Building Academic-Community Partnerships to Reduce Rural Health Disparities

Authors

• LaToya J. O'Neal, University of FloridaFollow
• Marcia Brown, University of Florida
• Biswadeep Dhar, University of Florida
• Noemi Reyes, University of Florida
• Brittany Blake, University of Florida
• John Diaz, University of Florida
• Karla Shelnutt, University of Florida

Volume

64

Issue

1

Abstract

Rural health disparities are increasing in the United States. Academic–community partnerships between Extension and faith-based organizations present a unique opportunity to improve health outcomes in rural areas. The main objective of this study was to identify the perceived barriers, needs, and strategies for implementing effective and sustainable health promotion programs through Extension and faith community partnerships. We conducted semi-structured interviews with Extension professionals and faith community leaders (N = 15). Our results suggest that academic–community partnerships could leverage shared needs, resources, and strategies to serve as a model for reducing health disparities among low-income, minoritized adults residing in rural areas.

Authors’ Contribution Statement

LaToya J. O’Neal conceptualized and designed the study, led data collection, conducted data analysis and interpretation, drafted the original manuscript, and contributed to review and editing. Marcia Brown contributed to data analysis and participated in manuscript review and editing. Biswadeep Dhar, Noemi Reyes, and Brittany Blake contributed to data analysis and participated in drafting sections of the original manuscript and manuscript editing. John Diaz and Karla Shelnutt contributed substantial scientific contributions to the manuscript review and editing. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript and accept responsibility for the integrity of the work.

Data Availability

The data are not publicly available due to privacy/ethical restrictions, as they contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants.

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

O'Neal, L., Brown, M., Dhar, B., Reyes, N., Blake, B., Diaz, J., & Shelnutt, K. (2026). Building Academic-Community Partnerships to Reduce Rural Health Disparities. Journal of Extension, 64(1), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.66752/1077-5315.5567