Extension
It Starts With Us
Nutrition and Food Systems
Improve Physical and Mental Health
Kayla Walton, Mary McCarty
Nutrition and Food Systems General
Food Preparation and Preservation
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Active Living and Health Promotions General
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. According to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data Menifee County has a 53% obesity rate, which is 18 % higher than the state rate. Menifee County also has higher rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes (21%) and hypertension (49%). Due to higher rates of nutrition and behavior related illnesses, 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. The Menifee County Community Assessment showed that issues such as “Fewer chronic diseases”, “Fewer overweight or obese youth and adults”, and “More sources for buying safe, affordable, fresh local foods” were all rated important/ very important by community members and listed amongst the top issues in the county.
- 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
- Generate positive attitudes toward changing dietary decisions to be more healthful.
- Increase intake of 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 farmer’s markets, food retailers, and/or home or community based gardens
- Improve redemption rate of WIC Farmer’s Market Double Dollars
- Increase number of meals that are eaten and/or prepared with family members
- 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
- Increase knowledge of appropriate and reliable sources of information for nutrition, food safety and health
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 preparation knowledge; demonstrated recommended food preparation practices
Method: Self-report surveys; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
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-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Dietary intake
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: eating 4-6 servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily, decreasing consumption of solid fats, sodium, added sugars and processed foods.
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
Outcome: Availability and access to healthy food
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: utilizing delivery systems/access points (e.g., farmers’ markets, WIC, food pantries) that offer healthy foods; supplementing diets with healthy foods grown or preserved (e.g., community or home 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
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, Farmer’s Market incentives and special events
Inputs: Nutrition Education Program (NEP), paid staff, grant funds, facilities, Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Date: April – October/Growing seasons
Project or Activity: Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approaches
Content or Curriculum: Faithful Families, Health Coalitions, resources for early care and education settings
Inputs: Volunteers, grant funds, faith-based organizations, community partners, key stakeholders, SNAP-Ed Toolkit
Date: Academic school year, summer programs, ongoing annual programs
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Food Preparation for Better Health
Content or Curriculum: Cook Together Eat Together, Mastering Food Choices, Dining with Diabetes, Super Star Chef, Champion Food Volunteer, Faithful Families, Body Balance, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Resources, plans for prenatal- and infant/toddler-specific curriculum, resources for early care and education settings
Inputs: Programmatic materials, paid staff, community partners, faith-based organizations, health coalitions
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year
Project or Activity: Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Home-Based Micro-Processing Training, Champion Food Volunteers, Put It Up (GA Extension)
Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP
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: Monthly
Author: Kayla Walton
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
The Covid-19 Pandemic presented many challenges for our county programs. One challenge was to move our programming to a virtual format in order to safely provide information to community members. Another challenge from the Covid-19 Pandemic has been increased food insecurity and increased demand for self-sufficiency skills such as home food preservation. One successful program that met both of these needs was our Family and Consumer Sciences Food Preservation demonstration videos.Demonstration v
Author: Kayla Walton
Major Program: Cook Together, Eat Together
The Menifee County Family and Consumer Sciences agent, in collaboration with the Snap-ed assistant, hosted a virtual “Cook Together, Eat Together” program. Six families registered and participated in three virtual cooking socials. Families who registered were provided with meal kits that they picked up from the extension office before the virtual meeting. Meal kits included all ingredients needed to prepare the recipes in approximate portion sizes, along with a copy of the recipe. Wi
