Extension
It Starts With Us
Improving Dietary Habits
Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Kathy Byrnes, Joan Bowling, Linda Brown-Price
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Food Preparation and Preservation
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. According to the 2013 Kentucky Health Issues Poll, only 31% of Northern Kentucky adults reported eating the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables per day. 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. The goal of the Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices Initiative is to reverse these trends by working with various organizations, agencies, and groups to promote health and wellness in all Kentuckians.
• 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
• 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
• 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, and older age
• 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.
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
• Reduction of chronic disease
Outcome: Learn about and practice healthy food choices
Indicator: Food diaries, participant responses
Method: Mail out follow-up evaluations, in-class discussion
Timeline: All year
Outcome: Discover and maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of life
Indicator: Self reporting
Method: Class evaluations
Timeline: All year
Outcome: Strengthen community coalitions or partnerships to address obesity and chronic disease rates
Indicator: Increased partner directed activities that address these issues
Method: Agent meeting activity sheets
Timeline: All year
Outcome: Increased knowledge of chronic disease risks in program participants
Indicator: Responses from program participants
Method: Post program surveys
Timeline: All year
Audience: Kenton County families
Project or Activity: Plate It Up, Kentucky Proud!
Content or Curriculum: Plate It Up!
Inputs: KEHA lesson, FCS Agent developed lessons
Date: Fall and Spring
Audience: Northern Kentucky Diabetes committee
Project or Activity: Diabetes reduction activities; diabetes support group
Content or Curriculum: American Diabetes Association, Taking Ownership of your Diabetes
Inputs: Health Department Educators, FCS Agent
Date: All year
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Food, nutrition, and safety news articles
Content or Curriculum: UK exclusives, nutrition publications
Inputs: FCS Agent developed
Date: Weekly articles--rotate topicsAudience: Elsmere Senior Center
Project or Activity: Improve nutritional habits
Content or Curriculum: UK FCS nutrition lesson
Inputs: UK SNAP curriculum
Date: Monthly 2019-2020
Audience: Lunch & Learn Simon Kenton
Project or Activity: Improve Eating Habits
Content or Curriculum: UK nutrition lesson
Inputs: UK SNAP curriculum
Date: Monthly 2019-20 School YearAudience: General Public
Project of Activity: It’s Fish Time!
Content of Curriculum: UK Extension Fact sheets
Inputs: Local fish market owner/chef
Date: Fall 2019Audience: Adults needing cooking skill
Project of Activity: Using your Electric Pressure Cooker
Content of Curriculum: UK Extension Fact sheets
Inputs: Agent designed
Date: Fall 2019Audience: Adults needing cooking skill
Project of Activity: Baking Basics – Celebrate Whole Grains Month
Content of Curriculum: UK Extension Fact sheets
Inputs: Wheat Council, Home Baking Association
Date: Fall 2019Audience: Homemakers and General Public
Project of Activity: Area Homemaker Training – Food Safety Mystery Dinner Event
Content of Curriculum: USDA and UK Fact sheets
Inputs: UK Extension, Northern KY and 3 Rivers Health Departments
Date: September 2019
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
According to a Center for Disease Control (CDC) November 2017 report, only 1 in 10 adults get enough fruits or vegetables. “This report highlights that very few Americans eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day, putting them at risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease,” said Seung Hee Lee Kwan, Ph.D., of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, lead author of the study. “As a result, we’re missing out on the
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
According to Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter, increasing the preparation of meals cooked at home can help reduce an individual’s sodium intake. Many of the new kitchen appliances on the market can aid in ease of meal preparation and also provide a nutritional boost. Web MD shares that by most measures, air frying is healthier than frying in oil, as it can cut calories by up to 80% and contain less fat. Penn State Cooperative Extension shares that meals made at home in a slow c
Author: Brandon George
Major Program: Local Food Systems
According to 2019 research from FeedingAmerica.org, 11.4% of Kenton County’s population is food insecure or approximately 18,960 people and 59% of the county population is SNAP eligible. (FeedingAmerica.org) “A survey according to Bonnie Plants suggested that 20 million Americans planted a vegetable garden for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic and that younger generations are gardening, with nearly two in five Americans under 35-years-old growing food.” (Vinu.edu) Wit
Author: Brandon George
Major Program: Local Food Systems
Over the course of three days, May 5th, 7th, and 9th, 32 people attend the Mighty Microgreens and Super Sprouts classes to discover the methods and benefits of growing these nutritionally dense foods at home. Attendees were given the opportunity to sample fresh microgreens and sprouts that were grown at our Kenton County extension office and received seeds to take home to try growing.Key survey data from the attendees indicated that only 10% had grown sprouts/microgreens at home before. 61% said
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Herbs and spices have been used for centuries in culinary applications. There is evidence that spices and herbs contain some antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, with research ongoing about other possible health benefits. Strong evidence shows that using herbs and spices instead of salt can reduce one of the major risk factors for hypertension and heart disease (consuming excess sodium). With this in mind, along with clientele requests, the Kenton and Boone County Extension office
Author: Kathy Byrnes
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
The population of the United States is diverse, and this racial and ethnic mix is growing rapidly. In Northern Kentucky as well, the population continues to increase and with that increase more individuals from diverse backgrounds are calling the region home. According to the 2020 census, almost one in two Americans has African, Asian, Hispanic, or American Indian ancestry. Because certain foods mean different things in different cultures, it is important to understand how food is used for simil
