Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices and Citizen EducationPlan of Work

Back to the Program

Fayette County CES

Title:
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices and Citizen Education
MAP:
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices and Citizen Education
Agents Involved:
Carter, Dockery, Lindsay, Doggett, Kingsland, Smith
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Faithful Families
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Local Food Systems
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Business Retention and Expansion
Situation:

The obesity epidemic threatens the quality of life 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% over the last 15 years. Thirty-percent of individuals in the Commonwealth report no leisure-time physical activity. Increased consumption of unhealthy foods, stress, and built environments that promote physical inactivity are largely responsible for the obesity epidemic.

Nutrition education programs, local / home garden, and farmer's markets help families gain access to food and stretch food dollars; communities to decrease hunger; and local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy safe food preparation methods, importance of sustainable practices, and improvement of individual/local gardening practices. Citizens receive education on senior issues, parenting and low vision resources. Agents, paraprofessionals, and volunteers are pivotal in training consumers and producers to maximize local access to food products from farm to table.


Long-Term Outcomes:

Increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating.


Improve access and availability of local foods to the community. Provide education and resource availability regarding senior social issues, low visibility and parenting.

Intermediate Outcomes:

Practice of physical activity and healthy food choices in families and communities through decreased time of sedentary behaviors, maintaining appropriate calorie intake, and practicing healthy lifestyle decision-making that strengthen individuals ability to cope with normal life stressors.


Residents will increase practices related to Community and Economic Development by increased participation in job preparedness programs, involvement in local community events, developing new jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities, and adopting fiscally responsible behaviors.


Initial Outcomes:

Change in awareness, knowledge, opinions, skills, and attitudes needed to make informed choices regarding childhood obesity, adult weight management, the practice and promotion of physical activity, and financial and mental well being.

Change Knowledge, Opinions, Skills, and / or aspirations in understanding of issues related to local foods, individual and market gardening, nutrition based on local food access, and farmer's markets.

Evaluation:

Long-Term Outcome: There will be a decrease in obesity incidents related to youth and adult. Obesity will decrease due to increase daily physical activity and healthier eating choices. Youth and adults will also understand that having a better hold on financial and mental health will help decrease obesity issues.

Indicator: Increase in health care savings due to lower obesity rates and decreasing the rate of chronic disease among youth and adults.

Method: surveys

Timeline: On-Going


Intermediate Outcome: Youth and Adults will practice healthy food choices and will learn to build healthy eating patterns. They will also practice increase physical activity and better mental and financial health.

Indicator: Better nutritious choices, improvement in physical activity to their daily routine and understanding mental health and the affects of it.

Method: post surveys, follow up surveys

Timeline: On-Going


Initial Outcome: Youth and Adult will learn to distinguish what healthy food choices are. They will also learn the importance of practicing daily physical activity and the affects that financial and mental health can have on their well being.

Indicator: learning to build a healthy plate, importance of physical activity and mental health. how saving financially can help with obesity rates.

Method: survey

Timeline: On-Going

Long-Term Outcome: Improve access and availability of local foods to the community.

Indicator: Increase in local food business, increase in farmer's market participation and use, increase in guided preparation and processing of foods.

Method: local governmental and agency reporting, program survey,

Timeline: on-going


Intermediate Outcome: Residents will increase practices related to seeking out local foods, eating healthy local food options, develop skills to create viable local foods business situations, increase farmer's market participation, engage in appropriate local food processing.

Indicator: access to local food systems, increase participation in farmer's / local markets, increase participation in programming related to local food systems, nutrition education, and preparation

Method: program survey, local agency or government reporting, increase in program attendance

Timeline: on-going


Initial Outcome: Change Knowledge, Opinions, Skills, and / or aspirations in understanding of issues related to local foods, individual and market gardening, nutrition based on local food access, and farmer's markets.

Indicator: demand for program participation related to local food systems, food preparation, nutrition education, and individual sustainable gardening practices.

