Extension
It Starts With Us
Healthy Lifestyle Choices for Family and Youth
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices/ Accessing Healthy Foods
Brasher ANR, FCS, Barnes 4-H
Farmer's Markets
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (Curriculum)
Health 4-H Core Curriculum
Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Nutrition Education Programs help families gain access to food and stretch food dollars; communities to decrease hunger; and local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy and safe food preparation methods. Agents, paraprofessionals and volunteers are pivotal in influencing policies, systems, and environments and in training consumers and producers to maximize local access to food products from farm to table
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.
Local food continues to be in demand from consumers, restaurants, retail outlets and institutions (including schools). However, there is a disconnection between the production, processing, marketing and distribution segments of the local food system, especially for small and minority farmers. With sales from Kentucky food products expected to increase from $14 million (2014) to $24 million in 2020, Extension has resources to educate agricultural producers in production, value added opportunities, business planning, and marketing strategies to expand the local food system for the demand.
Healthy living is one of three 4-H mission mandates. Components of Kentucky 4-H Health Core Curriculum include: physical activity, substance abuse, bullying, safety, and character education. Moderate physical activity can reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, stress and high blood pressure. Early substance use in childhood/adolescence affects later drug use
(National Healthy Living Task Force). Almost 30% of youth in the United
States (or over 5.7 million) are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both (http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/faq/bullying.asp)
-Increased number of youth at a lower risk for physical and emotional distress
-Youth will develop into competent, capable, contributing adults as important developmental assets are met through their participation in 4-H Health programs
-Increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating daily
-Increase in the number of vendors, variety of local food products, sales and/or profits at farmer’s markets, road side stands, or community supported agriculture
-Increase access to local foods in restaurants, retail outlets, school and other institutions
-Maintain or increase consumer confidence/ demand in local foods
-Maintain or increase economic stability of farm operations
-Increased number of youth maintaining positive health habits
-Increased number of youth at a lower risk for serious disease and illness
-Increased number of youth at a lower risk for physical and emotional distress
-Youth will develop into competent, capable, contributing adults as
important developmental assets are met through their participation in 4-H
Health programs
-Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle that include making healthy lifestyle choices, not engaging in risky
behavior and handling stress
-Practice healthy food choices and strengthen individuals’ ability to build healthy eating plans and patterns
-Learn to grow, prepare and preserve food
-Apply food safety practices and/or procedures
-Earn certification(s) for:
selling and /or providing samples at farmer’s markets
Microprocessing
USDA GAP
-Purchase local food and food products
-Awareness of healthy lifestyle choices, adult weight managements, and healthy aging
-Understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being
-Identify/ locate local food producers and processors
-Explain local food needs and purchasing procedures (i.e. quantity, quality, deliver, etc.)
-Describe advantages and disadvantages of marketing strategies (i.e. CSA, U-Pick, Farm to School, freezer beef)
-Interpret food safety handling procedures
-Understand procedures for safe food processing
-Review types and varieties of produce
-Youth will identify healthy lifestyle choices
-Youth will understand risky behaviors and their consequences
-Youth will aspire to have higher self esteem
-Youth will identify healthy ways to handle stress
Initial Outcome: Identify local food producers
Indicator: conversations with vendors
Method: Farmer's Market
Timeline: 2017-2018 Summer
Intermediate Outcome: selling and/ or providing sample's at farmers markets
Indicator: more vendors certified to provide samples
Method: inform and assist in getting certified
Timeline: 2018
Long-term Outcome: Increase vendors at Farmer's Market
Indicator: more vendors regularly attending
Method: monitor vendors that participate
Timeline: 2018 and beyond
Initial Outcome: Youth learn several forms of physical fitness and learn to eat healthy foods
Indicator: Number of youth and families reached with information on accessing healthy foods
Method: Classes, School Enrichment, SNAP Ed, curriculum, Survey
Timeline: 2017-2022
Intermediate Outcome: Youth increase physical fitness and the amounts of healthy fruits and vegetables in their weekly behaviors
Indicator: Number of youth and families reached with information on accessing healthy foods
Method: Classes, School Enrichment, SNAP Ed, curriculum, Survey
Timeline: 2017-2022
