Extension
It Starts With Us
Making Better Choices for Healthier Lifestyles
Developing Healthier Lifestyles through Family Life Education
A. Brewer; A. Leonberger; M. Preece
Health
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Community Health Needs Assessment
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.
•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
•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
•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
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)
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, 4-H 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 Clubs
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
Author: Carla Carter
Major Program: Active Living and Health Promotions General
According to County Health Ranking & Roadmaps, approximately 29% of Franklin County, Kentucky adults over the age of 18 and nationally 27.5% of adults aged 50 or older are physically inactive outside of work. Physical inactivity increases as individuals age with approximately 25.4% of adults aged 50-64 years, 26.9% of adults aged 65-74 years, 35.3% of adults aged 75 and older. Regular physical activity and exercise helps to improve your physical and mental health and may improve the abi
Author: Carla Carter
Major Program: Aging-General
Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) disproportionately impacts African Americans compared to non-Hispanic Whites, with Franklin County, Kentucky ranking 2nd highest frequency in the United States for diagnosis in this population. The goal of this study was to examine program evaluation of a unique interdisciplinary, multi-modal and holistic community-based program, “Healthy Aging Workshop Series.”Findings from the 2022 Unity in the Community event indicat
Author: Carla Carter
Major Program: Active Living and Health Promotions General
Type 2 Diabetes has affected our lives in some way or another, especially in the African American community. African Americans adults experience disproportionately rates of obesity (69.6%) related to health disparities such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. African Americans also have two times the rate of having diabetes than Caucasians. According to the County Health Ranking for 2022, Franklin County, Kentucky the population of non-Hispanic African Americans is 10.3%. The Fit
