Accessing Nutritious Foods in Breathitt CountyPlan of Work

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Breathitt County CES

Title:
Accessing Nutritious Foods in Breathitt County
MAP:
2. Improve Physical and Mental Health
Agents Involved:
Kayla Watts, Reed Graham, & Ryan Spicer
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Food Preparation and Preservation
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Nutrition and Food Systems General
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Local Food Systems
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Super Star Chef
Situation:

A foundation of nutrition knowledge, skills and competencies in topics such as food safety, handling and preparation, cooking methods and techniques, feeding practices, food science, and food systems are essential to changing dietary behaviors. With the increased trend of chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky, individuals, families, and communities need tools and environments that support healthful dietary decisions. CES agents are encouraged to reach diverse audiences to help combat chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky communities.

Long-Term Outcomes:

Routinely employ healthy dietary practices that promote health and wellness (e.g. consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables and improve food management skills)

Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity

Intermediate Outcomes:

Generate positive attitudes toward changing dietary decisions to be more healthful.

Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods

Decrease intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium

Employ healthful cooking methods, feeding practices, and food preservation techniques

Increased access to healthy food via local farmers markets, food retailers, and/or home gardens

Initial Outcomes:

Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease.

Improve food and nutrition-related skills (e.g. gardening, preparation and preservation techniques, safe food handling, food resource management)

Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices 

Increase motivation to access and prepare healthier foods

Evaluation:

Outcome:  Nutrition knowledge, skills, and competencies

Indicator:  Number of individuals who reported: use knowledge and skills to improve food-shopping management; utilize the food label to make healthy food choices; choosing smaller portions; increased food preservation knowledge; demonstrated recommended food preservation practices

Method: Self-report surveys; specific curricula or program evaluations

Timeline:  Pre-post implementing curricula or program


Outcome: Preparing and preserving food 

Indicator:  Number of individuals who reported: preparing more home-cooked meals; modifying ingredients and/or preparation techniques to improve nutrition

Method: Self-report survey; specific curricula or program evaluations

Timeline:  Pre-post implementing curricula or program


Outcome:  Dietary intake 

Indicator:  Number of individuals who reported: eating 4-6 servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily

Method: Self-report surveys about fruit and vegetable intake or other dietary improvements; specific curricula or program evaluations

Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program


Outcome:  Availability and access to healthy food 

Indicator:  Number of individuals who reported: utilizing delivery systems/access points (e.g., farmers’ markets, CSAs, WIC, food pantries) that offer healthy foods; supplementing diets with healthy foods grown or preserved (e.g., community or backyard gardens, fishing, hunting, farmers markets); dollar value of vendor-reported sales or EBT, WIC, or Senior benefits redeemed at farmers’ markets; number of pints of foods preserved through water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or drying. 

Method: Self-report survey

Timeline:  Pre-post implementing curricula or program

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Communities


Project or Activity:  Farmers Market Outreach

Content or Curriculum:  Lunch at the Market Program, Cooking programs, marketing, increased access (e.g. location, hours, EBT), Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud resources, Farmers Market Toolkit, Super Star Chef

Inputs: Nutrition Education Program (NEP), paid staff, grant funds, facilities, Kentucky Department of Agriculture

Date: April – October/Growing seasons


Project or Activity:  Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approaches

Content or Curriculum: Faithful Families, Kentucky Farm to School Task Force Resources, Health Coalitions, resources for early care and education settings

Inputs: Volunteers, grant funds, faith-based organizations, community partners, key stakeholders, SNAP-Ed Toolkit 

Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year



Audience: Families and Individuals


Project or Activity:  Food Preparation for Better Health

Content or Curriculum: Cook Together Eat Together, Mastering Food Choices, Dining with Diabetes, Super Star Chef, Champion Food Volunteer, Faithful Families, Body Balance, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Resources, plans for prenatal- and infant/toddler-specific curriculum, resources for early care and education settings

Inputs: Programmatic materials, paid staff, community partners, faith-based organizations, health coalitions

Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year


Project or Activity:  Food Preservation

Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Home-Based Micro-Processing Training, Champion Food Volunteers

Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP

Date: July – September for adults and youth


Project or Activity:  Family Gardening Program

Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Home-Based Micro-Processing Training, Champion Food Volunteers

Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP

Date: July – September for adults and youth


Project or Activity: Breathitt County Pride Program

Content or Curriculum: Various Publications, PBPT and other support trainings

                                                                 for local growers/producers, soft skills materials

 Inputs: ANR Agent, Specialists & Curriculum

 Date: On-Going/Various



Success Stories

4-H Day Camp on the Go - Cooking 101

Author: Ryan Spicer

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

According to the American Heart Association, teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime, they will be more likely to eat healthier as adults, and build self-confidence. The Breathitt County Agent for 4-H Youth Development wants to provide these learning opportunities to the youth of Breathitt County in the anticipation that this statement will hold true. To ensure these learning experiences are offered during the Covid-19 pandemic the age

Full Story

Plate it Up Kentucky Proud

Author: Kayla Watts

Major Program: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud

     According to the 5-A-Day program developed and promoted by the USDA, citizens are encouraged to increase fruit and vegetable consumption to 5-9 servings daily. Although community members may understand the importance of consuming more fruits and vegetables, access to recipes using these foods, as well as, access to these food products can be difficult. Breathitt County residents have minimal access to healthy foods, thus making it even harder to combat health epidemics such a

Full Story

Freezer Beef Operation

Author: Reed Graham

Major Program: Beef

Profitability in a small cow/calf operation can be very difficult. According to a recent fact sheet from the University of Kentucky Ag Economics department the estimated gross return per cow in 2021 is $168 and that doesn’t include Depreciation or Interest on Equipment/Facilities, Land, or Labor. Smaller producers with under 50 cows would have a hard time making a living off beef cattle at that projection.With the help and guidance of Breathitt County ANR Agent Reed Graham one producer sou

Full Story

Food Box Distribution Program

Author: Kayla Watts

Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General

 According to the 2019 Census Bureau Quick Facts for Breathitt County, the median household income is $27,344.00; placing 30% of the county population living in poverty.  Those living in poverty often struggle to provide adequate nutrition/food to their families which directly affects the health of those families.  With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting existing food relief efforts in the county, Extension personnel began looking at ways to fill the gap between those in poverty and

Full Story

AGTECH Program

Author: Ryan Spicer

Major Program: Agriculture

With a majority of today’s U.S. consumers three to four generations removed from agriculture, many do not have a good level of knowledge about agriculture and food production. Based upon research conducted by Sullivan, Higdon & Sink consumers know more about movies (40%), politics (45 %), history (47 %) and music (51 %) than they do about food production (40 %). To increase this level of knowledge in the youth of Breathitt County the agent for 4-H Youth Development partnered with APPHa

Full Story

Mountain Monday Zoom Series

Author: Reed Graham

Major Program: Local Food Systems

In response to COVID and the desire to continue programming, the Quicksand Area Agriculture Agents decided to offer a weekly virtual program for our clients. The series has been titled, "Mountain Monday Zoom Series" and it offers participants to "explore various topics impacting farming, natural resources, gardening, agriculture, and more in the mountains." The series began on February 1 and is continued through the end of April. Topics were: Small Ruminant Management, P

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