Making Healthy Lifestyle ChoicesPlan of Work

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Montgomery County CES

Title:
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
MAP:
Nutrition, Health, and Well-Being
Agents Involved:
Mayrand, Comer, Hamilton
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Weight the Reality Series
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Get Moving Kentucky (Physical Activity Based Programs)
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Situation:
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.
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
•Improvement in the built environment to promote physical activity and healthy eating
•Improvement in the mental health and well-being of Kentuckians
•Manage and prevent the risk, debilitation, and premature death related to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, stroke and hypertension
•Increase the estimated health savings in dollars for chronic disease.
•Increase policies that address obesity, physical inactivity and promotion of poor nutrition
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
•Community members advocate for policy
•Changes related to obesity, physical activity and healthy eating.
•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.
Initial Outcomes:
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
Evaluation:
Outcome: Participants will increase physical activity and consumption of fruits and veggies
Indicator: Number of individuals who make lifestyle changes to improve personal health
Method: Pre-post surveys, online surveys, number of people visiting Farmer’s Markets, activity logs
Timeline: Beginning and End of Program

Outcome: Participants will decrease the number of times they abuse drugs and alcohol
Indicator: Number of individuals who reduce drug/alcohol use as well as number of individuals who utilize resources
Method: Pre-post surveys, online surveys
Timeline: Beginning and End of Programs

Outcome: Participants will experience weight loss
Indicator: Scales at extension office
Method: Weekly Weigh-Ins
Timeline: Beginning and End of Programs – 8-10 week period
Learning Opportunities:
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: physical activity promotion
Content or Curriculum: LEAP
Inputs: Agents, CES publications and resources, Health Department
Date: Fall, Spring

Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: drug awareness
Content or Curriculum: Truth and Consequences
Inputs: Agents, CES publications and resources, eXtension, HEEL, Health Department, School System
Date: Fall, Late Spring

Audience: General public-farmers market customers
Project or Activity: Plate It Up! Ky Proud- Tuesdays at the Market
Content or Curriculum: Plate It Up
Inputs: recipe cards, facilitator guides, press releases, local resources, volunteers, paid staff, extension facilities, farmers market vendors
Date: July-June

Audience: General public
Project or Activity: Summer Food and Fun
Content or Curriculum: EFNEP, SNAP, other as needed
Inputs: press releases, local resources, volunteers, paid staff, church facilities
Date: June-July

Audience: General public
Project or Activity: Montgomery County Weight the Reality
Content or Curriculum: Weight the Reality
Inputs: Wellness Coalition, volunteers, paid staff, Coalition and Extension resources
Date: 9 week series-July-August


Success Stories

Farmers Dinner Theater

Author: Gary Hamilton

Major Program: Embracing Life as We Age (general)

In a partnership with the University of Kentucky College of Nursing the Montgomery and Bath County Extension Service, conducted a Farmers Dinner Theater which focused on the Occupational Safety and Health Risks Specific To The Farming Profession. The target audience for this event was farmers and their spouse at least 45 years old and older. Four local farmers performed as the actors in three skits dealing with the topics of arthritis, stress, work transfer, multi-tasking, injury, fatigue, heari

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PIUKP at the Market

Author: Hannah Mayrand

Major Program: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud

As a way to increase customers at the Montgomery County Farmers Market, the Montgomery County FCS Agent worked with market vendors and the ANR Agent to attract customers in a new way. The FCS agent distributed a survey at the market vendor informational meeting prior to the selling season. Vendors filled out what produce they would have the most of that summer. With that information, FCS Agent chose Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud recipes using the produce farmers indicated they planned to sell in t

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Farmers' Market Customer Appreciation Event

Author: Gary Hamilton

Major Program: Farmer's Markets

The Farmers' Market provides an economic benefit and healthy nutritional role to the citizens of Mt. Sterling and Montgomery County. To help show it's customers how much they are appreciated, the Farmers Market Executive Board with the help of the Extension Service, organized a very successful Customer Appreciation Event. The event included: Food, Educational Demonstrations, Displays and Door Prizes. 740 plus customers attended this weekend event that spotlighted Montgomery Counties 22 F

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Keys To Embracing Aging

Author: Hannah Mayrand

Major Program: Keys to Embracing Aging

The Montgomery County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent presented Keys to Embracing Aging to 16 participants. As a result of the program, 93% participants reported a better understanding of how current lifestyle behaviors affect future health and well-being.  Specifically, 13 participants reported aspirations to better embrace a positive attitude. 93% participants anticipate practicing stress management, 14 are getting financial affairs in order, and 81% are getting more qua

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Promoting Lifelong Healthy Food Choices

Author: Charles Comer

Major Program: Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H Core Curriculum

In 2012-13, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture launched the Kentucky Junior Chef competition to teach students to cook, educate them about the importance of buying local food and impact the school meals with recipes being incorporated into the school lunch program.  For five years the Montgomery County 4-H Junior Chef team has created these nutritional and delicious recipes that include the MyPlate food groups.  The team endeavor has resulted in the members learning the v

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Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds

Author: Hannah Mayrand

Major Program: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)

According to the CDC, 15.6% of adolescents in Kentucky are considered overweight and 17.6% are obese. Unhealthy dietary behaviors and lack of physical activity contribute to this statistic. To improve the unhealthy behaviors, the Montgomery County FCS Agent partnered with the local health department, and middle school to offer an after school group to middle and high school boys and girls who may be classified as overweight according to their body mass index (BMI). The program was called Healthy

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Incorporating Healthy Options in Schools

Author: Hannah Mayrand

Major Program: Youth Fruit & Vegetable Access

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends children ages 6 to 13 years should consume 1.5 to 3 cup servings of fruits and vegetables daily. In 2013, the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicated 44.6 percent of Kentucky adolescents consumed more than one serving of fruit daily and 42.7 percent consumed more than one serving of vegetables. In an effort to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in elementary school students in Montgomery County, the FCS Agent partnered with th

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