Rethinking Existing Extension Programming: A Foundation for Healthy Aging?

Authors

• Nicholas J. Spokely, Department of Kinesiology at New Mexico State University and Musculoskeletal Adaptations to Aging and eXercise Lab at Oklahoma State UniversityFollow
• Sloane A. Montgomery, Musculoskeletal Adaptation to Aging and eXercise Lab at Oklahoma State UniversityFollow
• Kelsey J. Weitzel, Department of Physical Therapy and Office of Extension and Engagement, University of MissouriFollow
• Kristin A. Miller, Department of Physical Therapy and Office of Extension and Engagement, University of MissouriFollow
• Marta Novaes Oliveira, Department of Physical Therapy and Office of Extension and Engagement, University of MissouriFollow
• Stephen D. Ball, Department of Physical Therapy and Office of Extension and Engagement, University of MissouriFollow
• Breanne S. Baker, Musculoskeletal Adaptation to Aging and eXercise Lab at Oklahoma State UniversityFollow

Volume

64

Issue

2

Abstract

Muscle declines are becoming more prevalent in younger adults, driving the need for accessible exercise programs. The Stay Strong, Stay Healthy (SSSH) Extension program was developed for adults 60 years old or older, but for this study, we enrolled 135 participants aged less than 60 years old in rural and urban counties to assess if it could improve their muscle performance. We analyzed data with time and group comparisons using paired t-tests and 2 × 2 repeated measures ANOVAs. Younger adults significantly improved muscle performance after SSSH, and the results were similar between rural and urban counties. This study supports the use of existing Extension programming in new cohorts to broaden community impacts.

Authors’ Contribution Statement

NJP, SAM, and MNO completed original drafting, reviewing, and editing tasks. KJW, KAM, SDB, and BSB completed study conceptualization, data collection, analysis, and review and editing.

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Spokely, N., Montgomery, S., Weitzel, K., Miller, K., Oliveira, M., Ball, S., & Baker, B. (2026). Rethinking Existing Extension Programming: A Foundation for Healthy Aging?. Journal of Extension, 64(2), Article 20. https://doi.org/10.66752/1077-5315.5776