January 31, 2023 • 19 mins
Here we go with season 3 of Science by the Slice! In the first episode of the year, we like to look back on the previous season to revisit some segments from our guests while focusing on one theme. This episode is all about the concept of change and people’s willingness to change. Looking forward, you’ll hear about some of the upcoming topics we have planned for 2023.
Transcripts available here: https://piecenter.com/media/podcast/#transcript
Are you an educator? The Science by the Slice podcast aims to inform diverse audiences about important issues in agriculture, natural resources and public health. Check out our learning guides that were created as an educational tool to facilitate discussions related to the topics presented in podcast episodes. Download the learning guides here: https://piecenter.com/media/podcast/learn/
Music "Lesicia" by Kai Engel Available at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/lesicia/lesicia/ Under CC BY license Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
The views, information, or opinions expressed by guest speakers on Science by the Slice are solely those of the individuals and do not necessarily represent those of the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education or the University of Florida.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ricky Telg (00:04):
This is Science by the Slice, a podcast from the
University of Florida'sInstitute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences Center forPublic Issues Education. In this
podcast, experts discuss thescience of issues affecting our
daily lives, reveal themotivations behind the decisions
people make, and ultimatelyprovide insight to solutions for
our lives.
Phillip Stokes (00:29):
Hello, and welcome to season three of
Science by the Slice, I'mPhillip Stokes, Education
Coordinator with the UF/IFAS PIECenter, and I'm excited to be
rolling out this new season. In2022, we hosted episodes on a
variety of topics, includingdiversity, equity and inclusion
in higher education, honeybees,substance misuse disorder in
(00:51):
agriculture, environmentalcontaminants, human nutrition,
and agricultural worker healthand safety. Be sure to go back
and listen to any episodes thatyou missed. And in this episode,
which is our first of 2023,we're going to look back on the
previous season to revisit somesegments from our guests while
focusing on one theme. We didthis a year ago at the beginning
(01:15):
of season two, that was allabout trust and trust in
science. And for today'sepisode, we're going to think
about change, and morespecifically, people's
willingness to change. I'm sureeveryone has heard the phrase,
the only constant in life ischange, or change is the only
constant. And even though changeis so constant, it's also
(01:38):
natural human behavior to resistchange. People like routines
they like to feel in control oftheir lives, and with change
there can be a fear of losingcomfort or stability. So let me
ask you this. Do people'spersonalities, and subsequent
choices reflective of theirpersonalities, change or stay
relatively constant? In the 2011movie, Bridesmaids, actors
(02:01):
Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne playcharacters that find themselves
at odds with each otherthroughout the movie, as they
are competing for attention fromtheir friend who is the bride in
the movie. Here's a scene wherethe two characters are
discussing whether people reallychange or not.
Movie Clip from Bridesmaids (02:17):
I didn't know you play tennis. Oh,
yeah, I played a little in highschool. I'm so glad we were able
to do this. I'm really glad wecould do this too. It's nice we
get to hang out. I know, right?
It's too bad Lillian couldn'tplay this today. Poor thing.
She's so busy. She's not reallythat into sports. Even when
we're little she didn't likeanything that was too
competitive. Oh, she certainlyenjoys playing tennis now. It's
(02:38):
funny how people change, isn'tit? Yeah. I mean, I don't know.
Do people really change? I thinkthey do. Yeah, but I mean, they
still stay who they are. Prettymuch. I think we change all the
time I think we stay the same,but grow I guess a little bit. I
think if you're growing, thenyou're changing. But I mean,
(02:59):
we're changing from who we are,which we always stay as. Not
really. I don't think so. Ithink so. I don't.
Phillip Stokes (03:09):
Robert Sapolsky, professor of biology at Stanford
University has stated thatpeople change all the time,
however, that people do notchoose to change, but they are
changed by circumstance. Andthis brings up a different but
related question. Do you thinkpeople are more influenced by
their biology, or theirenvironment? Are people
(03:31):
predisposed to certain actionsand changes because of genetics,
or cultural surroundings?