Method: program survey and attendance

Timeline: on-going

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Youth

Project or Activity: LEAP

Content or Curriculum: LEAP curriculum

Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Agents, NEP Program assistants, CES Publications

Date: Ongoing


Audience: Adults

Project or Activity: Physical Activity Programs

Content or Curriculum: Matter of Balance Curriculum, Get Moving Kentucky

Input: KY Cooperative Extension Agents, CES publications, Extension Specialist

Dates: Ongoing


Audience: Adults

Project or Activity: Get Fit Fayette County

Content or Curriculum: Various Curriculums

Input, KY Cooperative Extension Agents, public and private health agencies, non profit organizations

Dates: Ongoing


Audience: Adults

Project or Activity: Kentucky Plate it Up/ Farmer's Market

Content or Curriculum: Plate it Up Curriculum

Input: KY Cooperative Extension Agents, CES publications, KDA, NEP assistants

Dates: Summer, Fall and Spring


Audience:

Project or Activity: Better Bites

Content or Curriculum: Better Bites Curriculum; Social Marketing and Policy Exploratory Pilot Study

Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Agents, Specialists, Volunteers, CES publications; local, state, and federal agencies.

Date: ongoing


Audience: Adults, Teens & Youth

Project or Activity: Phone calls, e-mails, and office visit customer service opportunities

Content or Curriculum: Available resources through CES publications, specialists, and listed curricula

Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Agents, Program Assistants, Specialists, Volunteers, CES publications; local, state, and federal agencies.

Date: On-Going


Audience: Youth

Project or Activity: Lexington Drug Free Projects

Content or Curriculum: Health Rocks, Drug prevention

Inputs 4-H Agents, 4-H Assistants, FCS Agents, LFUCG, Police Department

Dates: ongoing


Audience: Teens & Youth

Project or Activity: Cooking/Food & Nutrition

Content or curriculum: 4-H curriculum; FCS curriculum; Plate It Up recipes

Inputs: 4-H Agents,4-H assistants, volunteers

Date: day camps, after-school programs


Audience: Teens & Youth

Project or Activity: 4-H Cooking Club(s)

Content or curriculum: 4-H foods curriculum; FCS curriculum; Plate It Up recipes

Inputs: 4-H Agent, volunteers

Date: monthly club meetings and as requested


Audience: Adult and Youth

Project or Activity: SNAP-Ed/ Double dollars

Content or Curriculum: NEP curriculum, CES Publications

Inputs: EFNEP and SNAP Ed assistants, County Extension Agents

Date: On-Going


Audience: Community residents

Project or Activity: Growing Community program

Content or Curriculum: ID-128

Inputs: Volunteers, collaborating agencies, LFUCG, County agents

Date: Annually in May



Audience: Fayette county School Students

Project or Activity: Agriculture Education for Fayette County School Students.

Content or Curriculum: Teach Students about Agriculture and show where food comes from.

Inputs:Leaders, Agents, Fayette County Schools, Locust Trace School.

Date: Spring and Fall.


Audience: Community Residents & Businesses

Project: Local Foods Committee & Coordinator

Content & Curriculum: Collaborating Agencies, LFUCG, Agents, Specialist

Date: All Year


Audience: Fayette County Schools Administration and Board

Project: School Health and Wellness Policy

Content & curriculum: Collaborating Agencies, Specialist and CES curriculum

Date: Ongoing

Audience: Senior Adults

Projects: Challenges of Aging, Grandparents Raising Relatives, Next Best Years

Content and Curriculum: Collaborating Agencies, Specialists, and CES curriculum

Date: ongoing

Audience: Adults

Projects: Food and Nutrition

Content: Food for Thought, Food Preservation, Adult Cooking, Champion Food Volunteers

Date: Ongoing

Audience: Community residents

Project or Activity: Master gardener projects related to food production

Content or Curriculum: Publications

Inputs:volunteers, specialists, county agents

Date: Ongoing


Audience:Community residents

Project or Activity: Growing Community program

Content or Curriculum: ID-128

Inputs:Volunteers, collaborating agencies, LFUCG, County agents

Date: Annually in May


Audience: Adults

Project or Activity: Farmer's Market/Plate it Up

Content or Curriculum: Plate it Up, KY Department of Ag

Inputs: Cooperative Extension Agent, specialists, KDA, Lexington Farmer's Market

Date: On-going


Audience: Adults, Teens & Youth

Project or Activity: Phone calls, e-mails, and office visit customer service opportunities

Content or Curriculum: Available resources through CES publications, specialists, and listed curricula

Inputs: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Agents, Program Assistants, Specialists, Volunteers, Kentucky CES publications; local, state, and federal agencies.

