Extension
It Starts With Us
Health and Wellness
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Nellie Buchanan
Faithful Families
Substance Use Prevention and Recovery General
The obesity epidemic threatens the quality and years of life of Morgan County citizens. Obese individuals are at increased risk for many chronic health conditions, including pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancers. The obesity rate in Kentucky increased 90% over the last 15 years and more than 35% of adults over age 18 in Morgan County were obese according to CDC statistics. Forty-one percent of adults reported no leisure time physical activity. Morgan County ranks in the top 20% in the nation of adults diagnosed with diabetes at a rate of 11.2+. The Centers for Disease Control estimates there are 1.1 million Kentuckians with pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes can lead to type 2 diabetes within 5 years unless, there is a weight loss of 5-7% and increase in physical activity for individuals. It is imperative that an intervention program be implemented to ensure change in these dramatic statistics.
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
- Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stork and hypertension
- increase the health savings in dollars for chronic disease
-Practice healthy food choices and strengthen individual' ability to build healthy eating plans and patterns
- Maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of life
-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
-Practice healthy lifestyle decision-making that strengthen individuals' ability to cope with normal life stressors.
Change in awareness, knowledge, opinions, skills and attitude needed to make informed choices regarding:
- healthy lifestyle choices
- Adult weight management
- Healthy aging
- Practice and promotion of daily physical activity
- Reduction of chronic disease
Initial Outcome: Change in Awareness, knowledge, opinions, skills and attitudes needed to make informed choices regarding: healthy lifestyle choices, weight management, healthy aging, practice and promote daily physical activity and reduce chronic disease
Indicator: Survey, self reporting
Method: Survey, journaling
Timeline: One year 2019-2020
Intermediate Outcome: Practice healthy eating, maintain calorie intake
Indicator: number of participants reporting progress and change in behavior
Method: Journal review, survey, evaluations
Timeline: 2019-2020
Long-term Outcome: Decrease in number of obese clientele, increase in physical activity
Indicator: healthy eating records, physical activity journals
Method: Survey, self reporting
Timeline: 2019-2020
Audience: At risk individuals for prediabetes
Project or Activity: Diabetes Prevention program
Content or Curriculum: National Diabetes Prevention Program & CDC materials, UK materials
Inputs: Kentucky CES, Morgan County CES, Diabetes Educators, registered dieticians, public and private health organizations, local ARH hospital, Morgan County Extension Homemakers, community and faith based organizations, Morgan County Diabetes Coalition
Date: August 2019 - June 2020
Audience: Extension Homemakers and general public
Project or Activity: Faithful Families
Content or Curriculum: Faithful families curriculum
Inputs: Extension agent, FCS specialists, local faith based community, local health care providers, UK Health care
Date: October - November 2019; April - May 2020
Audience: Youth 7 &/or 8th grades
Project or Activity: Truth or Consequences Program
Content or Curriculum: Truth or Consequences curriculum
Inputs: Extension Agents, FCS specialists, local faith based community, local school system, medical community, law enforcement, coroner, State agencies
Date: Fall 2019
Author: Nellie Buchanan
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Programming in a year of a pandemic, required resourceful methods to reach families with research based USDA recommended practices for preserving food safely. 2020 was a unique year, home gardening grew by leaps and bounds as did the request for canner testing, food preservation materials and even denouncing many "inaccurate" Face book posts that people shared as "safe". Intervention with a local food group on Facebook led many to observe, request and practice saf
Author: Nellie Buchanan
Major Program: Substance Use Prevention and Recovery General
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services reports that 10% of adolescents’ self-report illicit drug use in the past month. Substance use prevention programming is critical to the prevention, delayed onset, and/or early identification of substance use. The Life Skills Training (LST) program, developed by Botvin and colleagues, is one of the most successful substance use prevention programs available for use. It teaches a variety of personal self-management skills and s
Author: Nellie Buchanan
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Morgan County is a county where nearly all geographic areas experience food deserts. FCS agent and Wolfe County SNAP assistant worked collaboratively with Family Resource and Youth Resource Center coordinators, along with school personnel to plan and establish programming for youth to teach quick and easy snack ideas, promote KY Proud products, food safety, etiquette and life skills have in their development as responsible/self-sufficient individuals. &nbs
