Extension
It Starts With Us
Improving individual growth, personal well-being, healthy lifestyles
Making healthy lifestyle choices
Rebecca Miller
Fit Blue/Get Moving KY
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
4-H Leadership Core Curriculum
Promoting Healthy Homes and Communities (general)
Challenges to health and personal well-being threaten 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. Youth are not immune to this issue. Healthy living is one of three 4-H mission mandates. Components of Kentucky 4-H Health Core Curriculum include: physical activity, substance abuse, bullying, safety, and character education. In addition, minorities and individuals (including youth) 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.
Increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating daily, in youth and adults.
Improvement in the mental health and wellbeing of clientele, both young and old.
Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, tobacco use and drug abuse.
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.
Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle that include making healthy lifestyle choices, not engaging in risky behavior and handling stress.
Youth and adults will identify healthy lifestyle choices.
Youth and adults will understand risky behaviors and their consequences.
Initial Outcome: Youth and adults will identify healthy lifestyle choices. Youth and adults will understand risky behaviors and their consequences.
Indicator: Clientele recognize healthy food and behavior choices.
Method: Written and oral evaluation
Timeline: 0-3 months
Intermediate Outcome: Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle that include making healthy lifestyle choices, not engaging in risky behavior and handling stress.
Indicator: Clientele will practice healthy eating and demonstrate appropriate responses to stress.
Method: Written and oral, pre/post test
Timeline: 3-9 months
Long-term Outcome: Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, tobacco use and drug abuse.
Indicator: Long-term lifestyle changes have been made which improve health and well-being.
Method: Surveys and statistics
Timeline: 3-4 years
Audience: Youth, families, adults
Project or Activity: LEAP
Content or Curriculum: LEAP curriculum/books
Inputs: Agents, Schools, Extension resources, SNAP-Ed Assistants, Family Resource Centers, Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency, Homemakers
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Homemakers, families, professionals
Project or Activity: Weigh 2 Go Wednesdays
Content or Curriculum: Weight the Reality Series material
Inputs: Healthcare professionals, Extension resources, Agents
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: 4-H Youth
Project or Activity: Hygiene Basics
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum, Center for Disease Control materials
Inputs: Agents, Family Resource Centers, Schools, Local businesses and healthcare professionals
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Families, homemakers
Project or Activity: Blue to You
Content or Curriculum: Extension resources and materials
Inputs: Agent, Non-profit community organization
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Families and homemakers
Project or Activity: Strong Women, Healthy Hearts
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications, American Heart Association
Inputs: Community Action Agency, Healthcare professionals, Agents, volunteers
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Families, youth, homemakers, business professionals
Project or Activity: Get Moving Kentucky!
Content or Curriculum: UK publications
Inputs: Agents, staff, non-profit organizations
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Homemakers, youth, families
Project or Activity: My Plate!
Content or Curriculum: SNAP curriculum, Professor Popcorn curriculum
Inputs: Agents, staff, schools
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Families & Seniors
Project or Activity: Farmacy
Content or Curriculum: Healthy Choices for Everybody
Inputs: Agents, MCHC, Farmers
Date: 2019-2020
Author: Rebecca Miller
Major Program: LEAP
With obesity and poor oral health issues on the rise in 2019, more educators in Bell County sought out ways to help make the children in their classrooms healthy and safe. By using the LEAP (Literacy, Eating and Activity for the Primary) curriculum the Bell County Extension Office along with Family Resource Centers and several school teachers, we were able to reach 262 students in pre-school through 3rd grade with educational information concerning these problems.  
Author: Rebecca Miller
Major Program: Grandparents and Grandchildren Together
According to the Kentucky Youth Advocates, 70% of Bell County children live in low income families. In 2018, 23.8, per 1,000 Bell County children lives in a foster home and only 125 were reunited with their families. Grandparents and other relatives attempt to hold their families together by raising children when their parents cannot.In efforts to support and educate them, the Bell County Family and Consumer Science Agent is partnering with Youth Service Centers and other community members to cr
