Extension
It Starts With Us
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (FCS/HORT)
Promote Healthy Lifestyles
Diane Mason, David Koester
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
Faithful Families
The obesity epidemic threatens the quality and years of life of Kentuckians. Obese individuals are at increased risk for many chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancers. The obesity rate in Kentucky increased 90 percent over the last 15 years. Thirty percent of individuals in the Commonwealth report no leisure-time physical activity. Increased consumption of unhealthy food, stress, and built environments that promote physical inactivity are largely responsible for the obesity epidemic. As a result, Kentuckians are dying from heart disease and cancer at higher rates than all Americans and they have a lower life expectancy, 75.5 years, compared to 78 years for Americans. Minorities and individuals residing in Appalachia bear a heavier brunt of the obesity and chronic disease burden. The goal of the Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices Initiative is to reverse these trends by working with various organizations, agencies, and groups to promote the health and wellness in all Kentuckians.
A decrease in the number of obese and overweight children, youth, adults and elderly
Increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating daily
Improvement in the built environment to promote physical activity and healthy eating
Improvement in the mental health and well-being of Kentuckians
Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and hypertension
Increase the estimated health savings in dollars for chronic disease.
Increase policies that address obesity, physical inactivity and promotion of poor nutrition
More people growing and eating their own fresh fruits and vegetables, gaining health benefits from more exercise (gardening) and from gaining easy access to healthier foods with more fiber and less fat, through fresh garden produce they grow at home.
Practice healthy food choices and strengthen individuals’ ability to build healthy eating plans and patterns.
Maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy and breastfeeding and older age
Practice of physical activity in families and communities and decreased time spent on sedentary behaviors
Community members advocate for policy implementation and changes related to obesity, physical activity and healthy eating.
Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity, physical inactivity and chronic disease.
Practice healthy lifestyle decision-making that strengthen individuals’ ability to cope with normal life stressors.
Change in awareness, knowledge, opinions, skills, and attitudes needed to make informed choices regarding:
Healthy lifestyle choices
Childhood and youth obesity
Adult weight management
Healthy aging
Practice and promotion of daily physical activity
Policies that that reduce the level of obesity
Reduction of chronic disease
Initial Outcome: Post program surveys
Indicator: Change in knowledge or attitude and intent to implement
Method: Post program surveys
Timeline: Immediately following program
Intermediate Outcome: Post Program Surveys
Indicator: Use of information from program and change in practice or behavior
Method: Mailed or on-line survey of participants
Timeline: 3 to 6 months following program
Long-term Outcome: Change in behavior that leads to change in health
Indicator: Community indicators for health
Method: Statistics from state and national organizations
Timeline: 4 years
Audience: Adults of general public
Project or Activity: Walk, Grill and Learn
Content or Curriculum: Plate it Up Kentucky Proud;
Inputs: Farmers Market, Plate it Up Kentucky Proud recipes;
Date: June 2020
Audience: Adults of general public
Project or Activity: Body Balance
Content or Curriculum: UK Body Balance Curriculum
Inputs: recipes; cooking supplies, farmers market
Date: December 2019, January, February, March, April, May, June 2020
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Baking for One, Two or a Few series
Content or Curriculum: UK handouts, speakers
Inputs: fact sheet
Date: October 2019
Audience: Adults, general public
Project or Activity: Hands-on Food Preservation for Adult Beginners to include fresh garden produce
Content or Curriculum: University of Kentucky curriculum
Inputs: Canning supplies, fact sheets
Date: July 2019
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: All About Beans
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications
Inputs: publications
Date: October 2019
Audience: Adults, general public
Project or Activity: Friday Food Fun: Increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and essential nutrients
Content or Curriculum: Extension curricula; different topic each month
Inputs: Cooking supplies
Date: Monthly, July, August, September, October, November, December 2019; January, February, March, April, May, June 2020
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Food Safety Dinner Theater
Content or Curriculum: UK handouts, speakers
Inputs: Northern Kentucky District Health Department; Three-Rivers Health Department; Northern Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association
Date: September 2019
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Exploring the Mediterranean Lifestyle (Friday Food Fun audience)
Content or Curriculum: Pennsylvania Extension Curriculum
Inputs: food, curriculum
Date: July/August 2019
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity:Measuring Matters
Content or Curriculum: Super Star Chef Kneads a Little Dough; Learning Seed curriculum
Inputs: food, curriculum
Date: October 2019
Author: Diane Mason
Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
In 2010 a shift was seen by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS)* of more meals being eaten away from home. The trend continued, and continued to increase through the latest data release in 2017. An article in a 2014 Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior** indicates a “lack of cooking skills and food preparation knowledge as barriers to preparing home-cooked meals.” To help combat the issue, a three-part hands-on cooking prog
Author: Diane Mason
Major Program: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) approximately 48 million people get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne disease each year in the United States. The CDC also states there are 31 pathogens known to cause foodborne illness. (CDC at https://www.cdc.gov/foodborneburden/2011-foodborne-estimates.html). Foodborne illness symptoms can occur anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks after a contaminated food is consumed often making it difficult to identify the s
Author: Diane Mason
Major Program: Securing Financial Stability (general)
The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 30 to 40 percent of food in America is wasted. Wasted food wastes money and contributes to methane gas emissions from landfills.To help consumers who live alone or with one other person address the challenges of wasting food and money, a four-part, hands-on series, “Baking for One, Two or a Few,” was conducted for adults by the Boone County Cooperative Extension Service. University of Kentucky Extension “Baking for One,
Author: David Koester
Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture
The non-commercial Boone County Horticulture Advisory Council requested we continue our programs of teaching classes on specific vegetable and fruit crops and provide attendees cultivars of plants discussed in class. The council recommended we cover onions, strawberries, and blueberries for spring 2020. A fee was charged for each class to cover the wholesale cost of plants and materials.The reason for selecting these 3 crops was people continually plant the wrong type of onion for Kentucky