Sapolsky, the professor Ipreviously referenced, believes
that it does not make sense todistinguish between aspects of
behavior that are biological,and those that would be
described as cultural. He sayshumans make decisions based on
brain chemistry, hormones,sensory cues, prenatal
(03:53):
environment, early experience,genes, biological and cultural
evolution, ecological pressures,and the list would go on and on.
I'm going to play a clip nowfrom the first series we hosted
in 2022, on the topic ofdiversity, equity and inclusion
within institutions of highereducation. This is Carl Van
(04:15):
Ness, the now former officialhistorian at the University of
Florida. I asked him how landgrant universities and other
institutions of higher educationhave changed over time to be
more inclusive.
Carl Van Ness (04:31):
Well, I don't I don't know that the missions of
land grant universities per sehave changed over over the years
rather, all universities havechanged. You know, every
university in the countrypractically is taking part in
this discussion on race, anddiversity. And of course, this
movement is ongoing. We haven'tarrived at the final
(04:52):
destination, and at least I hopewe haven't still have a way to
go. Historically, these changeshave come in spurts. Usually
precipitated by an event or amovement. More recently, Black
Lives Matter has, again has isagain looking at our racial
past. In the university's past,a demonstration known as Black
Thursday, which occurred onApril 15 1971, was a watershed
(05:16):
event. So on that day, about 60African American students staged
a sit down strike in PresidentO'Connell's office making a list
of demands and their primarydemand was that the University
of Florida finally addressedthis the issue of admissions and
make a greater effort to enrollblack students. At that time
(05:40):
there were probably less than500 African American students at
the University of Florida. Thestudents were all arrested. And
as a result of this turmoil, theuniversity finally began to look
at what it was doing or what itwasn't doing, and began to make
changes in in terms ofaffirmative action. Black
(06:03):
Thursday also occurred in themidst of other social movements.
So this is the same period whencollege students are demanding
to be heard. When we see thefirst stirrings of the gay
rights movement. And this iswhen women are opening doors to
professions that had previouslybeen monopolized by men,
including a lot of those weassociate with associate with
(06:24):
the land grant mission inagriculture and engineering.
Women were never prohibited fromattending engineering classes.
In fact, the first woman tograduate from a public college
in Florida, Daisy Rogersreceived her degree in
engineering. But there were veryfew places where women could
find employment as an engineer.
But all that is beginning tochange in the in the 1960s and
1970s.
Phillip Stokes (06:47):
Yeah, it does seem to be the formula for for
change is, it comes from thosegrassroots movements, right?
It's from the people, right?
It's it's more bottom up rightthen then top down is that has
that kind of happened incolleges and universities as
well?
Carl Van Ness (07:04):
Absolutely.
Change has always come as aresult of people making demands.
Phillip Stokes (07:09):
In that clip, Carl discusses some of the
cultural realities of our pastand gave an example of how
social change took place. Ofcourse, that change did not
occur without resistance. MartinLuther King Jr. famously said,
We shall overcome, because thearc of the moral universe is
long, but it bends towardjustice. Listen, now to John
(07:33):
Diaz, Associate Professor andextension specialists in the
Department of AgriculturalEducation and Communication at
the University of Florida. Johnwas interviewed by Valentina
Castano, who you'll also hear inthis segment, and he discusses
how he has noticed a shift inpeople's desire to be more
culturally competent.
John Diaz (07:52):
So it is, you know, being in a leadership position,
you really see that the demandis out there, not only for
resources, but for folks to bemore culturally competent to, to
have the skills to navigatecultural difference. We're
really in a time where folksunderstand how their own lived
experience influences the waythey look at the world. And so
they're really wanting to gainthat lens and framework. So
(08:16):
they're able to have that sameset of awareness and reflection,
based on the lived experiencesof others. So it's just really,
really cool and exciting to seefolks that are engaged and
wanting to be engaged to developtheir own skill sets and develop
themselves as people.
Valentina Castano (08:32):
Yeah, absolutely. Would you say that
this movement that you've seenof people wanting to learn about
different cultures? Is thatsomething that's happened in
kind of recent years? Or has italways kind of been that way?
Has that changed at all? Whatdoes that look like?
