevalence of smoking.

Measuring Building Height Using Point Cloud Data Derived from Unmanned Aerial System Imagery in an Undergraduate Geospatial Science Course

The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), also known as drones is increasing in geospatial science curricula within the United States. Within the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture (ATCOFA) at Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas, seniors in the geospatial science program complete capstone projects to evaluate current geospatial technology to investigate complex ecological, social and environmental issues. Under the umbrella of a student initiated and designed senior project, students designed a study to estimate height of buildings with UAS data incorporating UAS data, LP360 and ArcScene programs, and Pictometry web-based interface. Results from a statistical analysis of the data confirm that geospatial science height estimation techniques can provide accurate estimates of height remotely. The independence of the students completing the project with UAS data for LP360 and ArcScene estimations, and utilizing Pictometry as an on-onscreen measuring tool, point to the need to integrate remote sensing, statistical analysis and synthesis of data into undergraduate geospatial science curricula. This reinforces the hands-on learning approach within ATCOFA and provides guidance to integrate the use of UAS in natural resource education.

Involvement in State and Federal Aging Policy

The fourth speaker is Dr. Erica Solway. Dr. Solway will discuss her experience working in policy at the federal level as a Health and Aging Policy Fellow and a policy advisor with the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging and in her current involvement in policy-relevant research at the state and national level at the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation. Dr. Solway is a senior project manager forthe evaluation of the Healthy Michigan Plan, Michigan’s Medicaid expansion program, and is also an associate director of the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging.

The Research Protocol of SENIOR Project—Psychiatric Services and Support System for Serious Mental Illness in Old Age, Kerala, India

Background: India has the second-largest population of elderly in the world. Serious mental illness (SMI) is a subset of the mental disorders that result in significant functional impairment and is usually long term. Persons with SMI face several challenges in their old age that are different from the issues faced by younger people with SMI. Understanding the problems faced by elderly individuals suffering from SMI is fundamental for planning programs to address them. The SENIOR (Support Systems Evaluation of Neuropsychiatric Illness in Old age) project is a study aimed at evaluating the problems faced in obtaining mental health care by elderly persons having SMI in the Kerala state of India. Aim: To describe the scientific methodology of the SENIOR project. Methods: This study employs mixed-methods cross-sectional design among a minimum sample of 768 SMI patients identified through cluster sampling from three districts, and Focus Group Discussion among mental health program officials. Discussion: This paper presents a methodological model to assist researchers in future field epidemiological studies on mental illness. Assessing service needs and barriers to access for the most vulnerable among the mentally ill will help the policymakers make evidence-based decisions to improve their quality of life.