Long-term Outcome: Youth participate in regular physical fitness and regularly eat healthy fruits and vegetables
Indicator: Number of youth and families reached with information on accessing healthy foods
Method: Classes, School Enrichment, SNAP Ed, curriculum, Survey
Timeline: 2017-2022
Initial Outcome: Youth and adults enhance their knowledge on growing, preparing and preserving food
Indicator: Number of youth and families reached with information on accessing healthy foods
Method: Gardening and food preservation survey
Timeline: 2017-2022
Intermediate Outcome: Youth and adults will apply their skills to plant, harvest and preserve produce
Indicator: End of program surveys, interviews
Method: Class attendance
Timeline: 2017-2022
Long-term Outcome: Youth and adults will learn to garden or enhance their gardening skills, food prep skills, food management skills and healthy eating habits
Indicator: End of program surveys, interviews
Method: Class attendance
Timeline: 2017-2022
Initial Outcome: Youth understand the impact bullying has on others
Indicator: Youth discuss ways to stop bullying
Method: 4-H bullying curriculum, camp
Timeline: 2017-2022
Intermediate Outcome: Youth practice kindness towards others
Indicator: Youth are more willing to share emotionally with others and support one another
Method: Club meeting, camp, activities
Timeline: 2017-2022
Long-term Outcome: Reduce instances of bullying
Indicator: Number of bullying incidence
Method: Club meetings, camp
Timeline: 2017-2022
Initial Outcome: Youth understand the need for a healthy lifestyle
Indicator: Number of youth involved in clubs and programs; surveys, evaluations
Method: SNAP Ed, curriculum
Timeline: 2016-2017
Intermediate Outcome: Youth will choose to live a healthy lifestyle
Indicator: Number of youth involved in clubs and programs; surveys, evaluations
Method: survey, interview, evaluations by community partners
Timeline: 2017-2018
Long-term Outcome: Youth will become successful, healthy, drug free and physically active citizens
Indicator: Number of youth becoming productive members of society and making better career and lifestyle choices
Method: survey, interview, working with community coalitions and partnerships to address issues
Timeline: 2017-2022
Audience: youth, adults, older adults, low resource families
Project or Activity: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Content or Curriculum: educational programs, media
Inputs: agents, specialists
Date: 2018
Audience: low income Kentucky families
Project or Activity: Kentucky Nutrition Education Program Curriculum (SNAP-ED & EFNEP)
Content or Curriculum: educational programs
Inputs: agents, EFNEP assistant, specialists
Date: 2017-2022
Audience: local food producers
Project or Activity: workshop and programs on producing and marketing food products
Content or Curriculum: Extension publications
Inputs: agents, specialists, Farmer's Market managers, Kentucky Dept. of Ag
Date: 2018-2022
Audience: Youth and Adults
Project or Activity: Food preservation workshops, gardening classes, school enrichment
Content or Curriculum: CES publications, SNAP Ed material
Inputs: Agents, volunteers, specialists, Homemaker's
Date: 2018-2022
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Bullying Awareness programs, Jumpstart for Middle School
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum
Inputs: School System, West KY 4-H Camp, community coalitions
Date:2018-2022
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: After school clubs, Day camps, Jumpstart, SPIN Clubs, School Enrichment, Camp, 4-H Health Month, Reality Store, Field Day
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum
Inputs: School System, 21st Century Learning Grant, Local businesses, volunteers, agents, specialist, community coalitions
Date:2018-2022
Author: Leslea Barnes
Major Program: Health 4-H Core Curriculum
For the 3rd year in a row, students from CCES second grade classes got a hand’s on lesson in nutrition and gardening by creating their very own Window Sill Garden. Through the collaboration of the Crittenden County Extension Service Ag, 4-H and EFNEP Assistant, students have been receiving education about better nutrition, how to make healthier food choices, and lessons in how seeds sprout and grow and then planting their own seeds to begin a Window Sill Garden in their classroo
Author: Leslea Barnes
Major Program: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
In a fast paced world and fast food too convenient, the dinner table for many families has become a thing of the past. Pressure Cookers and Air Fryers can help take the “pressure” of family mealtime a little less stressful, if we only knew how to use them and feel comfortable operating them. The Pressure cooker, is not your grandmother’s pressure canner. If only this modern family could feel more comfortable using them.The Instant Pot was a hot seller and
Author: Leslea Barnes
Major Program: Natural Resources 4-H Core Curriculum
For the 3rd year now, 4-H agents have wanted to create a day for just our middle school youth that will engage them, give them an educational field trip and get them excited about being a part of 4-H. This is just what we did when over 100 youth (almost 150 people in total) gathered together from across 10 counties this spring when a day trip was planned to Mantle Rock.Mantle Rock is known to many in this area as a part of the Trail of Tears, however, when you ask many of the locals, they&
