2021 Nutrition, Food Systems, and Health
2021 Physical and Mental Health
Kathy Byrnes, Joan Bowling, Linda Brown-Price, Dan Allen, Diane Kelley, Denise Donahue, Mary Averbeck, Hort agent
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Nutrition and Food Systems General
Substance Use Prevention and Recovery General
Food Preparation and Preservation
According to Kentucky By the Numbers, nearly 13% of Kenton County adults have diabetes, 33% suffer with hypertension, 37% are obese, and nearly 17% report poor or fair health. According to “Kentucky Health Facts”, Kenton County citizens on average report 4 days per month (13%) as “physically unhealthy days, and 4% of citizens reported “mentally unhealthy days” per month.
37% of youth 10-17 are overweight or obese, and 51% of Kentucky youth report not exercising regularly. In addition, the rate of both fatal and nonfatal overdoses doubled during 2015-2017 in Kenton County and vaping rates nearly doubled among Kentucky middle and high school students. 25% of youth in Kentucky report some form of emotional or behavioral condition, and suicide rates are at a record high.
Kenton County citizens are fortunate to have 5 farmers markets throughout the county. Food deserts in certain communities, however, still remain, with 13% of Kenton County citizens considered food insecure, and over 17,000 receiving food stamps.
The recent county needs assessment report, County Extension Council, plus other local advisory councils have identified the high number of overweight youth and adults, the need for increased physical activity, a foundation of nutrition knowledge and skills, along with the necessity of tools to address positive mental health and substance use prevention as vital for our community.
- Routinely employ healthy dietary and physical activity practices that promote health and wellness (e.g. consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables, 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, improve food management skills)
- Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity in both youth and adults
- Increased use of local farmer’s markets
- Decreased number of youth and adults feeling emotional distress, and/or seeking answers through the use of drug, alcohol and tobacco use.
- Generate positive attitudes toward changing lifestyle choices to be healthier
- Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods, while decreasing intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium
- Increased adoption and mastery of health behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle (decrease substance use, increased physical activity)
- Employ healthful and safe cooking methods, feeding practices, and food preservation techniques
- Improved perceived stress and ability to cope in both youth and adults
- Increase awareness of healthy food via local farmers markets and/or home gardens, and improve knowledge and skill on preparation techniques for these foods.
- Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and overall health in both youth and adults.
- Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices and increase suitable physical activity.
- Improve food and nutrition-related motivation and skills to safely choose, handle, prepare, store, and consume healthier foods.
- Improved physical, social, and emotional health habits
- Increase awareness about lifestyle choices and chronic disease
- Improved education about substance use disorder and mental health disease
- Increase awareness of local farmers markets & needed micro-processing training
Outcome: Nutrition knowledge, skills, competencies, and dietary intake
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: use knowledge and skills to improve food-shopping management; utilize the food label to make healthy choices.
Number of individuals who reported: eating 4-6 servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily, increased consumption of other nutrient dense food, and decreased consumption of low nutrient foods.Method: Self-report surveys; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Safe preparation and preservation of food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: preparing more home-cooked meals; modifying ingredients and/or preparation techniques to improve nutrition; increased food preservation knowledge, amount of food preserved at home through canning, freezing, or drying.
Method: Self-report survey; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Chronic Disease Prevention
Indicator: Number of individuals reporting one or more health indicators (cholesterol, bp, body mass index, blood glucose) improved.
Method: Self-report surveys about dietary intake or improvements; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Local availability and fresh food usage
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: utilizing delivery systems/access points (e.g., farmers’ markets, CSAs, WIC, food pantries) that offer healthy foods; supplementing diets with healthy foods grown, preserved, or purchased locally; dollar value of vendor-reported sales or EBT, WIC, or Senior benefits redeemed at farmers’ markets; increased use of these foods to prepare meals.
Method: Self-report survey
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program such as plate it up
Outcome: Increased knowledge of ways to control stress
Indicator: Number of individuals participating in programs
Method: Survey
Timeline: Pre-post test
Outcome: Physical activity knowledge, skills, and competencies
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: knowledge and skills gained about the benefits of physical activity; adoption of physical activity practices; increase in physical activity levels
Method: Self-report survey
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Audience: Covington Housing Authority Youth
Project or Activity: Nutrition/Cooking Enrichment Classes
Content or Curriculum: 4-H and SNAP curriculum
Inputs: Agents, volunteers
Date: Fall 2020
Audience: Kenton County Youth
Project or Activity: Get Fit with 4-H
Content or Curriculum: Get fit with 4-H
Inputs: Agents, 4-H assistants
Date: September 2020 to May 2021
Audience: Kenton County Youth
Project or activity: Junior and Senior Culinary Challenge
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Food Curriculum
Inputs: Agents, volunteers, 4-H Assistants
Date: August-September 2020
Audience: Parents and Caregivers