John Diaz (08:44):
Yeah, so I think there's been momentum for some
time, but the last couple ofyears really ignited the fire
under folks, I think just withwhat's been going on in the
world around us folks have takentime to reflect on themselves
and the world around them. Andit's manifests in a lot of
different things, one of whichis just being more in tune with
the cultures around them, andhow to better assimilate and
(09:07):
connect with those cultures. Sowhile it's been around for a
long time, I think the lastcouple of years have really
gained some momentum.
Phillip Stokes (09:13):
In that segment, John mentioned how our lived
experiences influenced the waywe look at the world.
Furthermore, I would say thatour lived experiences impact the
changes that take place in ourlives, whether for the better or
worse. Next, listen to ChristineChasek, Associate Professor and
Chair of the CounselingDepartment at the University of
(09:33):
Nebraska Omaha. Christine spokein our series on substance use
disorders within agriculture. Inthis clip, you'll hear research
findings about some of thecommon characteristics among ag
owners and operators in theMidwest that identify one to be
at a higher risk of having asubstance use disorder.
Christine Chasek (09:52):
But when we gathered our data on the surveys
we did with owner operators andproducers in the Midwest, what
we found was the risk at themost risk for somebody abusing
substances, or having asubstance use disorder had a
couple differentcharacteristics. So one was
being a young owner operatorthat increased the risk that
(10:16):
people were going to abusesubstances, the other was being
under high level of stress. Andso When we looked at kind of
those relationships acrossdifferent variables that we had,
the younger generationdefinitely is abusing alcohol at
a higher level than any otherage group. And then also those
(10:37):
who reported a high level ofstress, you know, were more
likely to abuse the substances.
And so you know, it's not thestress part is not a huge
surprise, because just overallin the literature, substance use
tends to, you know, occur moreif people are under a lot of
stress. And the the youngergeneration, abusing alcohol more
was interesting to us in a lotof different ways. Typically,
(11:01):
there is a higher level of use,you know, in the 18 to 25
category, but this was up to age40. And so that was our
considered younger group, whatwe're trying what we're kind of
finding from the literature'sand the nature of agriculture is
such that, right now, it's, it'shard to get into agriculture,
there is a lot of stress around,you know, owning and operating a
(11:23):
farm or a ranch. And I thinkthat that part, you know, it is
what we're trying to kind offigure out what what is it what,
what can we do, how can we help.
Phillip Stokes (11:37):
And here, Heidi Radunovich Associate Professor
in the Department of Family,Youth and Community Sciences at
the University of Florida, whoalso spoke in this same series,
explains why it's notappropriate to take a stance of
blame for those dealing withsubstance abuse.
Heidi Radunovich (11:53):
I think also having compassion for people who
wind up in this situation. And Ithink a lot of times we like to
blame people that you know,maybe it's their fault that they
got into this situation, but youhave to consider that this is
something that cuts across allkinds of populations. And we
know that there's very much aphysical component at play. So,
(12:17):
you know, trying not to take astance of blame, or you know,
telling people, if they werestronger, you could just get off
of it. It's not true. Once Onceyou reach a point where it's a
substance use disorder, youreally need some professional
help, and so encouraging peopleto get that help if they need
it. And you know, that'ssomething that you can do, it's
(12:39):
not easy. So if you could bethere for the long haul to help
them to access treatment,advocating for better treatment
is something else that we canall be working on.
Phillip Stokes (12:50):
Hearing Christine and Heidi speak about
the choices people make aroundsubstance use further sheds
light on how change takes place,even if the changes are harmful
to one's health. There are somany factors that contribute to
the ways in which decisions aremade. In this next clip, you'll
hear from Karla Shelnutt,Associate Professor and
(13:12):
Registered Dietitian in theDepartment of Family, Youth and
Community Sciences at theUniversity of Florida. Karla is
involved in teaching familieshow to make better food and
physical activity choices, andthe program she leads provides
the tools to help familieschange behaviors related to
their diet and food purchasinghabits.
