Extension
It Starts With Us
Healthy Lifestyle Choices for Family and Youth
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices/ Accessing Healthy Foods
Heimgartner ANR, Barnes 4-H, Woodall FCS
Local Food Systems
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Health & Wellbeing
Nutrition and Food Systems General
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)
-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
-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
-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
Initial Outcome: Identify local food producers
Indicator: conversations with vendors and local producers
Method: Farmer's Market, survey
Timeline: 2024 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: 2024 and beyond
Long-term Outcome: Increase vendors at Farmer's Market
Indicator: more vendors regularly attending
Method: monitor vendors that participate
Timeline: 2024 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: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
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 :2024-2025
Initial Outcome: Youth understand the impact bullying has on others
Indicator: Youth discuss ways to stop bullying
Method: 4-H bullying curriculum, camp
Timeline: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
Long-term Outcome: Reduce instances of bullying
Indicator: Number of bullying incidence
Method: Club meetings, camp
Timeline: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
Initial Outcome: Preschoolers will prefer a healthy food
Indicator: number of preschoolers who indicate they like a healthy food
Method: Raising hands
Timeline: 2024-2025
Intermediate Outcome: Preschoolers will try healthy food choice
Indicator: Number of preschooler trying food samples
Method: observation
Timeline: 2024-2025
Long-term Outcome: Preschoolers will eat healthy food at home
Indicator: increased consumption of healthy food choices
Method: guardian testimony
Timeline: 2024-2025
Initial Outcome: Preschoolers will do be physically active
Indicator: number of preschoolers who attend Stories, songs and stretches
Method: attendance
Timeline: 2024-2025
Intermediate Outcome: Preschoolers will practice yoga moves at home
Indicator: Number of preschoolers who practice yoga at home
Method: guardian testimony
Timeline: 2024-2025
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: 2024 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: 2024 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: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
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: 2024-2025
Audience: Preschool age youth
Project or Activity: LEAP program
Content or Curriculum: LEAP Approved Books
Inputs: Agents, School Personnel, Head Start workers
Date: 2024-2025
Audience: Preschool age youth
Project or Activity: Stories, Songs & Stretches
Content or Curriculum: SSS Approved Books & songs
Inputs: Agents, Library Personnel
Date: 2024-2025
Author: Rebecca Woodall
Major Program: Family Development General
There is a local park in a disadvantaged neighborhood. In the summer, a lot of kids hang out there all day with only a few pieces of playground equipment to play on. Most of the activities in town are on the other side of town. I have noticed a lack of organized activity in the area, which leads to the kids finding trouble. Our FCS program decided to have a Family fun day to encourage bonding and healthy living. We decided to call the day Ohana Day. We partnered w
