Extension
It Starts With Us
Healthy Familiy (Community) through Healthy Individuals
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
FCS, 4H
Substance Use Prevention and Recovery General
The health and wealth of Boyd County lies within the choices families make on a daily basis. People are living longer. Kentucky’s current population of seniors (65+) is 13.3%, a number that is expected to double in the next 40 years due to the aging Baby Boomers (post WWII babies born between 1946-1964). Approximately 25% of Kentucky’s population includes Boomers, who, in 2011, started turning 65. KentuckyHealthFacts.org reports that in Boyd counties 48,832 residents 39% of adults are obese, 74% of adults are overweight and that only 9% of the population reports fruit and vegetable consumption. County health and Community productivity relies on the overall health of families and individuals. Meanwhile, babies born in Kentucky in 2011 are projected to live to be 75 years old (3 years younger than the national average). Whether it is the graying of America or extended life expectancies, aging is a lifespan process. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge and celebrate the changes that accompany aging, in regard to health, independence and life quality throughout all stages of life. Managing finances plays an integral part in being able to live and manage health in all stages of life. The goal is to develop programs that help individuals, families and communities manage the challenges and discover the positive aspects of life transitions while growing older and acquiring or maintaining physical and financial health.
Goals:
•Apply knowledge and skills to think critically, to solve problems, and to make informed decisions regarding healthy lifestyle choices.
•Reduce chronic disease risk, debilitation, and premature death by practicing healthy lifestyle choices.
•Strengthen family nurturing attitudes and behaviors by caring for the health and well-being of each individual throughout the lifespan.
•Foster the optimal development of children and youth.
•Practice wise parenting skills.
•Build community capacity to nurture all families through appropriate collaborations and programs.
•Individuals and families will demonstrate financial literacy and sound basic financial practices
•Teens and young adults will improve financial literacy and appraise workforce preparedness
•Create safe homes in environments that promote and support the physical and mental well-being of families throughout the lifecycle.
•Improve the built and natural environment to increase active and healthy lifestyles.
•Apply skills of food resource management, food safety, and food preparation to afford healthy, nutritious food choices.
•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 wellbeing of residents of Grant County
• Decrease in Overdoses and substance abuse
•Decrease falls
•Improve financial education
•Improve healthy homes and communities
•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 changes related to obesity, physical activity and healthy eating.
•Change behavior to decrease risk of falling.
•Increase communication and enhance relationships and social support.
•Enhance brain activity
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.
Change in awareness, knowledge, and aspirations related to healthy aging, independent aging and quality aging in the areas of : Risk of falling, Healthy eating and food safety, Financial Planning, Age-related family issues (e.g. dementia, power of attorney, living wills, failing health, end-of-life), Teenagers and adults will show increased knowledge and skills related to managing available financial and non-financial resources, Teens and young adults will simulate life situations to recognize importance of education and employability skills, Participants will identify short, medium and long term personal goals and objectives related to maintaining and improving their financial stability and physical health.
Initial Outcome: Knowledge Gained
Indicator: Increased knowledge related to healthy aging, independent aging and quality aging, what is healthy weight, interest in physical activity, and basic understanding of financial matters such as budget, savings, and understanding the importance of money.
Method: Written or Oral Evaluation, Pre and Post Test
Timeline: Immediate
Intermediate Outcome: Behavior Change
Indicator: Apply learned skills to make changes in behavior to decrease risk of falling, improve mental health, make healthy eating choices, increase in savings etc.
Method: Oral and Written Evaluations, Pre and Post Tests.
Timeline: 1-3 Years
Long-term Outcome: Changes in the aging across the lifespan of Boyd County residents
Indicator: Change in social, economic, and environmental issues related to healthy aging, independent aging and quality aging
Method: Noticeable changes in family relationships, and policy changes that promote healthy family relationships, decrease in number of low income families.
Timeline: 10 years
Audience: Families
Project or Activity: Family Mealtime
Content or Curriculum: Family Mealtime
Inputs: Agents, Assistants, community partners.
Date: 2020-21
Audience: Boyd County Citizens of all ages
Project or Activity: promoting local food systems
Content or Curriculum: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Inputs: Agents, farmers market, curriculum
Date: 2020-21
Audience: Seniors (Age 65+) and Caregivers
Project or Activity: Fall prevention
Content or Curriculum: Stand up to Falling
Inputs: Agent, community resources, curriculum
Date: 2020-21
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Small Steps to Health and Wealth
Content or Curriculum: Small Steps to Health and Wealth
Inputs: Agent, Curriculum
Date: 2020-21
Audience: Middle School to high school age youth
Project or Activity: Truth and Consequences: The Choice is Yours
Content or Curriculum: truth and Consequences
Inputs: Agents, schools, community organizations, community partners
Date: Fall/Spring as requested
Audience: School Age Youth
Project or Activity: Dollars and Sense
Content or Curriculum: UK Recourses, Dollars and Sense
Inputs: Agents, Specialists, teachers, Extension staff
Date: annually
Audience: School Age Youth
Project or Activity: Reality Store
Content or Curriculum: UK Recourses, Reality Store
Inputs: Agents, Specialists, teachers, Extension staff
Date: annually
Audience: Middle Schools
Project or Activity: Health/Nutrition Clubs
Content or Curriculum: National 4-H Curriculum
Inputs: Agents, teachers, extension staff
Date: Annually
Author: Rebecca Stahler
Major Program: Family and Consumer Science
COVID-19 has affected virtually all aspects of everyday life. Although the full effects of the global pandemic have yet to be realized, one thing we know for sure is that children and adolescents will be affected in ways that will mark the course of their life-long development (Bartlett & Virette, 2020). Young people are dealing with changes to family life that could include parental job loss, isolation, financial strain and uncertainty, familial stress responses, and increased family substa