Date: On-Going




Success Stories

Nourish Your Skin

Author: Elizabeth Kingsland

Major Program: Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association

Skin Care is a big issue with the prevalence of skin cancers and low vitamin D levels in our country.  Taking time to have great hygiene, eat healthy and use sun screen is very important.  The lesson was taught in 8 counties with a mail out to one county.  evaluations have shown that 98% learned something new about skin care and skin cancers.  Over 85% stated they will now use sun screen daily, avoid tanning beds and eat a more healthy plan based diet.

Full Story

Volunteer Outreach

Author: Jamie Dockery

Major Program: Master Gardener

Over 100 active Extension Master Gardener volunteers oversee 15 educational projects in our community. These include demonstration gardens, therapeutic gardening, educational classes, horticultural exhibits, and a call in horticulture helpline. In the past year our Master Gardener volunteers served 18,291 individual clients and provided 5062 hours of educational service for a total value of over $122,196.00

Full Story

Building Better Gardeners

Author: Jamie Dockery

Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture

 The Fayette County Extension Horticulture program offers a series of educational programs each year called The Gardener’s Toolbox. The agent teaches about a subject and provides Extension recommended seeds, plants or other resources. 2018 consisted of over 40 sessions seated 1700 residents. 2019 offers another 40 classes and we have registered roughly 4000 slots to date. When we followed up with participants from 2018 we found Eighty-five percent of those responding indicated they ha

Full Story

Eye Opening Symposium

Author: Diana Doggett

Major Program: Promoting Healthy Homes and Communities (general)

The U.S. Census Bureau Community Survey reports the 3.4 million Americans have low vision or no vision (CDC).   The National Federation of the Blind indicates that 130,800 Kentuckians have a visual disability.  Fayette Extension FCS partnered with community partners to plan and provide a symposium for 55 low vision care providers and interested participants featuring the top experts as well as the latest innovations and advances in the field of low vision. Presenters, including physici

Full Story

Food Safety

Author: Jamie Dockery

Major Program: Home & Consumer Horticulture

Recent produce recalls and health issues related to our food supply have concerned many of our residents who desire to take an active role in the food they consume. Fayette County Horticulture staff and volunteers offer numerous classes about growing food and best management practices. Our classes are well attended and we receive numerous comments related to lifestyle changes. We surveyed our participants and were pleased to learn that in addition to the obvious benefits of growing produce, 43%

Full Story

Caring for Kinship Caregivers

Author: Diana Doggett

Major Program: Grandparents and Grandchildren Together

Over the past year the number of Kentucky children living in households headed by grandparents and/or relatives has increased to 97,000, according to the AARP Foundation.  Of those combined numbers, more than 35,000 children have no parent present in the home where they live.  The underlying cause for this includes drug use by parents, imprisonment, illness or death of the parent.  To address this issue, the Central Kentucky Grandparent Raising Relatives Coalition comprised of Fay

Full Story

Preserving Food the Right Way

Author: Diana Doggett

Major Program: Food Preservation

Home food preservation saves money for some people.  Others reasons to preserve foods include support of local farming community, control of ingredients, provision for the future and benefits of physical and mental therapy.  The USDA’s home canning efforts are directed through the National Center for Home food Preservation, the hub of a wheel.  The spokes of the wheel are the ‘Extension Services’ that ensure that knowledge from the academic world is transferred i

Full Story

Nourish Your Muscles

Author: Diana Doggett

Major Program: Get Moving Kentucky (Physical Activity Based Programs)

The maintenance of your muscles plays a major role in healthy aging. By taking care of your muscles, you can impact your quality of life now and in the future.  Low muscle mass is associated with increased falls, medical complications, length of hospital stay, loss of independence and places considerable economic burden on the US healthcare system.  According to The Journal of Frailty & Aging, individuals with muscle loss had greater odds of hospitalization compared to those withou

Full Story
Back to the Program