Making Better Choices for Healthier LifestylesPlan of Work

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Franklin County CES

Title:
Making Better Choices for Healthier Lifestyles
MAP:
Developing Healthier Lifestyles through Education
Agents Involved:
K. Perry; A. Leonberger; T. Thomas
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
4-H Leadership Core Curriculum
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
4-H Communications and Expressive Arts Core Curriculum
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Food Preparation
Situation:
Franklin County has three primary adult behavioral risk factors that significantly impact our community’s health outcomes: obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and smoking. Closely related to many of Franklin County’s leading causes of death is an adult obesity rate of 30% compared to a Kentucky rate of 32% and a U.S. rate of 34.9%. Childhood Obesity Action Network reported that in 2007 37.1% of Kentucky children aged 10-17 were overweight or obese exceeding the national rate of 31.6%. Locally collected data from a study conducted by the Franklin County Health Department discovered that out of 416 4th and 5th grade Franklin County students 41% of them were obese. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance data was collected for high school students and showed that 33.2% were overweight or obese in Kentucky compared to 27.8% in the nation.

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 food, stress, and built environments that promote physical inactivity are 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. The obesity epidemic, as well as the other behavioral risk factors, threatens the quality and years of the life of Franklin County citizens.

Another factor linked to obesity is sedentary lifestyles. It was found that 29.6% of adults in the Franklin County area did not participate in any physical activity in the past 30 days compared to 30.5% of Kentucky. Again these rates exceed the national rate of 24.8%. YRBS data indicate no physical activity for 17% of Kentucky and 23.1% of U.S. high school students.

The third contributing factor to poor health is smoking. Research data shows a local rate of 22.6% for Franklin County, Kentucky rate of 25.2% and national adult smoking rate of 18.3% (KDPH, 2008). Although both the Kentucky and Franklin County rates are still higher than the national percentages, this data does reflect a decrease in recent years. Similarly, the Kentucky youth smoking rate is 26.1%, and the U.S. rate is 19.5%.


Long-Term Outcomes:
• A decrease in the number of obese and overweight children, youth, adults and elderly.

• 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.
Intermediate Outcomes:
• Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle that include making healthy lifestyle choices.

• Practice healthy food choices, physical activity, and strengthen individuals’ ability to build healthy eating plans and patterns.

• Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity, physical inactivity and chronic disease.
Initial Outcomes:
• Youth and adults will learn the importance of healthy lifestyle choices.

• Youth and adults understand the benefits of making proactive healthy choices.

• Youth and adults will gain an understanding in healthy lifestyles and the necessary skills for a healthy lifestyle.
Evaluation:
Initial Outcome: Increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating daily.
Indicator: Reported increase in physical activity and healthy eating
Method: Pre- and post-surveys
Timeline: Before and after programs

Intermediate Outcome: Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity, physical activity, and chronic disease.
Indicator: Increase in coalitions and partnerships
Method: Extension records and observation
Timeline: After programs and coalition building

Long-term Outcome: Youth and adults understand the benefits of making proactive healthy choices.
Indicator: Reported understanding of benefits
Method: Pre- and post-surveys
Timeline: Before and after programs
Learning Opportunities:
Audience: Youth & Adults
Project or Activity: Afterschool Clubs, Project Days, Camp Classes, FCS Cooking classes,
Content or Curriculum: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Plate It Up, You're the Chef, Food, Culture, and Reading curriculum, Cooking 101-401 Curriculum
Inputs: CES Staff, CES Agents, Specialists, CES publications, community partners
Date: September - August

Audience: Youth & Adults
Project or Activity: 4-H Cooking Club; Recipe of the Month
Content or Curriculum: Food Preservation, Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices, Plate It Up, You're the Chef, Food, Culture, and Reading curriculum, Cooking 101-401 Curriculum, SNAP Curriculum
Inputs: CES Agent and Staff, Specialists, CES publications, community partners, SNAP Program Assistants
Date: September - August

Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Reality Store
Content or Curriculum: Health Rocks, Exploring the Treasures of 4-H,
My Financial Future, Step Up to Leadership, Moneywise, MITT, STEPS to a Healthy Teen
Inputs: CES Agents, Chamber of Commerce, volunteers, facilities, outside funding
Date: November every year

Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: In-School Club
Content or Curriculum: Health Rocks, Exploring the Treasures of 4-H, My Financial Future, Step Up to Leadership, Moneywise, MITT, STEPS to a Healthy Teen
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, outside funding
Date: September – May

Audience: Community
Project or Activity: Home Gardening Class
Content or Curriculum: Gardening classes from Master Gardeners
Inputs: Master Gardeners volunteers, Farmer's Market
Date: January - December

Audience: Community
Project or Activity: Healthy Cooking, Food Preservation, HM Leader Lessons
Content or Curriculum: FCS Agents, SNAP Assistants, Specialist
Inputs: FCS Agents, Homemakers, Related Publications
Date: September - August


Success Stories

Truth and Consequenses

Author: Adam Leonberger

Major Program: Truth and Consequences: The Choice is Yours

Based on conversations from Franklin County teachers’, students are facing many challenges at a younger age, leading them to make life-changing decisions earlier; therefore, the Franklin County Cooperative Extension Service wanted students to be mindful of the repercussions of those decisions. Thus, the program Truth & Consequences did just that. The Franklin County Schools Dropout Prevention and Volunteer Coordinator approached the Franklin County Extension Office to host this program

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Smarter Lunchrooms in Franklin Co.

Author: Tamera Magee

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

According to the 2018 Annual SNAP-Ed Report for Kentucky, at least one out of 3 Kentucky children are overweight or obese. Nearly half of Kentucky children consume fruits less than once daily, well below the 1½ to 2 cups daily recommended by USDA MyPlate. Children who consume low amounts of fruits and vegetables are at greater risk for many nutrition-related health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control, ”eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables daily can help red

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Kentucky Court Designated Worker Program Youth Group

Author: Tamera Magee

Major Program: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)

The Franklin Co. Cooperative Extension service partnered with the Franklin Co. Court Designated Worker Program to offer relationship education to vulnerable youth.  These skills are needed to develop positive interactions with self, family, peers, school personnel, and in the workplace. Research suggests that addressing topics of the youth and their relationships is necessary and long overdue. It is believed that the development of positive relationships can encourage improvement in academi

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Be Safe, Be Well/Overdose Response Training

Author: Tamera Magee

Major Program: Promoting Healthy Homes and Communities (general)

In 2015, 25.5% of Kentuckians reported using the Emergency Department in the past year (State Health Access Data Assistance, 2017.)   In 2018 there were 2.1 million Emergency Department Encounters in Kentucky. (Source: Kentucky Emergency Department Encounter Claims) https://chfs.ky.gov/agencies/ohda/Documents/2018Emergency.pdf. Nearly half of all US medical care is delivered by emergency departments, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (U

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Truth and Consequences

Author: Tamera Magee

Major Program: Truth and Consequences: The Choice is Yours

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Healthy Bladder Habits Might Help You

Author: Tamera Magee

Major Program: Embracing Life as We Age (general)

Healthy Bladder Habits Might Help You is a state KEHA lesson.  The Franklin Co. FCS agent taught this lesson to twenty-five women who would in turn teach the lesson in their respective clubs throughout the Fort Harrod area.Fifty percent of women will experience urinary incontinence although they may not discuss this issue with their doctor due to embarrassment or that such experience is normal. The problem may impact their lives emotionally, socially, physically, and psychologically.  

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Truth & Consequences

Author: Krista Perry

Major Program: Truth and Consequences: The Choice is Yours

Based on conversations from Franklin County teachers’, students are facing many challenges at a younger age, leading them to make life-changing decisions earlier; therefore, the Franklin County Cooperative Extension Service wanted students to be mindful of the repercussions of those decisions. Thus, the program Truth & Consequences did just that. The Franklin County Schools Dropout Prevention and Volunteer Coordinator approached the Franklin County Extension Office to host th

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