Activity: Developing a Mental Health Action Plan
Content or Curriculum: UK publications and NAMI
Inputs: FCS agents Mental Health professionals
Date September 2020
Audience: Women/extension Homemakers
Activity: Ever Had a Leak? Urine Not alone
Content or Curriculum: UK publications
Inputs: FCS agents
Date November 2020
Audience: Seniors/women and Men in Agriculture
Activity: Fall Prevention on the Farm
Content or Curriculum: UK publications
Inputs: FCS and agriculture agent
Date March 2021
Audience: general public
Activity: Addiction 101
Content or Curriculum: UK curriculum
Inputs: FCS agents, Kenton County Alliance
Date: April 2021
Audience: Senior Center participants/ Life Learning Center attendees
Activity: SNAP lessons
Content or Curriculum: UK publications
Inputs: FCS agents
Date September 2020 through June 2021
Project or Activity: Food Preservation – 4-part Zoom series
Content or Curriculum: UK Publications and Trainings, FCS Agents
Inputs: FCS Agents, extension facilities, programmatic materials
Date: July – September for adults and youth
Project or Activity –Learn from Home; Vegetables, the Jewels of Health
Content – FCS Agent designed 4-part correspondence class
Inputs – UK, USDA, CES vegetable publications
Date: Fall 2020
Project or Activity: Diabetes reduction activities; diabetes support group
Content or Curriculum: American Diabetes Association, N. KY. Diabetes Committee
Inputs: Health Department Educators, Hospital dietitians, FCS Agent
Date: All year
Project or Activity: Food, nutrition, and safety news articles
Content or Curriculum: UK exclusives, nutrition publications
Inputs: FCS Agent developed
Date: Weekly articles-rotate topics
Project or Activity: Cook Together, Eat Together – Zoom program series
Content or Curriculum: UK FCS Extension Curriculum
Inputs: Cook Together curriculum, FCS agent designed for zoom
Date: Fall 2020
Project or Activity: Farmers’ Markets CES information booth
Content or Curriculum: Plate It Up, FCS preparation and safety information, Victory garden information Inputs: UK NEP and FCS specialists, Agent designed, SNAP incentives
Date: July-October 2020, May-June 2021Project or Activity: SNAP program collaboration
Content or Curriculum: UK SNAP
Inputs: Kenton Program Funds
Date: All year
Project or Activity: Nutrition education programs
Content or Curriculum: MyPlate, Plate It Up
Inputs: SNAP Ed curriculum, Agent designed
Date: Monthly beginning August 2020
Project or Activity: Readyfests and Health Fairs
Content or Curriculum: SNAP, MyPlate, Plate It Up
Inputs: Agent designed, SNAP incentives
Date: August 2020
Project or Activity: Life Learning Center - Nutrition Education for Recovering Adults
Content or Curriculum: SNAP curriculum, MyPlate
Inputs: Agent and center staff designed
Date: Monthly beginning September 2020
Project or Activity: Independence Food Bank
Content or Curriculum: SNAP and Plate It Up
Inputs: UK Curriculum
Date: Monthly
Project or Activity –Discover ALT Meat Content – FCS Agent designed
Inputs – UK meats specialist
Date: October 2020
Project or Activity – Would your kitchen pass a food safety inspection?
Content – UK, USDA food safety
Inputs – FCS agent designed, UK food safety specialist support
Date: September 2020
Project or Activity –One Pan Meals; 3-part series
Content – UK home equipment publications, UK meal publications
Inputs – FCS agent designed
Date – Fall 2020
Project or Activity – On-Line series; Mind and Body Connection
Content – UK FCS curriculum
Inputs – FCS agent designed
Date – Spring 2020
Project or Activity – Strength and Flexibility training
Content – UK specialist support-resistance band use
Inputs – FCS agent designed series
Date – Spring 2020
Project or Activity – Area Homemaker Zoom - What’s the Buzz about Bees?
Content – KEHA, UK lesson
Inputs – FCS agent designed
Date – November 2020
Project or Activity – Area Homemaker Learning Seminar – Beauty inside and out
Content – UK Health Curriculum
Inputs – Agent, area homemaker designed
Date – January 2021
Audience: Diversion Participants as permitted by the CDW cohorts
Project or Activity: 4-H Bucket Garden
Content: 4-H Horticulture
Inputs: curriculum copies, materials, plants as available
May 2021 – August 2021
Audience: Kenton County 4-H Youth
Project or Activity Erlanger-Elsmere BFF Club
Content: 4-H Health/Mental Health
Inputs: Agent designed
Date: 2020/2021
Audience: Kenton County 4-H Youth
Project or Activity: Healthy Living and cooking Tichenor Middle SchoolContent: 4-H Health
Inputs: Agent designed
Date: 2020/2021
Audience: Kenton County 4-H Youth
Project or Activity: Adulting 101 Cooking Bartlett Alternative School
Content: 4-H Health
Inputs: Agent designed
Date: 2020/2021
Audience: 4-H Youth
Project or Activity: Expressive Art
Content or Curriculum: National 4-H Art Curriculum
Inputs: Agents & assistants
Date: July 2020-June 2021
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
With the spread of COVID 19 in spring and summer of 2020, many more citizens grew home gardens. Information on safe and effective ways to preserve food preservation was needed as much as ever. Traditional in person and hands on classes, however, were out of the question. In addition, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), many cases of foodborne botulism have happened after people ate home-canned, preserved, or fermented foods that were contaminated with toxin. The foods became
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) tells us that although our food supply in the United States is safe, disease-causing pathogens contaminate food and can cause foodborne illness. Millions get sick, are hospitalized and even die from foodborne illness and infection each year. Since it is so serious, it is important for individuals to know and practice safe food handling behaviors to reduce risk of getting ill from contaminated food. The topic of food safety for consumers is a ver
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
A new study by Tufts University researchers found that 50% of full-service restaurant meals and 70% of fast-food meals consumed in the Unites States were found to be of poor nutritional quality. The authors of this study recommended eating at home more often as one of their suggestions for healthier meal options.With these statistics in mind (from this and many other studies), the Kenton County Family and Consumer Sciences Agent developed and implemented a 6-part “One Pan Meals” seri