Karla Shelnutt (13:31):
So SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program. That's thebenefits side, right. That's
where families qualify forbenefits based on income and
other factors, and they receivean EBT card that they use to
purchase food at the grocerystore. The UF/IFAS Extension
Family Nutrition Program is SNAPEducation (SNAP-Ed). So we are
(13:51):
the education arm of the SNAPprogram. And we are funded by
the USDA Food and NutritionService that goes to Florida
Department of Children andFamilies that comes to UF/IFAS
Extension. And so the purpose ofSNAP-Ed–or FNP is what we call
it, the Family NutritionProgram–is to provide nutrition
(14:11):
education to families who areeligible for SNAP benefits. And
so, EFNEP also serves the sameaudience, it's just funded a
little bit differently, but bothprograms teach families to make
better choices. We also teachfamilies to stretch their food
dollars on a limited budget,right. So we're teaching food
(14:31):
resource management skills,teaching them strategies at the
grocery store where they canmaximize their nutrient density
on a budget, which is important.
So we're addressing foodsecurity in that way. And also
increasing their nutritionknowledge and changing behaviors
is our goal, right? We want themto improve their dietary
quality, increase physicalactivity, and save money at the
(14:53):
grocery store. And so we do thatthrough nutrition education. But
we also get to do this reallyfun piece–it's called policy
systems and environmentalapproaches. And this is where we
change their environment, as Isaid before, to make the healthy
choice, the easy choice. Sowhether that's a policy change,
whether it's helping put in acommunity garden in a food
(15:14):
desert, a school garden at aneligible school, partnering with
a farmers market and farmers sothat they accept SNAP benefits
or even Double [Up Food] Bucksso that our families have access
to healthy foods near them. Ourfaculty and staff work on all of
those issues to support SNAPeligible families.
Phillip Stokes (15:35):
Karla explained that through these programs,
they want to make the healthychoice, the easy choice. People
are more likely to make healthylifestyle changes when their
circumstances are more favorableto do so. I am going to play one
final clip from our 2022 season,which continues this idea of
creating positive change. Thisis Andra Johnson, Dean of
(16:00):
UF/IFAS Extension, and he shareshow Extension can be a catalyst
for positive change by providinginformation and education to the
public so they are more inclinedto change for the better.
Andra Johnson (16:12):
So when you really look at the land grant
and land grant mission, you cancertainly see how those roles
have changed, we've been reallyimpacted by this continuous
change, if you will, we'reseeing change in demographics,
we are seeing change as itrelates to our environment. And
(16:32):
so all of that change is reallycreating what I feel is greater
opportunities for us to as aland grant system to better
serve, particularly as we thinkabout diversity, equity
inclusion, as well as justice aswe kind of think about it in
that frame, there's anopportunity for extension and
(16:53):
opportunity for the land grantto really become a part of that,
to really help guide that and,and we have certain strengths
that I think others do not have.
And because of those strengths,I think we're in perfect
position to kind of lead some ofthose efforts to be really a
part of that to be a catalyst,in some cases, really
(17:14):
facilitating conversation andbridging the gap. So I think
Extension is in is in awonderful position to really
kind of take the lead, if youwill, as it relates to, to some
of the some of those things,those things that we've been
challenged with for a number ofyears.
Phillip Stokes (17:38):
You know, I really do enjoy listening back
to the phenomenal guests we'vehad on Science by the Slice, and
all of us here at the PIE Centerare very excited to release a
whole slate of new episodes withnew speakers and topics for
2023. Make sure you're followingScience by the Slice wherever
you get your podcasts and staytuned for the rest of season
(17:59):
three. Next up, you'll hearabout regional food supply
chains and what happens whenthere is a disruption in food
systems from a disaster such asa pandemic, hurricane, or
anything else. We delve intoleadership development and why
we need more leaders that arebetter suited to handle
conflict, the Burmese python inFlorida, and residential
(18:21):
landscapes and just what ouryards mean to us. And these are
just some of the topics thatwe're hosting episodes on in
2023. So once again, stayconnected and thank you for
listening to Science by theSlice.
Ricky Telg (18:40):
Science by the Slice is produced by the UF/IFAS
Center for Public IssuesEducation in Agriculture and
Natural Resources. Thanks forlistening to today's episode.
