To encourage clientele to make proactive choices as it pertains to their overall health & well-beingPlan of Work

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Christian County CES

Title:
To encourage clientele to make proactive choices as it pertains to their overall health & well-being
MAP:
Adopting Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Agents Involved:
Tiffany Bolinger, Matthew Futrell, Kelly Jackson, Kaitlyne Metsker, Jeremiah Johnson, Mary Anne Garnett
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
4-H Communications and Expressive Arts Core Curriculum
Situation:

Christian County is home to 23.8% of adults (2.4% higher than the state percentage) who report having poor health (CEDIK, 2014). Indicators of this include the 63% of the population that is considered overweight or obese and the 19% that eat less that 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day (Christian County Health Department, 2015). Chronic conditions associated with the described quality of life include increased risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes, which 11% of Kentuckians in Christian County have received a diagnosis (Christian County Health Department, 2015).

Physical education and Nutrition Education Programs help individuals and families gain the knowledge necessary to know how to gain access to healthier food options, stretch their food dollars, and elevate their overall well-being through daily physical activity. Program councils and the County Extension Council see the benefits of these type of programs as they seek to decrease hunger and promote healthy lifestyles in communities and the county. 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:

* A decreased in the percentage of the population that is considered overweight or obese

* Increased practice and promotion of physical activity and daily healthy eating

* Mental health and well-being improvement in local Kentuckians

* Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and hypertension

* Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables by 1 or more servings a day

Intermediate Outcomes:

* Practice healthy food choices and strengthen individuals’ ability to build healthy eating plans and patterns.

* Maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of life: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy and breastfeeding and older age

* Practice of physical activity in families and communities and decreased time spent on sedentary behaviors

* Changes related to obesity, physical activity and healthy eating.

* Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity, physical inactivity and chronic disease.

* Access more local foods

* Redeem Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program benefit

* Plant, harvest and preserve produce

* Apply improved food preparation skills, food management skills, food safety and healthy eating habits

Initial Outcomes:

Participants will:

* Learn the difference between portion and serving sizes, and learn how to prepare a healthy snack/meal

* Understand the relationship between mental and physical health, and between disease and weight

* Learn how to read food labels, grow, prepare, preserve and serve food

* Understand relationship between caloric intake and energy output

* Increase knowledge of the benefits of physical activity, learn health related terminology and learn that fitness can be elevate overall well-being while bettering health

* Understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being

* 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

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Youth will be able to apply nutrition education to cooking projects

Indicator: 4-H Cooking Clubs

Method: project evaluations through Fairs and cooking competitions

Timeline: Program year 2019-2020


Initial Outcome: Youth will gain knowledge on nutrition and physical education to help obtain a better quality of life

Indicator: YMCA Summer Camp, Healthy Lifestyle Camps, DanceFit Clubs

Method: pre/post evaluation

Timeline: Program year 2019-2020


Intermediate Outcome: Youth will be able to teach peers the importance of exercise and physical fitness by way of leading classes themselves

Indicator: 4-H Homeschool P.E., 4-H DanceFit

Method: end of year evaluation

Timeline: Program year 2019-2020



Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Farmer's Market Clientele

Project or Activity: Taste testing of locally grown foods

Content or Curriculum: Plate it Up!

Inputs: Farmer's Market, Plate it Up Curriculum, Agents and Assitants

Date: yearly; June-September


Audience: Christian County & Ft. Campbell Youth

Project or Activity: 4-H Cooking Clubs

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Cooking, Superstar Chef Series, Professor Popcorn

Inputs: Agents, Military Staff Volunteers, 4-H Volunteer Leaders, Ft. Campbell Child, Youth & School Services, Extension Office, program support funds

