Healthy Lifestyle Choices for Family and YouthPlan of Work

Back to Plans for the County

Crittenden County CES

Title:
Healthy Lifestyle Choices for Family and Youth
MAP:
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices/ Accessing Healthy Foods
Agents Involved:
Heimgartner ANR, Barnes 4-H
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Local Food Systems
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Active Living and Health Promotions General
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Health
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Nutrition and Food Systems General
Situation:

Nutrition Education Programs help families gain access to food and stretch food dollars; communities to decrease hunger; and local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy and safe food preparation methods. Agents, paraprofessionals and volunteers are pivotal in influencing policies, systems, and environments and in training consumers and producers to maximize local access to food products from farm to table.  In 2017, 1.061 families received SNAP benefits. The estimated food insecurity rate is 14.2.

The obesity epidemic threatens the quality and years of life of Kentuckians. 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 percent 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 largely 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. Minorities and individuals residing in Appalachia bear a heavier brunt of the obesity and chronic disease burden. The goal of the Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices Initiative is to reverse these trends by working with various organizations, agencies, and groups to promote the health and wellness in all Kentuckians.

The majority of Kentucky agriculture is produced on small farms. Over the past 20 years, the College of Agriculture through Animal and Food Sciences, the Center of Crop Diversity and the Food System Innovation Center have contributed to improving access to local, healthy food by training and certification of farmers, gardeners, and food entrepreneurs. Food processing can begin with washing produce, home baking or home canning and evolve to commercial production. The local food movement contributed to the increase in farmers markets (160 in 110 counties with 2,700 vendors in 2019).

Healthy living is one of three 4-H mission mandates. Components of Kentucky 4-H Health Core Curriculum include: physical activity, substance abuse, bullying, safety, and character education. Moderate physical activity can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, stress and high blood pressure. Early substance use in childhood/adolescence affects later drug use

(National Healthy Living Task Force). Almost 30% of youth in the United

States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both (http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/faq/bullying.asp)

Long-Term Outcomes:

-Increased number of youth at a lower risk for physical and emotional distress

-Youth will develop into competent, capable, contributing adults as important developmental assets are met through their participation in 4-H Health programs

-Increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating daily

-Increase in the number of vendors, variety of local food products, sales and/or profits at farmer’s markets, road side stands, or community supported agriculture

-Increase access of fresh foods through home gardening

-Maintain or increase consumer confidence/ demand in local foods

-Maintain or increase economic stability of farm operations

-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

-Youth will develop into competent, capable, contributing adults as important developmental assets are met through their participation in 4-H Health programs

- Reduce the rate of obesity and Chronic disease


Intermediate Outcomes:

-Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle that include making healthy lifestyle choices, not engaging in risky behavior and handling stress

-Practice healthy food choices and strengthen individuals’ ability to build healthy eating plans and healthful cooking techniques

-Learn to grow, prepare and preserve food

-Apply food safety practices and/or procedures

-Earn certification(s) for:

selling and /or providing samples at farmer’s markets

Microprocessing

USDA GAP

-Purchase local food and food products

-Be active in gardening

Initial Outcomes:

-Increased awareness about the relationship food and nutrition practices and chronic diseases. 

-Understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being

-Identify/ locate local food producers and processors

-Explain local food needs and purchasing procedures (i.e. quantity, quality, deliver, etc.)

-Recognize food safety practices

- 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

-Review types and varieties of produce

-Youth will identify healthy lifestyle choices

-Youth will understand risky behaviors and their consequences

-Youth will aspire to have higher self esteem

-Youth will identify healthy ways to handle stress

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Identify local food producers

Indicator: conversations with vendors and local producers

Method: Farmer's Market, survey

Timeline: 2022 and beyond


Intermediate Outcome: selling and/ or providing sample's at farmers markets

Indicator: more vendors certified to provide samples, demonstrations by Extension personnel 

Method: inform and assist in getting certified sampling, sampling demonstrations at Farmer's Market

Timeline: 2022 and beyond


Long-term Outcome: Increase vendors at Farmer's Market

Indicator: more vendors regularly attending

Method: monitor vendors that participate

Timeline: 2022 and beyond


Initial Outcome: Youth learn several forms of physical fitness and learn to eat healthy foods

Indicator: Number of youth and families reached with information on accessing healthy foods

Method: Classes, School Enrichment, SNAP Ed, curriculum, Survey

Timeline: 2022-2025


Intermediate Outcome: Youth increase physical fitness and the amounts of healthy fruits and vegetables in their weekly behaviors

Indicator: Number of youth and families reached with information on accessing healthy foods

Method: Classes, School Enrichment, SNAP Ed, curriculum, Survey

Timeline: 2022-2025


Long-term Outcome: Youth participate in regular physical fitness and regularly eat healthy fruits and vegetables

Indicator: Number of youth and families reached with information on accessing healthy foods

Method: Classes, School Enrichment, SNAP Ed, curriculum, Survey

Timeline: 2022-2025


Initial Outcome: Youth and adults enhance their knowledge on growing, preparing and preserving food

Indicator: Number of youth and families reached with information on accessing healthy foods

Method: Gardening and food preservation survey

Timeline: 2022-2025


Intermediate Outcome: Youth and adults will apply their skills to plant, harvest and preserve produce

Indicator: End of program surveys, interviews

Method: Class attendance

Timeline: 2022-2025


Long-term Outcome: Youth and adults will learn to garden or enhance their gardening skills, food prep skills, food management skills and healthy eating habits