Subscribe to Science by theSlice on your favorite podcast
app and give us a rating orreview as well. Have a question
or comment? Send us an email topiecenter@ifas.ufl.edu. That's
(19:03):
piecenter, all one word, atifas, I-F-A-S, dot ufl dot edu.
We'd love to hear from you. Ifyou enjoyed today's episode,
consider sharing with a friendor colleague. Until next time,
thanks for listening to Scienceby the Slice.
This is Science by the Slice, a podcast from the
University of Florida'sInstitute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences Center forPublic Issues Education. In this
podcast, experts discuss thescience of issues affecting our
daily lives, reveal themotivations behind the decisions
people make, and ultimatelyprovide insight to solutions for
our lives.
Phillip Stokes (00:29):
Hello, and welcome to season three of
Science by the Slice, I'mPhillip Stokes, Education
Coordinator with the UF/IFAS PIECenter, and I'm excited to be
rolling out this new season. In2022, we hosted episodes on a
variety of topics, includingdiversity, equity and inclusion
in higher education, honeybees,substance misuse disorder in
(00:51):
agriculture, environmentalcontaminants, human nutrition,
and agricultural worker healthand safety. Be sure to go back
and listen to any episodes thatyou missed. And in this episode,
which is our first of 2023,we're going to look back on the
previous season to revisit somesegments from our guests while
focusing on one theme. We didthis a year ago at the beginning
(01:15):
of season two, that was allabout trust and trust in
science. And for today'sepisode, we're going to think
about change, and morespecifically, people's
willingness to change. I'm sureeveryone has heard the phrase,
the only constant in life ischange, or change is the only
constant. And even though changeis so constant, it's also
(01:38):
natural human behavior to resistchange. People like routines
they like to feel in control oftheir lives, and with change
there can be a fear of losingcomfort or stability. So let me
ask you this. Do people'spersonalities, and subsequent
choices reflective of theirpersonalities, change or stay
relatively constant? In the 2011movie, Bridesmaids, actors
(02:01):
Kristen Wiig and Rose Byrne playcharacters that find themselves
at odds with each otherthroughout the movie, as they
are competing for attention fromtheir friend who is the bride in
the movie. Here's a scene wherethe two characters are
discussing whether people reallychange or not.
Movie Clip from Bridesmaids (02:17):
I didn't know you play tennis. Oh,
yeah, I played a little in highschool. I'm so glad we were able
to do this. I'm really glad wecould do this too. It's nice we
get to hang out. I know, right?
It's too bad Lillian couldn'tplay this today. Poor thing.
She's so busy. She's not reallythat into sports. Even when
we're little she didn't likeanything that was too
competitive. Oh, she certainlyenjoys playing tennis now. It's
(02:38):
funny how people change, isn'tit? Yeah. I mean, I don't know.
Do people really change? I thinkthey do. Yeah, but I mean, they
still stay who they are. Prettymuch. I think we change all the
time I think we stay the same,but grow I guess a little bit. I
think if you're growing, thenyou're changing. But I mean,
(02:59):
we're changing from who we are,which we always stay as. Not
really. I don't think so. Ithink so. I don't.
Phillip Stokes (03:09):
Robert Sapolsky, professor of biology at Stanford
University has stated thatpeople change all the time,
however, that people do notchoose to change, but they are
changed by circumstance. Andthis brings up a different but
related question. Do you thinkpeople are more influenced by
their biology, or theirenvironment? Are people
(03:31):
predisposed to certain actionsand changes because of genetics,
or cultural surroundings?
Sapolsky, the professor Ipreviously referenced, believes
that it does not make sense todistinguish between aspects of
behavior that are biological,and those that would be
described as cultural. He sayshumans make decisions based on
brain chemistry, hormones,sensory cues, prenatal
(03:53):
environment, early experience,genes, biological and cultural
evolution, ecological pressures,and the list would go on and on.
I'm going to play a clip nowfrom the first series we hosted
in 2022, on the topic ofdiversity, equity and inclusion
within institutions of highereducation. This is Carl Van
(04:15):
Ness, the now former officialhistorian at the University of
Florida. I asked him how landgrant universities and other
institutions of higher educationhave changed over time to be
more inclusive.
