Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Family Wellness
Linda Combs
Substance Use Prevention and Recovery General
Active Living and Health Promotions General
With the unemployment rate in the county on the rise up to 15.6% through 2015 and early 2016, community leaders through surveys, council meetings, and one-on-one face meetings have directed Extension programming to focus on areas dealing with: family relations, drugs, unemployment, motivating children to succeed, peer pressure, helping aging baby boomers learn to adapt to the aging process and financial management. Many of Knott County families struggle with one or more of these problems. Children who start kindergarten with delayed development and fewer assets are by far more likely to repeat grades, get tracked into lower-tier classes and drop out of high school. Knott County’s population of seniors is 13.4% a number that is expected to increase due to aging baby boomers.
According to the CDC’s County Diabetes Atlas, in Knott County in 2012:
• 15.0% (18.3%-11.9%) of adults reported having been diagnosed with diabetes
• 40.7% (46.3%-35.3%) of adults 18 years and over were obese
• 37.6% (43.8%-32.0%) of adults reported no leisure-time exercise in the past
•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 dai
•Improvement in the mental health and wellbeing of Knott county residents.
•Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and hypertension
•Practice healthy food choices and strengthen individuals’ ability to build healthy eating plans and patterns.
•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
•Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity, physical inactivity and chronic disease.
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
Initial Outcome: Knott County residents will make healthier lifestyle choices in regards to: preventive health care, obesity, getting physically fit, food safety.
Indicator: Number of participants that show positive changes in wellness activities.
Method: pre and post evaluations, observations, surveys.
Timeline: on-going, beginning and end of programs and after programs are completed.
Intermediate Outcome: county residents are physically moving more and eating healthier
Indicator: number of people buying fresh produce, number of people moving more
Method: pre and post surveys, observations, surveys
Timeline: ongoing, follow up evaluation
Long-term Outcome: decrease in the number of obese children and adults
Indicator: amount of produce bought, increased physical activity
Method: post (long term) evaluations, observations, CDC reports
Timeline: on-going
Audience: youth
Project or Activity: Truth and Consequences the Choice is Yours
Content or Curriculum: Truth and Consequences the Choice is Yours
Inputs: Agents, program assistant
Date: Fall 2019
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Content or Curriculum: UK Extension materials
Inputs: FCS Agent
Date: on-going
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Addiction 101
Content or curriculum: UK extension curriculum
Input: Linda Combs, Knott Co FCS
Date: March 2020
Author: Linda Combs
Major Program: Active Living and Health Promotions General
Heart disease is the number one cause of death among American women. Two people die in America every minute from heart disease. Knott county ranks 112 in Kentucky health rankings for 2020. Knott County Family and Consumer Science was asked by ARH Cardiovascular & Thoracic Association a department of Hazard ARH regional medical center to collaborate with a heart healthy nutrition and health program. After discussing with the health care professionals, it was decided to