Extension
It Starts With Us
Improving Diet, Nutrition and Health
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
FCS Agent; SNAP assistant
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Food Preservation
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
The obesity epidemic threatens the quality and years of life of Kentuckians. 34% of adults 18 years and older are obese in Russell County while 11% of adults have diabetes (Building Strong Families, 2016). 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 local organizations, agencies, and groups to promote health and wellness in Russell County. This initiative continues to be recognized by the RC Family and Consumer Sciences Council as well as RC County Extension Council as a top priority in RCFCS programming efforts.
Nutrition Education Programs help families gain access to food and stretch food dollars; communities to decrease hunger; and local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy and safe food preparation methods.
*Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and hypertension.
*Increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating daily.
*Increase policies that address obesity, physical inactivity and promotion of poor nutrition.
*A decrease in the number of obese and overweight children, youth, adults and elderly.
* Limited English proficient families will learn how to grow a garden, preserve food and prepare nutritious meals.
*Access more local foods
*Redeem Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program benefit.
*Plant, harvest and preserve produce
*Apply improved food preparation skills, food management skills, food safety and healthy eating habits
*Participants will increase fiber intake by consuming more whole grains, fruits and vegetables and decrease fat, sugar and sodium in their diets.
*Participants will increase their physical activity.
*Households will access emergency food sources
*Understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being
*Learn to grow, prepare and preserve food*
*Learn to incorporate unfamiliar foods or foods not currently eaten into a healthy diet
*Increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, food safety and food resource management
*Learn about community support services to increase food security
*Participants will follow the recommendations of MyPlate and 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
*Participants will increase fruit and vegetable consumption and buy locally grown produce from local farmers
Outcome: NEP clients will improve on the 24 hour food recall upon completion of the program
Indicator: NEP food recall (before and after program) NEERS
Method: NEP core curriculum
Timeline: 12 months or completion of program
Outcome: LEP gardening participants will learn how to preserve garden produce
Indicator: Number of jars/bags preserved
Method: Preserve garden produce from community garden
Timeline: Summer/Fall
Outcome: Homemakers will increase knowledge of popular household appliances
Indicator: Pre and post test evaluations, verbal feedback
Method: homemaker lesson
Timeline: throughout year
Outcome: Participants will increase fruits/veggie consumption and buy from local farmers market
Indicator: Verbal feedback
Method: Farmer’s market sampling
Timeline: Summer/Fall
Audience: Extension Homemakers
Project or Activity: Small appliances
Content or Curriculum: FCS fact sheet
Inputs: KEHA/homemaker members/SNAP-Ed
Date:
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: PIU KY Proud food demos and sampling
Content or Curriculum: PIU-KY Proud
Inputs: PIU recipe cards, NEP program reinforcements
Date: summer
Audience: Limited resource families
Project or Activity: Group sessions
Content or Curriculum: NEP core curriculum
Inputs: NEP reinforcements, community groups, RC Community Health Coalition
Date: All - year
Audience: Preschool
Project or Activity: What's in a Doctor's Bag?
Content or Curriculum: What's in a Doctor's Bag?
Inputs: Resources given with curriculum, preschool program
Date: school year
Author: Jonathan Oakes
Major Program: Local Food Systems
Russell County has always had a strong heritage in vegetable production, whether it be commercial or home garden production. Our main garden is located at the extension office. This year, in conjunction with Russell County Health Department and Russell Springs First Baptist Church, we were able to start another community garden in Russell County. The new community garden provides low income families, minorities and Senior Citizens with the opportunity to help grow their own foo