Carl Van Ness (04:31):
Well, I don't I don't know that the missions of
land grant universities per sehave changed over over the years
rather, all universities havechanged. You know, every
university in the countrypractically is taking part in
this discussion on race, anddiversity. And of course, this
movement is ongoing. We haven'tarrived at the final
(04:52):
destination, and at least I hopewe haven't still have a way to
go. Historically, these changeshave come in spurts. Usually
precipitated by an event or amovement. More recently, Black
Lives Matter has, again has isagain looking at our racial
past. In the university's past,a demonstration known as Black
Thursday, which occurred onApril 15 1971, was a watershed
(05:16):
event. So on that day, about 60African American students staged
a sit down strike in PresidentO'Connell's office making a list
of demands and their primarydemand was that the University
of Florida finally addressedthis the issue of admissions and
make a greater effort to enrollblack students. At that time
(05:40):
there were probably less than500 African American students at
the University of Florida. Thestudents were all arrested. And
as a result of this turmoil, theuniversity finally began to look
at what it was doing or what itwasn't doing, and began to make
changes in in terms ofaffirmative action. Black
(06:03):
Thursday also occurred in themidst of other social movements.
So this is the same period whencollege students are demanding
to be heard. When we see thefirst stirrings of the gay
rights movement. And this iswhen women are opening doors to
professions that had previouslybeen monopolized by men,
including a lot of those weassociate with associate with
(06:24):
the land grant mission inagriculture and engineering.
Women were never prohibited fromattending engineering classes.
In fact, the first woman tograduate from a public college
in Florida, Daisy Rogersreceived her degree in
engineering. But there were veryfew places where women could
find employment as an engineer.
But all that is beginning tochange in the in the 1960s and
1970s.
Phillip Stokes (06:47):
Yeah, it does seem to be the formula for for
change is, it comes from thosegrassroots movements, right?
It's from the people, right?
It's it's more bottom up rightthen then top down is that has
that kind of happened incolleges and universities as
well?
Carl Van Ness (07:04):
Absolutely.
Change has always come as aresult of people making demands.
Phillip Stokes (07:09):
In that clip, Carl discusses some of the
cultural realities of our pastand gave an example of how
social change took place. Ofcourse, that change did not
occur without resistance. MartinLuther King Jr. famously said,
We shall overcome, because thearc of the moral universe is
long, but it bends towardjustice. Listen, now to John
(07:33):
Diaz, Associate Professor andextension specialists in the
Department of AgriculturalEducation and Communication at
the University of Florida. Johnwas interviewed by Valentina
Castano, who you'll also hear inthis segment, and he discusses
how he has noticed a shift inpeople's desire to be more
culturally competent.
John Diaz (07:52):
So it is, you know, being in a leadership position,
you really see that the demandis out there, not only for
resources, but for folks to bemore culturally competent to, to
have the skills to navigatecultural difference. We're
really in a time where folksunderstand how their own lived
experience influences the waythey look at the world. And so
they're really wanting to gainthat lens and framework. So
(08:16):
they're able to have that sameset of awareness and reflection,
based on the lived experiencesof others. So it's just really,
really cool and exciting to seefolks that are engaged and
wanting to be engaged to developtheir own skill sets and develop
themselves as people.
Valentina Castano (08:32):
Yeah, absolutely. Would you say that
this movement that you've seenof people wanting to learn about
different cultures? Is thatsomething that's happened in
kind of recent years? Or has italways kind of been that way?
Has that changed at all? Whatdoes that look like?
John Diaz (08:44):
Yeah, so I think there's been momentum for some
time, but the last couple ofyears really ignited the fire
under folks, I think just withwhat's been going on in the
world around us folks have takentime to reflect on themselves
and the world around them. Andit's manifests in a lot of
different things, one of whichis just being more in tune with
the cultures around them, andhow to better assimilate and
(09:07):
connect with those cultures. Sowhile it's been around for a
long time, I think the lastcouple of years have really
gained some momentum.
