Knott County CES

Title:

Thriving Individuals, Strong Families

MAP:

Family Wellness

Agents Involved:

Linda Combs, Dora Centers, Chad Conway

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Faithful Families

Situation:

The recent county needs assessment identified the top county needs as: jobs, responsive emergency service, chronic diseases, access to medical care, affordable health insurance, better infrastructure, and drug abuse.

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. Knott County ranks 117 out of 120 KY counties for poor health.  Obesity and chronic diseases in Knott county were highlighted as a need in the 2019 county needs assessment. 

       33% of Knott county children live in a single parent home

Long-Term Outcomes:

·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

• The prevention and/or reduction of substance use and its related consequences.

Changed public perception of substance use via stigma reduction

Intermediate Outcomes:

1)Reduced stigma of people who abuse drugs from local community members

2)Increased Opioid Stewardship (less prescriptions by doctors, appropriate Rx disposal, drug takebacks, etc.)

3)Delayed age of first use among Kentucky youth

4)Increase number of learning activities experienced at home

5)Increase child and parent social-emotional skills such as heightened self-awareness, responsible decision making, and self-management.

6)Increase caregiver advocacy for children in their care including legal, medical, social, and educational services

7)Increase access of community services to caregivers 

8)Generate positive attitudes toward changing dietary decisions to be more healthful.

9)Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods

10)Decrease intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium

11)Employ healthful cooking methods, feeding practices, and food preservation techniques

12)Increased access to healthy food via local farmers markets, food retailers, and/or home gardens

Initial Outcomes:

·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

• Kentuckians understand the importance of developmentally appropriate play to their child’s academic success
• Increase child’s ability to express appropriate emotion
• Improve child’s gross motor skills
• Improve child’s early literacy skills including phonological awareness, print awareness, and vocabulary
• Increase awareness of indicators of high-risk adolescent behaviors 
• Identify key points of adolescent development
• Establish realistic expectations for teen behavior, and explore changing relationships within families 
• Increased knowledge of substance use prevention, addiction, and recovery (or related subject matter)
• Increased ability to use destigmatized language
• Improved social skills and/or self-efficacy in KY youth

Evaluation:

Outcome:  Kentuckians learn fun age appropriate activities to aid in their child’s healthy development.

Indicator:  Number of parents who expressed learning new activities to engage their children at home.

Method:  Laugh and Learn Play Dates Survey

Timeline:  January – December

Outcome: Increase skills and resources of caregivers to provide effective care for young relatives

Indicator: Several – (i.e. How many caregivers improve skills/knowledge in child development, discipline and guidance, legal issues, and advocacy)

Method: Parenting a Second Time Around (PASTA) Evaluation 

Timeline:  Post program evaluation 

Outcome:  Increased knowledge of substance use  
Indicator:  Number of individuals attending programs        
Method:  Retroactive pre-post
Timeline: Following every addiction 101 training 

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

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

Learning Opportunities:

Project or Activity: Food Preparation and nutrition  for Better Health

Audience: Families and Individuals

Content or Curriculum: UK Cooperative Extension materials

Inputs:  county staff, FCS agents, NEP assistants, volunteers

Dates: on-going

Project or Activity: Addiction training and Prevention (Truth & Consequences, Addiction)

Audience: Adults and Youth

Content or Curriculum: UK Cooperative Extension materials

Inputs: county staff, FCS agent, drug court

Date: on-going

Project or Activity:  various

Audience: preschool children and their families

Content or Curriculum: UK Cooperative Extension materials

Inputs: county staff, FCS agent

Date: on-going

Project or Activity: families

Audience: caregivers

Content or Curriculum: UK Cooperative Extension materials

Date: on-going