Fostering Healthy Communities and FamiliesPlan of Work

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Madison County CES

Title:
Fostering Healthy Communities and Families
MAP:
Fostering Healthy Communities and Families
Agents Involved:
Amanda Sears, Brandon Sears, Aubrey Clark, Scott Darst, Gina Noe
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Health 4-H Core Curriculum
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Local Food Systems
Situation:

Sixty percent of respondents to the Madison County Health and Safety Survey identified healthy behaviors and lifestyles as the most important need for creating a healthy Madison County. Likewise, obesity and lack of physical activity were recognized as the 2nd greatest health problem. And, school health education was cited as one of the top five most needed health services in our county. (Madison County, KY Health and Safety Survey, 2015)

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Youth and adult Extension programming which encourages healthy lifestyles and behavior and promotes safe practices may lead to healthier individuals, families and communities. (JOE, September 2014)

Long-Term Outcomes:

Youth participants will maintain positive health habits, lower their risk for serious disease and illness, and will lower their risk for physical and emotional distress. Youth will also develop into competent, capable, contributing adults as their important developmental asset needs are met through their participation in 4-H.


Youth will learn safe and responsible use of firearms and archery equipment. In doing so, youth will lower the risk of injury as well as increase their knowledge of handling a firearm in several different disciplines.


Madison County Residents will have increased awareness of our local food economy, practice physical activity and healthy eating, increase their skills and knowledge in food preparation, and increase their average fruit and vegetable consumption.


Families are able to practice parental leadership skills, build personal strengths, interpersonal communication, life skills including wise decision-making, access community resources and improve quality of life.

Intermediate Outcomes:

Youth will have 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.


Youth will master skills necessary in selecting and preparing healthy and nutritious foods and understand the decision-making process.


Youth will have an increase in developing life skills centered on shooting sports. Youth will experience a sense of achievement therefore increasing the child’s self-esteem.


Residents increase amount of local food purchases, practice healthy food choices, build healthy eating plans and patterns, and are physically active.


Parents and Grandparents increase communication and enhance relationships and social support, reduce stress levels, make wiser decisions about money and time management, and use preventive and positive discipline techniques.


Initial Outcomes:

Youth will identify healthy and safe lifestyle choices, understand risky behaviors and their consequences, aspire to have higher self-esteem, and identify healthy ways to handle stress.


Youth will identify healthy food and drinks and understand the risk of making unhealthy choices, and the benefits of making healthy selections.


Participants will change their awareness, knowledge, opinions, skills, and attitudes needed to make informed choices regarding: Healthy lifestyle choices, Adult weight management, Healthy aging, Aware of importance of daily physical activity, Reduction of chronic disease, Risk of falling, Healthy lifespan behaviors, Empathy, and Age-related family issues such as dementia, failing health, and end-of-life concerns.


Parents will learn about community support services, hold realistic behavior expectations, understand discipline vs. punishment, and practice stress management techniques.


Residents will know where the farmer's markets are located, understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being, and begin to grow, prepare, and preserve food. Increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, food safety and food resource management. Participants will also learn about community support services to increase food security.

Evaluation:

Outcome: Youth will have 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.

Indicator: Percentage of youth participants who can identify where germs are located, acknowledge that some germs can make people sick, and who can describe times in the day when hand washing is needed.

Method:4-H Hand washing Survey

Timeline:Soon after the conclusion of the program.


Outcome: Youth will have 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.

Indicator: Percentage of youth participants who can identify healthy behaviors, who report avoidance of risky behaviors, and identify stress in themselves and others.

Method: 4-H Common Measures Survey: Health

Timeline: Soon after the conclusion of the program.



Outcome: Youth will have an increase in developing life skills centered on shooting sports. Youth will experience a sense of achievement therefore increasing the child’s self-esteem.

Indicator: Percentage of youth who increase in their individual scores.

Method: Score sheets and records

Timeline: Annually


Outcome: Participants make healthy lifestyle choices including exercising, drinking adequate water, consuming fruits and vegetables and planning meals.

Indicator: Number of participants who report achieving outcomes.

Method: Small Steps to Health and Wealth on-line challenge

Timeline: Conclusion of Challenge


Outcome:Residents will know where the farmer's markets are located, understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being, and begin to grow, prepare, and preserve food. Increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, food safety and food resource management. Participants will also learn about community support services to increase food security.

Indicator:Percentage of farmers market vendors who experience an increase in sales based on Extension programming efforts.

Method:Vendor surveys

Timeline:End of growing season on an annual basis

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Youth ages 9-18


Project or Activity: Madison County 4-H Shooting Sports

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Shooting Sports program

Inputs:

Date: Annually


Audience: Youth ages 5-18


Project or Activity: 4-H Nutrition workshops

Content or Curriculum: Exploring My Plate with Professor Popcorn

Inputs: 4-H Agent time, volunteer time, funding, curriculum, equipment, meeting

space

Date: Year Round


Audience: Extension Homemakers and public


Activity: Couch Potato Challenge

Content: Couch Potato newsletters

Input: Newsletters, Facebook posts, incentives, newspaper articles

Date: summer


Audience: Nutrition Education program clientele


Activity: classes and promotions

Content: NEP curriculum

Inputs: NEP resources and incentives, assistant and agent time and travel

Date: Ongoing


Audience: Parents and Grandparents


Activity: Grandparents as Parents group and conference, parenting classes.

Content: Parenting curriculum

Inputs: Speakers time, supplies and samples, assistant and agent time and travel.

Date: year round


Audience: Extension Homemakers


Activity: Extension Homemaker educational activities

Content: FCS curriculum, volunteer knowledge

Inputs: FCS resources, volunteer hours, supplies, staff time and travel, community resources

Date: year round


Audience: General public


Activity: Homemaker leader Lessons

Content: Leader Lesson Curriculum

Inputs: Leader Lesson Curriculum, Area agents time and travel, newspaper articles, volunteer time, samples

Date: Fall through Spring, monthly

Audience: Extension Homemakers and public


Project or Activity: Local Foods Awareness

Content or Curriculum: maintain list of local growers and products

Inputs: County office staff and agents, farmer’s market vendors, Horticulture and Agriculture Agents

Date: Fall, Annually


Audience: Madison County Residents


Audience: Farmer's Market Promotion events and articles

Content: per agent, UK materials

Inputs: County Office Staff and Agents

Date: spring, summer, fall, annually



Success Stories

Power of Produce

Author: Amanda Sears

Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture

Madison County residents continue to be overweight (68%) and obese (39%) which exceeds the state average.Extension promotes healthy food choices and eating five or more fruits and vegetables each day to address weight issues and recede the risk of chronic diseaseThe Madison County Extension Agent for Horticulture, other Madison County Agents and staff, as well volunteers (Master Gardener and Master Food Volunteer) conducted the Power of Produce (POP) program at each of the three farmer markets i

Full Story

Liberty Place Garden

Author: Amanda Sears

Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture

Substance abuse, of both alcohol and prescription drugs, is one of the most critical public health and safety issues facing Kentucky. Liberty Place Recovery Center for Women is a 108 bed long-term residential substance abuse recovery program which provides support and hope for women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. The Madison County Cooperative Extension Agent for Horticulture worked with Liberty Place residents to create a healing garden at the residential site with funding fro

Full Story
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