Date: yearly; September -May


Audience:Elementary & Middle School Students

Project or Activity: School Nutrition Programs

Content or Curriculum: Professor Popcorn, Farm 2 Table, Super Star Chef

Inputs: Agents, Program Support Funds, Teachers

Date: Program plan year 2019/2020


Audience: Adults/Seniors

Project or Activity: nutrition and physical fitness

Content or Curriculum: Matter of Balance

Inputs: Agent, SNAP Assistant, facilities, curriculum materials

Date: Fall 2019


Audience: Middle School Students

Project or Activity: Nutrition Education

Content or Curriculum: My Plate- The Kentucky Way

Inputs: Agent, School Staff, curriculum materials

Date: Spring 2020


Audience: Middle School Students

Project or Activity: Nutrition Education

Content or Curriculum: Food Label FUNdamentals

Inputs: Agent, School Staff, curriculum materials

Date: Spring 2019 or Fall 2020


Audience: SNAP Recipients; Low income individuals/families

Project or Activity: SNAP-ED Programming

Content or Curriculum: SNAP-ED Core Curriculum

Inputs: SNAP Assistant; community partners, curriculum materials

Date: year round


Audience: General Public

Project or Activity: Home Food Preservation

Content or Curriculum: Home Food Preservation Curriculum

Inputs: agent, kitchen, preservation materials/curriculum

Date: Summer 2020


Audience: YMCA Summer Camp Youth

Project or Activity: 4-H YMCA Camp

Content or Curriculum: SPARK, 4-H Cooking, Professor Popcorn

Inputs: YMCA, Agents, Program Support Funds- 4-H

Date: May - August


Audience: Ft. Campbell Youth

Project or Activity: 4-H Homeschool P.E

Content or Curriculum: SPARK, Steps to a Healthy Teen, Up For The Challenge, Lifetime Fitness, Healthy Decisions

Inputs: Ft. Campbell Child, School & Youth Services, Agents, Military Staff Volunteers

Date: August - May


Audience: Homemaker Members, General Public

Project or Activity: Leader Trainings, Workshops, Seminars

Content or Curriculum: Cultural Diversity in Food; Economical Entrees; Zumba, Yoga, Pilates and More.

Inputs: Specialist Support, Extension Homemaker resources, other university extension resources, eXtension resources

Date: August - May


Audience: Housing Authority Summer Camp

Project or Activity: Nutrition Education, Literacy, Physical Activity

Content or Curriculum: Professor Popcorn, LEAP 

Inputs: Agent, Curriculum, Recipe Ingredients, Activity supplies

Date: June-July 2019 



Success Stories

Try it once, try it twice, trying new foods is nice!

Author: Tiffany Bolinger

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Try it once, try it twice, trying new foods is nice! Getting preschoolers to try new foods is hard…but it is worth the challenge! According to the CDC, the preschool years (ages 2-5) set the stage for the development of healthy habits and play an essential role in how children think, eat, and behave as they grow into adults.  The Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) partnered with the Pembroke Elementary Preschool to provide monthly “Stories and Snacks&rd

Full Story

Local Taught-Market Bought

Author: Tiffany Bolinger

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Over the past several years eating out has become a way of life and cooking at home almost seems to be a lost art. It is well known that eating out; particularly fast food; on a regular basis can increase risk for weight gain and obesity as well as limits access to nutrient rich foods such as fruits and vegetables.  According to Kentucky Health Facts (BRFSS), 71% of Christian County residents have a BMI score placing them in either the overweight or obese categories and only 9% of Christian

Full Story

Family Grab Bags

Author: Tiffany Bolinger

Major Program: Nurturing Parenting

COVID-19...In a short matter of time, Extension programs as we know came to a halt. Events, clubs, and programs were cancelled in their traditional manner and agents began planning and preparing ways to continue to reach clientele. With schools being closed and students at home, a strain was placed on parents and caregivers, who might also be working from home, to provide educational and fun activities for youth. As Extension Agents, we are familiar with adapting to any situation and meetin

Full Story

Pesticides Can Protect The World

Author: Matthew Futrell

Major Program: Pesticide Safety – Plant Pests

Pesticides Can Protect The WorldPracticing safe pesticide applications is one of the most critical things a producer can do.  As more and more crops have resistant traits and vulnerabilities, it is more important than ever to be educated about the pesticide applications that are made on the farm or in the greenhouse.   Each year workers are exposed to thousands of pounds of pesticides which could lead to illness, loss of life, or injury if the appropriate methods are not used.  Ac

Full Story

Getting Research Based Information into the Community’s Hands

Author: Tiffany Bolinger

Major Program: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)

In March of 2020 COVID-19 hit fast and furiously shutting down businesses and making social isolation necessary. The amount of information coming out through all media outlets was often overwhelming and unclear. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service has always taken pride in being a reliable source of research-based information and 2020 has been no exception. The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension service quickly addressed the need to provide timely educational mater

Full Story
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