Extension
It Starts With Us
Nutrition and Food Systems
Improving Physical and Mental Health
KSU- FCS, Graham Cofield, Shelley Crawford
Local Food Systems
Cook Together, Eat Together
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Health & Wellbeing
Trigg County is a rural county in Western Kentucky that has its share of health related issues. Statistics from Kentucky Kids Count from 2015-17 and 2016-18 report 38% of Trigg Countians lack physical activity, 77% are overweight, and 38% suffer from obesity. Only 7% of the population get the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables. Kentucky By the Numbers data shows that 28% of Trigg Countians report less than good health. Since it is a commonly held belief that good healthy habits start early, the Trigg County Early Childhood Council wanted to help parents develop healthy habits with their preschool children. It is for these reasons that the Trigg County CES staff will focus on Nutrition and Food Systems for the next four years.
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. Trigg County individuals, families, and communities need tools and environments that support healthful dietary decisions.
- Routinely employ health dietary practices that promote health and wellness (e.g., consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables and improve food management skills.
- Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity.
- Generate positive attitudes toward changing dietary decisions to be more healthful.
- Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods.
- Decrease intake of fats, added sugar, 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.
- Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease.
- 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.
Outcome: Nutrition knowledge, skills, and competencies
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported; use knowledge and skills to improve food-shopping management; utilize the food label to make healthy food choices; choosing smaller portions; increased food preservation knowledge; demonstrated recommended food preservation practices
Method: Self-report surveys; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
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: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Dietary intake
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: eating 4-6 servings of fruits/vegetables daily
Method: Self-report surveys about fruit and vegetable intake or other dietary improvements; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Long-term Outcome: Availability and access to healthy food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: utilizing access points (e.g., farmers markets, 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); number of pints of food preserved through water bath or pressure canning, freezing or drying.
Method: Self reported survey
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Audience: Trigg County Youth
Project or Activity: Food Preparation Clubs and projects
Content or Curriculum: National 4-H curriculum, Super Star Chef, Teen Cuisine, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud materials
Inputs: CES Agents, NEP assistant, volunteers
Date: September-June (ongoing)
Audience: Communities
Project or Activity: Farmers Market Outreach
Content or Curriculum: Cooking programs, Plate it Up! Kentucky Proud resources, Farmers Market Toolkit, Superstar Chef
Inputs: CES agents, grant funds, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Date: April-October during growing season each year
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Food Preparation for Better Health
Content or Curriculum: Cook together Eat Together, Dining with Diabetes, Super Star Chef, Champion Food Volunteer, Plate it UP! Kentucky Proud resources, resources for early care and education settings
Inputs: Programmatic materials, CES agents, NEP assistant, facilities, Trigg County Early Childhood Council
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: Publications, trainings, Home-Based Micro-processing Training, Champion Food Volunteers
Inputs: CES agents, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials
Date: July- September for adults and youth
Audience: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association/Volunteers
Project or Activity: Promoting Nutrition with Volunteers
Content or Curriculum: Champion Food Volunteers, Mastering Food Choices, food preservation workshops
Inputs: Volunteers, FCS agents, community partners
Date: Ongoing
Author: Teresa Garcia
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Grape Jelly and SalsaA local group of women from “Genesis Express” recently contacted the Trigg County Extension Office sharing their concern that younger people in the community may not know important skills such as food preservation. They asked if someone from the Extension Office could teach food preservation classes at their newly built community center.The Trigg County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and a Volunteer Homemaker scheduled an introductory meeting with the group.
