Supporting collaborative efforts between Senior Nutrition Program providers and Cooperative Extension employees to better serve older adults

As the number of older adults continues to increase, so does the demand for programs that support aging in place. Many community-based organizations provide nutrition, health, and food-related services to older adults, yet these efforts often operate independently rather than collaboratively. Strengthening cross-program partnerships is critical for enhancing the delivery and impact of services. This study explores partnership characteristics between Senior Nutrition Programs (SNP) and Cooperative Extension (Extension) to identify opportunities and strategies for expanding collaborative efforts. A convenience sample of 39 SNP providers and 83 Extension employees completed online surveys. SNP respondents answered a 36‑item questionnaire, asking about demographics, job characteristics, familiarity and engagement with Extension, facilitators and barriers to collaborations, and service delivery practices. Extension employees completed a 55‑item survey inquiring about demographics, programming, partnership experiences, perceived awareness of SNPs, facilitators and barriers to collaborations, and interest in future partnerships. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, and chi-square tests. Most SNP providers (79.5%) reported partnering with Extension, while only some Extension employees (45.7%) reported having partnerships with SNPs. Positive SNP–Extension partnership attributes included collaboration and balance, while common partnership barriers included time and capacity constraints. Partnership status differed by work duration. Newer SNP providers partnered with Extension more often (p = .040), while Extension employees with a longer tenure reported more partnerships with SNPs (p = .037). Additionally, a significant relationship between service location and interest in the SNP among Extension respondents (p = .045) was detected. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that SNP–Extension collaborations have room to grow and can be strengthened through deliberate efforts to build trust, enhance communication, and provide training.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nutrition

Grantor

Iowa State University - Thesis & Dissertation

Year dc:date.issued

2026

Author dc:creator

• Wood, Eva, Claire

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Francis, Sarah, L

• Food science and human nutrition

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Repository record dc:identifier.uri

https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/handle/20.500.12876/106737

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dr.lib.iastate.edu:20.500.12876/106737