Phillip Stokes (09:13):
In that segment, John mentioned how our lived
experiences influenced the waywe look at the world.
Furthermore, I would say thatour lived experiences impact the
changes that take place in ourlives, whether for the better or
worse. Next, listen to ChristineChasek, Associate Professor and
Chair of the CounselingDepartment at the University of
(09:33):
Nebraska Omaha. Christine spokein our series on substance use
disorders within agriculture. Inthis clip, you'll hear research
findings about some of thecommon characteristics among ag
owners and operators in theMidwest that identify one to be
at a higher risk of having asubstance use disorder.
Christine Chasek (09:52):
But when we gathered our data on the surveys
we did with owner operators andproducers in the Midwest, what
we found was the risk at themost risk for somebody abusing
substances, or having asubstance use disorder had a
couple differentcharacteristics. So one was
being a young owner operatorthat increased the risk that
(10:16):
people were going to abusesubstances, the other was being
under high level of stress. Andso When we looked at kind of
those relationships acrossdifferent variables that we had,
the younger generationdefinitely is abusing alcohol at
a higher level than any otherage group. And then also those
(10:37):
who reported a high level ofstress, you know, were more
likely to abuse the substances.
And so you know, it's not thestress part is not a huge
surprise, because just overallin the literature, substance use
tends to, you know, occur moreif people are under a lot of
stress. And the the youngergeneration, abusing alcohol more
was interesting to us in a lotof different ways. Typically,
(11:01):
there is a higher level of use,you know, in the 18 to 25
category, but this was up to age40. And so that was our
considered younger group, whatwe're trying what we're kind of
finding from the literature'sand the nature of agriculture is
such that, right now, it's, it'shard to get into agriculture,
there is a lot of stress around,you know, owning and operating a
(11:23):
farm or a ranch. And I thinkthat that part, you know, it is
what we're trying to kind offigure out what what is it what,
what can we do, how can we help.
Phillip Stokes (11:37):
And here, Heidi Radunovich Associate Professor
in the Department of Family,Youth and Community Sciences at
the University of Florida, whoalso spoke in this same series,
explains why it's notappropriate to take a stance of
blame for those dealing withsubstance abuse.
Heidi Radunovich (11:53):
I think also having compassion for people who
wind up in this situation. And Ithink a lot of times we like to
blame people that you know,maybe it's their fault that they
got into this situation, but youhave to consider that this is
something that cuts across allkinds of populations. And we
know that there's very much aphysical component at play. So,
(12:17):
you know, trying not to take astance of blame, or you know,
telling people, if they werestronger, you could just get off
of it. It's not true. Once Onceyou reach a point where it's a
substance use disorder, youreally need some professional
help, and so encouraging peopleto get that help if they need
it. And you know, that'ssomething that you can do, it's
(12:39):
not easy. So if you could bethere for the long haul to help
them to access treatment,advocating for better treatment
is something else that we canall be working on.
Phillip Stokes (12:50):
Hearing Christine and Heidi speak about
the choices people make aroundsubstance use further sheds
light on how change takes place,even if the changes are harmful
to one's health. There are somany factors that contribute to
the ways in which decisions aremade. In this next clip, you'll
hear from Karla Shelnutt,Associate Professor and
(13:12):
Registered Dietitian in theDepartment of Family, Youth and
Community Sciences at theUniversity of Florida. Karla is
involved in teaching familieshow to make better food and
physical activity choices, andthe program she leads provides
the tools to help familieschange behaviors related to
their diet and food purchasinghabits.
Karla Shelnutt (13:31):
So SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program. That's thebenefits side, right. That's
where families qualify forbenefits based on income and
other factors, and they receivean EBT card that they use to
purchase food at the grocerystore. The UF/IFAS Extension
Family Nutrition Program is SNAPEducation (SNAP-Ed). So we are
(13:51):
the education arm of the SNAPprogram. And we are funded by
the USDA Food and NutritionService that goes to Florida
Department of Children andFamilies that comes to UF/IFAS
Extension. And so the purpose ofSNAP-Ed–or FNP is what we call
it, the Family NutritionProgram–is to provide nutrition
(14:11):
education to families who areeligible for SNAP benefits. And
so, EFNEP also serves the sameaudience, it's just funded a
little bit differently, but bothprograms teach families to make
better choices. We also teachfamilies to stretch their food
dollars on a limited budget,right. So we're teaching food
(14:31):
resource management skills,teaching them strategies at the
grocery store where they canmaximize their nutrient density
on a budget, which is important.
