Extension
It Starts With Us
Health for Youth, Adults and Families
Improve Physical and Mental Health
Jones, Potter, Sarantakos
Community Health Needs Assessment
Family and Consumer Science
Health
Nutrition and Food Systems General
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.
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 37% of youth 10-17 are overweight or obese, and 51% report not exercising regularly. 25% of youth 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.
*Routinely employ healthy dietary practices that promote health and wellness.
*Consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables and improve food management skills.
* Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity.
*Increase number of youth maintaining positive health habits.
*Increased number of youth at a lower risk for physical and emotional distress
*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
*Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle.
*Improved perceived stress and ability to cope.
*Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease.
* Improve food and nutrition-related skills.
*Improve gardening, preparation and preservation techniques, safe food handling, and food resource management.
* Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices.
*Increase motivation to access and prepare healthier foods.
*Improved in awareness of health concerns for youth.
*Improved understanding of the consequences of risk behaviors.
Initial Outcome: Increased knowledge of substance use
Indicator: Number of individuals attending programs
Method: Retroactive pre-post
Timeline: Following every addiction 101 training
Intermediate Outcome: Increased ability to use destigmatized language
Indicator: Number of individuals intend to change behavior
Method: Retroactive pre-post
Timeline: Following any program, that includes language training
Long-term Outcome: Improved social skills and or self-efficacy in KY Youth
Indicator: Number of students undergoing Botvin
Indicator: Number of students undergoing Health Rocks
Method: Retroactive pre-post
Timeline: Following Health Rocks
Timeline: Following Botvin Life Skills
Audience: Community, Young Adults and Families
Project or Activity: Farmers Market Outreach
Content or Curriculum: Cooking programs, marketing, increased access (e.g. location, hours, EBT), Plate it Up! Kentucky Proud resources, Farmers Market Toolkit, Super Star Chef, Healthy Choices, Teen Cuisine.
Inputs: UK Cooperative Extension Service, FCS - 4-H Agents, KSU SNAP-Ed Agent
Evaluation Method: evaluation
Date: Growing Season
Audience: Adults, Young Adults
Project or Activity: 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:
Inputs: Volunteers, grant funds, faith-based organizations, community partners, key stakeholders, SNAP-Ed Toolkit
Evaluation Method: evaluation
Date: On-Going throughout the year
Audience: Adults, Young adults and Teens
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, Teen Cuisine plans for prenatal- and infant/toddler-specific curriculum, resources for early care and education settings
Inputs: Coordinated with Rowan Co School Staff, FCS Agent
Evaluation Method: pre-post evaluation included with curriculum
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year
Audience: Adults, Young Adults
Project or Activity: Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Home-Based Micro-Processing Training, and Champion Food Volunteers
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials
Evaluation Method: evaluation at conclusion of training & product completion
Date: May - September
Audience: Physical Health
Project or Activity: Health
Content or Curriculum: Get Moving Kentucky, SPARK, 4-H Dancefit, Steps to a Healthy Teen & Outdoor Adventure
Evaluation Method: 4-H Common Measures Survey
Date: Throughout the year
Audience: Addiction Prevention
Project or Activity: Health Rocks
Content or Curriculum: Health Rocks
Evaluation Method: Surveys included in the program
Date: September to August
Audience: Adults, Senior Citizens and Adults in Recovery
Project or Activity: Healthy Choice Classes
Content or Curriculum: Healthy Choice for Everybody
Evaluation Method: evaluation per program
Date: Throughout the year
Audience: Teens
Project or Activity: Teen Cuisine or Rookie Cooking Camp
Content or Curriculum: Teen Cuisine/Rookie Cooking Camp
Evaluation Method: pre-post evaluation that’s included in curriculum
Date: Throughout the year
Author: Peggy Jones
Major Program: Camping
2022 4-H Camp Second year from COVID 19 pandemic allowed more campers and activities to happen at camp this year. For KY Youth it still took away many inside activities but for 4-H Camp and other extension programs started back, working up to a better attendance. The pandemic did alter a degree of physical, emotional, and mental health of youth in our communities. According to the CDC ways to help our youth cope during this precedent time is to recognize behavior changes,
Author: Peggy Jones
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
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. (Cooking With Your Children; Web MD; May 30, 2008.) Rowan County Food Service students are learning new techniques and foods by Cooking in the Calendar, so far dishes such as Sweet Potato Nachos and rice dishes have been introduce to 15 youth, for a new way of cooking wit
Author: Peggy Jones
Major Program: LEAP
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Kentucky has one of the highest prevalence for pediatric obesity in the nation. Approximately 38% of Kentucky children ages 10-17 years are overweight or obese according to BMI-for-age standards. Half of Kentucky’s children in poor families are overweight or obese. According to the 2006 Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, 35.3% children ages 0-4 years in Kentucky are overweight or obese. The Rowan County Cooperative Ext
Author: Peggy Jones
Major Program: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
2023 Fresh Vegetables with a different lookFresh Salsa for the win! Culinary The USDA and Department of Health and Human Services, consumption of total fruit and total vegetables are expected to grow roughly 4% respectively in the next 3 years. With the increase on the rise of consuming vegetables the Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent provides fresh vegetables classes at the local high school to juniors and seniors in Rowan County. A popular food item such as salsa was picke
