Extension
It Starts With Us
Nutrition and Food Systems
Improve Physical and Mental Health
Chaney, Porter, ANR Agent, Workman
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Nutrition and Food Systems General
Health & Wellbeing
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 increasing 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.
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. Under the guidance of the Pike County program councils, the 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. Many Pike County communities are located in designated "food deserts" and are therefore in need of critical food preparation skills, buying knowledge & preservation techniques. The Pike County Extension Council listed consumption of healthy foods, awareness of diabetes and an expanded Farmers' Market to Address these needs.
• 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
• Pike Countians will improve food-management skills and healthy eating habits
• Youth will be food secure when school is not in session
• People accessing emergency food sources will select from nutrient-dense items
• Youth will maintain positive health habits.
• Youth will be at lower risk of serious disease and illness.
• Youth will lower the risk for physical and emotional distress.
• Youth are competent, capable, contributing adults because of their participation in 4-H Health Programs.
• Participants will plant, harvest, and preserve produce
• Participants will apply improved food preparation skills, food-management skills, food safety and healthy eating habits.
• Youth will access other appropriate food sources when not in school
• Households will access emergency food sources when needed
• Youth will practice healthy eating choices.
• Youth will adopt healthy behaviors that will lead to a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy lifestyle choices, not engaging risky behavior and handling stress.
• Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods
• Decrease intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium
• Increased access to healthy food via local farmers markets, food retailers, and/or home gardens
• Understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being
• Learn to grow, prepare, and preserve food
• Learn to incorporate unfamiliar foods or foods not currently eaten into a healthy diet
• Increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, food safety and food resource management
• Learn about community support services to increase food security
• Youth will identify healthy lifestyle choices.
• Youth will understand risky behaviors and consequences.
• Youth will gain knowledge and develop skills through the SNAP Education meetings.
• Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease.
• Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices
• Increase motivation to access and prepare healthier foods
Initial Outcome: Participants will report improved skills in the safe handling, storage, and preparation of food.
Indicator: Number of people reporting safer handling, storage and preparation of food.
Method: Survey, informal observation & information gathering
Timeline: August 2024
Initial Outcome: Youth will participate in food projects and nutrition education programs.
Indicator: Number of youth exhibiting food & nutrition projects.
Method: Survey, informal observation & information gathering
Timeline: March 2025
Intermediate Outcome: Individuals/families reporting utilizing delivery system/access points that offer healthy foods (CSA or Farmers Market)
Indicator: Number of individuals & families who report using delivery system/access point for healthy foods.
Method: Survey
Timeline: November 2025
Intermediate Outcome: Youth will demonstrate their Family and Consumer Science Skills.
Indicator: Number of youth who reported that they showed another person how to do what they learned themselves.
Method: 4-H Projects, Camps, Workshops and Camps.
Timeline: November 2024
Long-Term Outcome: Emergency food sources will include healthy, nutrient-dense choices.
Indicator: The number of emergency food shelters & pantries offering emergency food will increase their healthy offerings.
Method: Survey, Coalitions
Timeline: June 2025
Outcome: Preparing and preserving food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: preparing more home-cooked meals; modifying ingredients and/or preparation techniques to improve nutrition
Method: Self-report survey; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: June 2025, Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Availability and access to healthy food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: utilizing delivery systems/access points (e.g., farmers’ markets, CSAs, WIC, food pantries) that offer healthy foods; supplementing diets with healthy foods grown or preserved (e.g., community or backyard gardens, fishing, hunting, farmers markets); dollar value of vendor-reported sales or EBT, WIC, or Senior benefits redeemed at farmers’ markets; the number of pints of foods preserved through water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or drying.
Method: Self-report survey
Timeline: June 2025, Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Audience: Nutrition Volunteers
Project or Activity: Training
Content or Curriculum: Champion Food Volunteers
Inputs: Extension resources
Date: Fall 2024
Audience: 4-H Youth 9-19
Project or Activity: Food and Nutrition and Snap-Education Programs
Content or Curriculum: Food Preparation & Nutrition, Nutrition Education Curriculum, Health Rocks, Jump Into Food & Fitness, Leap, SPARK Curriculum
Inputs: Workshops, Newsletters, Club Meetings, Workshops and Camps
Date: October through March, yearly
Audience: Communities
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, baking classes, SNAP-Ed lessons
Inputs: Nutrition Education Program (NEP), paid staff, grant funds, facilities, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Date: April – October/Growing seasons, yearly
Project or Activity: 4-H SNAP Education Workshops
Content or Curriculum: U.S.D.A. Website, Health Rocks
Inputs: Workshops, Skits, and Demonstration
Timeline: October-May, yearly
Project or Activity: 4-H Cooking
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Project Books, Health Rocks, SNAP Education Resources
Inputs: Workshops, Demonstrations and Fairs
Timeline: January-May, yearly
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Food Preparation for Better Health
Content or Curriculum: Cook Together/ Eat Together, Mastering Food Choices, Dining with Diabetes, Super Star Chef, Faithful Families, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Resources, Healthy Choices for Every Body
Inputs: Programmatic materials, paid staff, community partners, faith-based organizations, health coalitions
Date: Summer 2024
Project or Activity: Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Homebased Micro-Processing Training.
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP
Date: July – September, yearly, for adults and youth
Audience: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association/Volunteers
Project or Activity: Promoting Nutrition with Volunteers
Content or Curriculum: Mastering Food Choices, International Cuisine publications, Food preservation workshops, Monthly Leader Lessons
Inputs: Volunteers, paid staff, community partners
Date: Monthly, August through May each year
