Nutrition and Food Systems
Improve Physical and Mental Health
Blankenship, Bell, Branstetter
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Food Preparation and Preservation
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Family and Consumer Science
A foundation of nutrition knowledge, skills and competencies in topics such as food safety, handling and preparation, cooking methods and techniques, feeding practices, food science, and food systems are essential to changing dietary behaviors.
With the increased trend of chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky, individuals, families, and communities need tools and environments that support healthful dietary decisions. CES agents are encouraged to reach diverse audiences to help combat chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky communities.
- Routinely employ healthy dietary practices that promote health and wellness (e.g. consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables and improve food management skills)
- Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity
- Reach a 90 - 100 % redemption rate for WIC and Senior Farmer Market Nutrition Program Vouchers distributed to eligible Metcalfe Co. residents
- Increased expenditure of resident food budget, in the local food system.
- Generate positive attitudes toward changing dietary decisions to be more healthful.
- Increase intake of water, fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods
- Decrease intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium
- Employ healthful cooking methods, feeding practices, and food preservation techniques
- Increased access to healthy food via local farmers markets, food retailers, and/or home gardens
- Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease.
- Improve food and nutrition-related skills (e.g. gardening, preparation and preservation techniques, safe food handling, food resource management)
- Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices
- Increase motivation to access and prepare healthier foods
Outcome: Nutrition knowledge, skills, and competencies
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: use knowledge and skills to improve food-shopping management; utilize the food label to make healthy food choices; choosing smaller portions; increased food preservation knowledge; demonstrated recommended food preservation practices
Method: Self-report surveys; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program, NEP annual data, CDC community health data
Outcome: Preparing and preserving food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: preparing more home-cooked meals; modifying ingredients and/or preparation techniques to improve nutrition
Method: Self-report survey; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre and/or post and 4 week follow – up survey, after implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Dietary intake
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: eating 4-6 servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily
Method: Self-report surveys about fruit and vegetable intake or other dietary improvements; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program, 4 – week follow – up survey, NEP graduation data
Outcome: Availability and access to healthy food
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 or preserved (e.g., community or backyard gardens, fishing, hunting, farmers markets); dollar value of vendor-reported sales or EBT, WIC, or Senior benefits redeemed at farmers’ markets; number of pints of foods preserved through water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or drying.
Method: Self-report survey, Farmers Market customer data collection
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Audience: Communities
Project or Activity: Farmers Market Outreach
Content or Curriculum: Cooking programs, marketing, increased access (e.g. location, hours, EBT), Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud resources, Farmers Market Toolkit, Super Star Chef
Inputs: ANR, FCS, 4 – HYD Extension Agents, Nutrition Education Program (NEP), paid staff, Extension office resources, grant funds, facilities, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Date: April – October/Growing seasons
Project or Activity: Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approaches
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Farmers Market Tool Kit, Kentucky Farm to School Task Force Resources, Health Coalitions, resources for early care and education settings
Inputs: FCS, 4 – H YD and ANR Agents, NEP program assistant, Extension office resources, Volunteers, grant funds, community partners, key stakeholders, SNAP-Ed Toolkit
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Nutrition education and Food Preparation for Better Health
Content or Curriculum: Cook Together Eat Together, Mastering Food Choices, Dining with Diabetes, Super Star Chef, Champion Food Volunteer, Body Balance, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Resources, LEAPS, prenatal- and infant/toddler-nutrition curriculum, resources for early care and education settings
Inputs: 4 – H YD Agent, FCS Agent, ANR Agent, NEP program assistant, Extension office resources, programmatic materials, community partners, public and private schools
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year for adults and youth
Project or Activity: Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Home-Based Micro-Processing Training, Champion Food Volunteers
Inputs: FCS Extension Agent, NEP program assistant, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP, public and private schools
Date: July – September for adults and youth
Audience: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association/Volunteers
Project or Activity: Promoting Nutrition with Volunteers
Content or Curriculum: Champion Food Volunteers, Mastering Food Choices, International Cuisine publications, Food preservation workshops, Monthly Leader Lessons
Inputs: Volunteers, paid staff, community partners
Date: Up to nine sessions annually
Audience: 4-H Youth
Project or Activity: Metcalfe County TAG
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Curriculum
Inputs: Agent, Extension Office, Community Partners
Date: August-May
Author: Lynn Blankenship
Major Program: National Dining with Diabetes
In an effort to outreach with needed programs in a COVID safe manner, the Dining with Diabetes (DWD) program series was offered in summer 2020, to Metcalfe County Extension program stakeholders through the Facebook Live closed group, virtual platform. Lynn Blankenship, Metcalfe Co. Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences Education taught three of the four, live virtual sessions and taught the UK FCS Extension Eating Healthy Around the Holidays program in December, with the group f
Author: Lynn Blankenship
Major Program: Economic Development
The Metcalfe County Farmers Market Agriculture Development Grant expansion project has finished phase 1, with the completion of the new much larger Farmers Market Pavilion. The Farmers Market was able to utilize the new pavilion beginning in August 2020, but due to COVID restrictions, has not yet been able to hold a "grand opening" event. Phase two of this project, the build - in of the old Farmers Market pavilion, to turn it into a community teaching and commercial kitchen
Author: Lynn Blankenship
Major Program: LEAP
Poor nutrition and physical inactivity are tied to obesity. Recent research shows that among U.S. children, ages 2 to 4, nearly 14% were overweight and 13.5% were obese. Obesity rates for children ages 6 to 11 was even higher at 17 .5%. Obesity has been shown to contribute to major health issues including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, elevated blood cholesterol levels, low self-esteem, negative body image and depression in children. To address these concerns, the County Extens