Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Adopting Healthy Lifestyles
Christy Ramey, Catherine Webster, Jason Phillips
4-H Leadership Core Curriculum
Building Healthy Coalitions
Food Preparation
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
Health and wellness are concepts that apply to physical, financial and family well-being. Kentuckians are dying from heart disease & cancer at higher rates than all Americans and they have a lower life expectancy. 71% of high school youth don’t get enough physical activity and physical activity only decreases as we age. The obesity epidemic, increased consumption of unhealthy food, stress, and lack of built environments are other factors that threaten the quality & years of life of Kentuckians. Families need assistance in gaining access to food, stretching food dollars, preparing healthy foods and building nurturing families. Communities that work together with other concerned citizens & organizations are much more likely to bring public awareness to important health issues. All of these topics were identified by the County Extension Council as program needs.
The overall well-being of families will be increased as they gain skills and abilities to provide for the nutritional, physical, and developmental needs of family members. Youth will maintain positive health habits and be competent, capable, contributing adults as a result of participating in 4-H Health programs.
Individuals, youth, and families:
• make healthy food choices & build skills related to selecting and/or preparing nutritious meals
• increase their level of physical activity and decrease their stress
• keep tract of health through timely screenings and visits to health care professionals
• the built environment (sidewalks) will be enhanced by grants, community input and the involvement of city & county governments
Initial Outcome:
Individuals, youth, and families:
• report making healthy food choices
• learn new skills in purchasing and preparing foods
• gain knowledge about their personal health status
• will take advantage of opportunities to be screened for disease
• identify ways to improve physical fitness
• understand risky behaviors and their consequences
• aspire to have higher self-esteem
• identify healthy ways to handle stress
Outcome: Participants in SNAP Ed program identify healthy food choices and learn new skills in purchasing and preparing foods.
Indicator: : Food recall, family records
Method: SNAP materials and programs
Timeline: July 2019-June 2020
Outcome: Families will prepare healthy meals three times per week
Indicator: Family records and self- reporting
Method: E-mail and phone interviews
Timeline: Spring 2020
Outcome: Youth and Adults will adopt health lifestyle choices including food choices
Indicator: Youth and adults will report making healthy lifestyle choices with regards to food and health
Method: Follow up survey immediately after program then again up to 12 months afterwards Timeline: August 2019- March 2020
Audience: Seniors and Homemaker Members
Project or Activity: Healthy Living Classes, Get Active Simpson, Get Moving Wildcats
Content or Curriculum: Small Steps to Health and Wealth, Get Moving KY
Inputs: Curriculum, participants, paid staff, food demonstrations
Date: July 2019-June 2020
Audience: 5th Grade
Project or Activity: Ag Safety Day
Content or Curriculum: UK Resources, Home Alone & Farm Safety Topics
Inputs: FFA Members & Advisors, Extension Agents, School District, Local Planning Committee, Local & State Emergency Service Organizations
Date: May 2020
Audience: Extension Homemakers
Project or Activity: Healthy snacks and new food prep equipment demonstrations
Content or Curriculum: Extension materials
Inputs: Agent led, train-the trainer for clubs, food and nutrition information
Date: October 2019
Audience: Families with young children
Project or Activity: Cooking with Your Kids
Content or Curriculum: Family Mealtime Curriculum
Inputs: Community Education, Agent led, volunteer helpers, Snap Assistant, food and equipment, Culinary Kitchen at the High School
Date: October, November 2019, February, March 2020
Audience: Community members
Project or Activity: Get Healthy Simpson Coalition, Built Environment, Smoke-free workplaces, Healthy Eating and Get More Active
Content or Curriculum: CEDIK materials and Leadership materials and Health and Wellness materials
Inputs: Community volunteers, money from grants, civic leaders, Agent led,
Date: Monthly year round 2019-20
Audience: Families
Project or Activity: Cooking at the Farmer’s Market
Content or Curriculum: LEAP and Snap-Ed materials
Inputs: Vegetable producers, Snap assistant, food, parents, volunteers, equipment
Date: July-October 2019
Audience: Snap recipients or candidates
Project or Activity: Nutrition Education
Content or Curriculum: Snap-Ed curriculum, LEAP
Inputs: Snap Assistant, Extension Agents, School District
Date: July 2019-June 2020
Audience: 7th Grade
Project or Activity: STOP
Content or Curriculum: STOP Scenarios
Inputs: Extension Agents, School District, Local Law Enforcement Agencies & Child Service Advocates
Date: December 2019
Audience: 6th Grade
Project or Activity: Health Rocks including the Youth Health Fair
Content or Curriculum: Health Rocks
Inputs: Extension Agents, School District, County Youth Action Team, County Health Coalition
Date: November 2019-March 2020
Audience: Homemakers and other Adults
Project or Activity: Staying Safe in/around home.
Content or Curriculum: UK prepared material
Inputs: Extension Agents, Homemakers and community members
Date: January 2020
Audience: Homemakers and Families
Project or Activity: Hands-on Cooking
Content or Curriculum: Plate It Up
Inputs: Extension agents, homemakers, and families
Date: May 2020
Author: Catherine Webster
Major Program: 4-H Health Core Curriculum
Simpson County 4-H brought the State 4-H Blender Bike to Franklin for the second year in a row in the Fall 2019, at the request of the Simpson County School District. The bike was used at the FSMS Youth Health Fair where 250 6th graders experienced the bike and sampled a fruit smoothie they made while pedaling. Over 1000 students & parents attended the school district's Night of Innovation where 300 participants experienced the Blender Bike and sampled salsa they made while p