Extension
It Starts With Us
Educating and Nurturing Healthy Lifestyles
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Kayla Watts & Reed Graham
Fit Blue/Get Moving KY
Sustainable Agriculture
4-H Health Core Curriculum
Truth and Consequences: The Choice is Yours
The Centers for Disease Control found in a nationally representative survey that only 29% of high school youth participated in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on each of the seven days before the survey. Participation in physical activity decreases as we age.
The obesity epidemic threatens the quality and 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 percent over the last 15 years. Thirty percent of individuals in the Commonwealth report no leisure-time physical activity. Increased consumption of unhealthy food, stress, and built environments that promote physical inactivity are largely responsible for the obesity epidemic. As a result, Kentuckians are dying from heart disease and cancer at higher rates than all Americans and they have a lower life expectancy, 75.5 years, compared to 78 years for Americans. Minorities and individuals residing in Appalachia bear a heavier brunt of the obesity and chronic disease burden. The goal of the Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices Initiative is to reverse these trends by working with various organizations, agencies, and groups to promote the health and wellness in all Kentuckians.
-Increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating daily
-Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and hypertension
-A decrease in the number of obese and overweight children, youth, adults and elderly
-Increase in positive health habits
-Lower the risk for physical and emotional distress
-Youth are competent, capable, contributing adults as a result of their participation in 4-H Health
programs
-Practice healthy food choices and strengthen individuals’ ability to build healthy eating plans and patterns.
-Practice of physical activity in families and communities and decreased time spent on sedentary behaviors
-Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity, physical inactivity and chronic disease.
-Practice healthy lifestyle decision-making that strengthen individuals’ ability to cope with normal life stressors.
-Decrease risky health choices across the lifespan
-Change in awareness, knowledge, opinions, skills, and attitudes needed to make informed choices regarding:
-Healthy lifestyle choices
-Childhood and youth obesity
-Adult weight management
-Healthy aging
-Practice and promotion of daily physical activity
-Policies that that reduce the level of obesity
-Reduction of chronic disease
-Practice Self-Esteem Building
-Practice Stress Management
Initial Outcome: Participants will learn the benefits of making healthy choices over the life span
Indicator: Data given at programming
Method: Evaluations, Extension Record Keeping
Timeline: 2019-2020
Intermediate Outcome: Community members will regularly practice skills learned from healthy living programming
Indicator: Continuation of best practices, Continuation of involvement in healthy living initiatives
Method: Follow-Up Evaluations, Observations
Timeline: 2019-2020
Long-term Outcome: Community members will recognize and see difference in over-all health due to continued participation in healthy living initiatives, Community will see difference in population health
Indicator: Decrease number of obesity rates in county population, Prevention of and best practices in managing chronic diseases
Method: Observation, Long-Term Evaluation Follow-Up
Timeline: 2019-2020
Audience: All Ages
Project or Activity: Walking/Step Challenges
Content or Curriculum: FitBlue, Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices Curriculum materials, Healthy Bulletins
Inputs: Agents, Educators, Volunteers, Community Partners, Health Planning Council, Diabetes Coalition
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: Youth (9-18)
Project or Activity: 4-H School Clubs/Meetings/Activities
Content or Curriculum: Teen Cuisine, Health Rocks Curriculum, Health Bulletins
Inputs: Agents, Educators, School Leaders, Volunteers
Date: 2019-2020
Audience: All Ages
Project or Activity: Home Gardening Program
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications - Gardening/Growing in KY
Inputs: Agents, Specialists, Volunteers, Community Partners
Date: 2019-2020
Author: Kayla Watts
Major Program: National Dining with Diabetes
According to the Kentucky Department for Public Health, one in seven Kentucky adults has been diagnosed with diabetes. Breathitt County, which is part of the Kentucky River Area, has upwards of 22 percent of the adult population diagnosed diabetic. Although community members may know the diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one, learning how to manage this new lifestyle can be difficult. Providing programming on lifestyle change is important for overall physical, and metal hea
Author: Kayla Watts
Major Program: Fit Blue/Get Moving KY
According to Kentucky By The Numbers: COVID-19 At Risk County Profiles, 16.8% (11.3%-24.4%) of the adult population of Breathitt County has diabetes and 36.1% (27.0%-46.3%) of the adult population is obese. Because physical activity is linked to better management of chronic diseases and lowering obesity rates, it is very important that Breathitt County citizens, particularly the mentioned populations, have access and motivation to participate in physical activities, especially during very