Indicator: End of program surveys, interviews

Method: Class attendance

Timeline :2022-2025


Initial Outcome: Youth understand the impact bullying has on others

Indicator: Youth discuss ways to stop bullying

Method: 4-H bullying curriculum, camp

Timeline: 2022-2025


Intermediate Outcome: Youth practice kindness towards others

Indicator: Youth are more willing to share emotionally with others and support one another

Method: Club meeting, camp, activities

Timeline: 2022-2025


Long-term Outcome: Reduce instances of bullying

Indicator: Number of bullying incidence

Method: Club meetings, camp

Timeline: 2022-2025


Initial Outcome: Youth understand the need for a healthy lifestyle

Indicator: Number of youth involved in clubs and programs; surveys, evaluations

Method: SNAP Ed, curriculum

Timeline: 2022-2025


Intermediate Outcome: Youth will choose to live a healthy lifestyle

Indicator: Number of youth involved in clubs and programs; surveys, evaluations

Method: survey, interview, evaluations by community partners

Timeline: 2022-2025


Long-term Outcome: Youth will become successful, healthy, drug free and physically active citizens

Indicator: Number of youth becoming productive members of society and making better career and lifestyle choices

Method: survey, interview, working with community coalitions and partnerships to address issues

Timeline: 2022-2025


Initial Outcome: Preschoolers will prefer a healthy food 

Indicator: number of preschoolers who indicate they like a healthy food

Method: Raising hands

Timeline: 2022-2025


Intermediate Outcome: Preschoolers will try healthy food choice

Indicator:  Number of preschooler trying food samples

Method:observation

Timeline: 2022-2025


Long-term Outcome: Preschoolers will eat healthy food at home 

Indicator: increased consumption of healthy food choices

Method: guardian testimony

Timeline: 2022-2025


Initial Outcome: Preschoolers will do be physically active

Indicator: number of preschoolers who attend Stories, songs and stretches

Method: attendance

Timeline: 2022-2025


Intermediate Outcome: Preschoolers will practice yoga moves at home

Indicator:  Number of preschoolers who practice yoga at home

Method: guardian testimony

Timeline: 2022-2025








Learning Opportunities:

Audience: local food producers

Project or Activity: workshop and programs on producing and marketing food products

Content or Curriculum: Extension publications

Inputs: agents, specialists, Farmer's Market managers, Kentucky Dept. of Ag

Date: 2022 and beyond


Audience: Youth and Adults

Project or Activity: Food preservation workshops, Microprocessing certification, gardening classes, school enrichment

Content or Curriculum: CES publications, SNAP Ed material

Inputs: Agents, volunteers, specialists, Homemaker's

Date: 2022 and beyond


Audience: Youth

Project or Activity: Bullying Awareness programs, Camp, Leadership Clubs 

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum

Inputs: School System, West KY 4-H Camp, community coalitions

Date: 2022-2025


Audience: Youth

Project or Activity: After school clubs, Day camps, Leadership Clubs SPIN Clubs, School Enrichment, Camp, 4-H Health Month, Reality Store, Field Day

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum

Inputs: School System, 21st Century Learning Grant, Local businesses, volunteers, agents, specialist, community coalitions

Date: 2022-2025


Audience: Adults, youth, low income families

Project or Activity: Cooking Through the Calendar

Content or Curriculum: Food & Nutrition calendar recipes, SNAP educational materials

Inputs: Agents, volunteers

Date: 2022-2025


Audience: Preschool age youth 

Project or Activity:  LEAP program

Content or Curriculum: LEAP Approved Books

Inputs: Agents, School Personnel, Head Start workers

Date: 2022-2025


Audience: Preschool age youth 

Project or Activity:  Stories, Songs & Stretches

Content or Curriculum: SSS Approved Books & songs

Inputs: Agents, Library Personnel  

Date: 2022-2025



Success Stories

Happy Campers

Author: Leslea Barnes

Major Program: Camping

Happy Campers

Crittenden County youth and volunteers were excited to see 4-H summer camp return to full capacity this past summer, 2022. The kids were excited to see things returning to normal as well as their parents seeing opportunities for their children to grow, learn, and gain important independent living skills. There's a saying, "Summer isn't Summer without 4-H Camp" and I can tell you that these kids needed summer to return to normal. Crittenden County took 131 youth and adults break

Full Story

Cooking Success

Author: Leslea Barnes

Major Program: Family and Consumer Science

Cooking Success

With a shifting of focus to what our High School Family and Consumer Sciences programs are teaching at our high school, there was a void in providing culinary/cooking education to students at Crittenden County High School. With that in mind, a partnership formed with the 21st Century Learning Program and county 4-H Youth Development Agent Leslea Barnes. A 6 week, beginner cooking course was created to provide students with basic cooking skills such as knife and food safety as well as providing s

Full Story

Walking Towards Better Physical and Mental Health

Author: Rebecca Woodall

Major Program: Active Living and Health Promotions General

 Walking Towards Better Physical and Mental Health

It is well known that walking has many health benefits.   It is lesser known the mental health benefits of walking.   According to the American Psychological Association, “one in nine cases of depression that could be prevented if all adults did just 150 minutes of physical activity per week, the minimal amount recommended by the U.S.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”.To Kick off Mental Health Awareness Month and the start of summer, Crittenden County Family

Full Story
Back to Plans for the County