National Health Outreach and Engagement Conference 2024

Lane, E.
Clemson Extension’s Rural Health and Nutrition Team delivers diabetes education across SC
through Health Extension for Diabetes (HED). HED curriculum recommends healthy lifestyle
behaviors, such as regular physical activity, to better manage blood glucose levels. However,
programs facilitating these recommendations were not offered within Extension. Therefore, we
developed three programs to help participants reach their weekly physical activity
recommendations: (1) WalkSC, (2) Yoga for Every Body, and (3) Practical Strength.
Collectively, these programs provide organized outlets to strengthen diabetes management
practices for HED participants. Additionally, they enhance HED recruitment and promote
chronic disease awareness, prevention, and management statewide and nationally.

Rural Health and Nutrition Team physical activity programs have reached wide audiences
within South Carolina, and beyond, emphasizing their stand-alone value for health promotion
and management. Importantly, these programs also facilitated cross-pollination of participants
across Health Extension programming including HED. For example, at least 208 HED
participants participated in one or more of the physical activity programs from January 2021-
January 2023, empowering them to continue to strive for sustainable diabetes self-management
goals. Finally, the physical activity programs have increased HED recruitment, likely through
targeted marketing of shared health goals. We conclude that increasing accessibility of physical
activity programs within Extension has promoted chronic disease awareness, prevention, and
management statewide and nationally.