Franklin County CES

Title:

Making Better Choices for Healthier Lifestyles

MAP:

Developing Healthier Lifestyles through Family Life Education

Agents Involved:

K. Perry; A. Leonberger; T. Thomas

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Health

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Active Living and Health Promotions General

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Community Health Needs Assessment

Situation:

Franklin County has three primary adult behavioral risk factors that significantly impact our community’s health outcomes: obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and smoking. Closely related to many of Franklin County’s leading causes of death is an adult obesity rate of 30% compared to a Kentucky rate of 32% and a U.S. rate of 34.9%. Childhood Obesity Action Network reported that in 2007, 37.1% of Kentucky children aged 10-17 were overweight or obese exceeding the national rate of 31.6%. Locally collected data from a study conducted by the Franklin County Health Department discovered that out of 416 4th and 5th grade Franklin County students, 41% of them were obese. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance data was collected for high school students and showed that 33.2% were overweight or obese in Kentucky compared to 27.8% in the nation.

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% 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 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. The obesity epidemic, as well as the other behavioral risk factors, threatens the quality and years of the life of Franklin County citizens.

Another factor linked to obesity is sedentary lifestyles. It was found that 29.6% of adults in the Franklin County area did not participate in any physical activity in the past 30 days compared to 30.5% of Kentucky. Again these rates exceed the national rate of 24.8%. YRBS data indicate no physical activity for 17% of Kentucky and 23.1% of U.S. high school students.

The third contributing factor to poor health is smoking. Research data shows a local rate of 22.6% for Franklin County, Kentucky rate of 25.2% and national adult smoking rate of 18.3% (KDPH, 2008). Although both the Kentucky and Franklin County rates are still higher than the national percentages, this data does reflect a decrease in recent years. Similarly, the Kentucky youth smoking rate is 26.1%, and the U.S. rate is 19.5%.

Healthy living is one of three 4-H mission mandates and encompasses: physical activity, personal safety, mental health, addiction prevention, and diversity and inclusion.  In Kentucky, 51% of youth report not exercising regularly, 25% report some form of emotional or behavioral condition and suicide rates are at record high (KY suicides per 100,000 people: 15.3, 10th highest in nation). Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health disease can affect anyone, with 1,160 reported opioid-involved deaths (a rate of 27.9 deaths per 100,000 persons) in Kentucky and Vaping nearly doubled among middle and high school students — with 27% of high school seniors reporting they had tried the product in 2018.

Long-Term Outcomes:

•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.

•Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and hypertension.

• Reduced fatalities
• Reduced number of children in foster care
• Reduced incarceration
• Increased number of youth maintaining positive health habits;
• Increased number of youth at a lower risk for serious disease and illness;
• Increased number of youth at a lower risk for physical and emotional distress
• Reduce the number of youth reporting drug, alcohol, and tobacco use

Intermediate Outcomes:

•Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle that include making healthy lifestyle choices.

•Practice healthy food choices, physical activity, and strengthen individuals’ ability to build healthy eating plans and patterns.

•Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity, physical inactivity and chronic disease.

• New coalitions developed to address SUC and MH
• Improved access and utilization of resources
• Improved perceived stress and ability to cope
• Youth will contribute to their communities
• Youth will practice refusal skills, 
• Youth will intervene to prevent use/abuse  
• All agents trained in YMHFA

Initial Outcomes:

•Youth and adults will learn the importance of healthy lifestyle choices.

•Youth and adults understand the benefits of making proactive healthy choices.

•Youth and adults will gain an understanding in healthy lifestyles and the necessary skills for a healthy lifestyle.

Youth and adults will

• Improve in awareness of health concerns for youth
• Improve education about SUD and MH disease
• Improve education about diversity and Inclusion
• Reducd stigma of individuals with SUD and MH disease

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating daily.

Indicator: Reported increase in physical activity and healthy eating

Method: Pre- and post-surveys

Timeline: Before and after programs

Intermediate Outcome: Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity, physical activity, and chronic disease.

Indicator: Increase in coalitions and partnerships

Method: Extension records and observation

Timeline: After programs and coalition building

Long-term Outcome: Youth and adults understand the benefits of making proactive healthy choices.

Indicator: Reported understanding of benefits

Method: Pre- and post-surveys

Timeline: Before and after programs

Outcome to be Evaluated:

• Number of youth who indicated they learned about healthy food choices through 4-H
• Method of Evaluation
• Number of youth who were educated on health and well-being through 4-H programs? (KOSA)
• Number of youth who indicated they made healthy lifestyle choices as are result of what they learned through 4-H programming? (PRACTICE)
• Number of youth who indicated they increased their daily number of servings of fruits and vegetables eaten as a result of 4-H programs? (PRACTICE) Number of youth who indicated “yes or usually” to the Common Measures Experience Survey Question #6 “Is 4-H A place where you get to figure out things for yourself?” (SEEC)
• Number of youth who indicated “yes or usually” to the Common Measures Experience Survey Question #13 “Is 4-H a place where you have a chance to be a leader?” (SEEC)

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Youth & Adults

Project or Activity: Afterschool Clubs, Project Days, Camp Classes, FCS Cooking classes,

Content or Curriculum: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Plate It Up, You're the Chef, Food, Culture, and Reading curriculum, Cooking 101-401 Curriculum

Inputs: CES Staff, CES Agents, Specialists, CES publications, community partners

Date: September - August

Audience: Youth & Adults

Project or Activity: 4-H Cooking Club; Recipe of the Month

Content or Curriculum: Food Preservation, Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Plate It Up, You're the Chef, Food, Culture, and Reading curriculum, Cooking 101-401 Curriculum, SNAP Curriculum

Inputs: CES Agent and Staff, Specialists, CES publications, community partners, SNAP Program Assistants

Date: September - August

Audience: Youth

Project or Activity: In-School Club

Content or Curriculum: Health Rocks, Exploring the Treasures of 4-H, My Financial Future, Step Up to Leadership, Moneywise, MITT, STEPS to a Healthy Teen

Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside funding

Date: September – May

Audience: Community

Project or Activity: Home Gardening Class

Content or Curriculum: Gardening classes from Master Gardeners

Inputs: Master Gardeners volunteers, Farmer's Market

Date: January - December

Audience: Community

Project or Activity: Healthy Cooking, Food Preservation, HM Leader Lessons

Content or Curriculum: FCS Agents, SNAP Assistants, Specialist

Inputs: FCS Agents, Homemakers, Related Publications

Date: September - August

Success Stories