So we're addressing foodsecurity in that way. And also
increasing their nutritionknowledge and changing behaviors
is our goal, right? We want themto improve their dietary
quality, increase physicalactivity, and save money at the
(14:53):
grocery store. And so we do thatthrough nutrition education. But
we also get to do this reallyfun piece–it's called policy
systems and environmentalapproaches. And this is where we
change their environment, as Isaid before, to make the healthy
choice, the easy choice. Sowhether that's a policy change,
whether it's helping put in acommunity garden in a food
(15:14):
desert, a school garden at aneligible school, partnering with
a farmers market and farmers sothat they accept SNAP benefits
or even Double [Up Food] Bucksso that our families have access
to healthy foods near them. Ourfaculty and staff work on all of
those issues to support SNAPeligible families.
Phillip Stokes (15:35):
Karla explained that through these programs,
they want to make the healthychoice, the easy choice. People
are more likely to make healthylifestyle changes when their
circumstances are more favorableto do so. I am going to play one
final clip from our 2022 season,which continues this idea of
creating positive change. Thisis Andra Johnson, Dean of
(16:00):
UF/IFAS Extension, and he shareshow Extension can be a catalyst
for positive change by providinginformation and education to the
public so they are more inclinedto change for the better.
Andra Johnson (16:12):
So when you really look at the land grant
and land grant mission, you cancertainly see how those roles
have changed, we've been reallyimpacted by this continuous
change, if you will, we'reseeing change in demographics,
we are seeing change as itrelates to our environment. And
(16:32):
so all of that change is reallycreating what I feel is greater
opportunities for us to as aland grant system to better
serve, particularly as we thinkabout diversity, equity
inclusion, as well as justice aswe kind of think about it in
that frame, there's anopportunity for extension and
(16:53):
opportunity for the land grantto really become a part of that,
to really help guide that and,and we have certain strengths
that I think others do not have.
And because of those strengths,I think we're in perfect
position to kind of lead some ofthose efforts to be really a
part of that to be a catalyst,in some cases, really
(17:14):
facilitating conversation andbridging the gap. So I think
Extension is in is in awonderful position to really
kind of take the lead, if youwill, as it relates to, to some
of the some of those things,those things that we've been
challenged with for a number ofyears.
Phillip Stokes (17:38):
You know, I really do enjoy listening back
to the phenomenal guests we'vehad on Science by the Slice, and
all of us here at the PIE Centerare very excited to release a
whole slate of new episodes withnew speakers and topics for
2023. Make sure you're followingScience by the Slice wherever
you get your podcasts and staytuned for the rest of season
(17:59):
three. Next up, you'll hearabout regional food supply
chains and what happens whenthere is a disruption in food
systems from a disaster such asa pandemic, hurricane, or
anything else. We delve intoleadership development and why
we need more leaders that arebetter suited to handle
conflict, the Burmese python inFlorida, and residential
(18:21):
landscapes and just what ouryards mean to us. And these are
just some of the topics thatwe're hosting episodes on in
2023. So once again, stayconnected and thank you for
listening to Science by theSlice.
Ricky Telg (18:40):
Science by the Slice is produced by the UF/IFAS
Center for Public IssuesEducation in Agriculture and
Natural Resources. Thanks forlistening to today's episode.
Subscribe to Science by theSlice on your favorite podcast
app and give us a rating orreview as well. Have a question
or comment? Send us an email topiecenter@ifas.ufl.edu. That's
(19:03):
piecenter, all one word, atifas, I-F-A-S, dot ufl dot edu.
We'd love to hear from you. Ifyou enjoyed today's episode,
consider sharing with a friendor colleague. Until next time,
thanks for listening to Scienceby the Slice.
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