NC State University researchers and extension professionals co-hosted a webinar series entitled “The Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Security, Physical Activity, and Health.”
- During the first webinar, Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist focused on “Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Health Behavior to Build a Public Health System Responsive to Crises in North Carolina.” Haynes-Maslow shared preliminary results from an online survey that was distributed across the state during May and June 2020. Over 400 North Carolina participants responded to the survey.
- The second webinar, “Leveraging Community Organizations to Support Physical Activity During COVID-19 Food Security” consisted of panel of NC State speakers including Jason Bocarro, Professor, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management; Breyana Davis, Food & Built Environments Extension Associate, Steps to Health; Lauren Morris, Nutrition Educator, Steps to Health; Annie Hardison-Moody, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist, Department of Agricultural & Human Sciences; and Kim Eshleman, Special Projects Manager They discussed how various community organizations can support safe access to physical activity opportunities during the pandemic.
- The last webinar, “Resources during COVID-19” also included a panel of speakers, including a food assistance program policy update from Dr. Haynes-Maslow, an overview of Extension professionals’ Sarah Ware and Nicky Ulrich’s efforts to help with community food distribution, followed by Breyana Davis and Dr. Annie Hardison-Moody sharing resources from NC State’s Steps to Health and Faithful Families websites. Overall, nearly 300 individuals tuned into the webinar series. All recordings from the webinars can be found here.”
Submitted by: Lindsey Haynes-Maslow, PhD, MHA