Extension
It Starts With Us
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 four 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: Summer/Fall 2021
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 2021 to May 2022
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: July-September 2021
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 2021
Audience: Hands on Food Preservation
Activity: Workshop covering canning, freezing, drying
Content or Curriculum: UK publications, USDA publications
Inputs: FCS Agents
Date: July 2021
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 2022
Audience: Senior Center participants
Activity: Nutrition Education Lessons
Content or Curriculum: UK publications
Inputs: FCS Agents
Date: July 2021 through June 2022
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: Available on Kenton YouTube channel all year
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 2021
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: Maximize the Flavor
Content or Curriculum: UK FCS fact sheets
Inputs: FCS Agent designed series on herbs, spices, salts, peppercorns
Date: Monthly, fall 2021
Project or Activity: Farmers’ Markets CES information booth
Content or Curriculum: Plate It Up, FCS preparation and safety information, Victory Garden informationInputs: UK NEP and FCS specialists, Agent designed, SNAP incentives
Date: July-October 2021, May-June 2022Project 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 2021
Project or Activity: Readyfests and Health Fairs
Content or Curriculum: SNAP, MyPlate, Plate It Up
Inputs: Agent designed, SNAP incentives
Date: August 2021
Project or Activity: Life Learning Center - Nutrition Education for Recovering Adults
Content or Curriculum: SNAP curriculum, MyPlate
Inputs: FCS Agent and center staff designed
Date: Monthly beginning July 2021
Project or Activity: Independence Food Bank
Content or Curriculum: SNAP and Plate It Up
Inputs: UK Curriculum
Date: Monthly
Project or Activity: Bingocize - St. Aloysius, BAWAC
Content or Curriculum: WKU curriculum, UK training
Inputs: State and local FCS staff
Date: Summer/fall 2021
Project or Activity: Baking/cooking YouTube videos
Content or Curriculum: UK fact sheets
Inputs: local Kenton FCS staff designed and produced
Date: Summer 2021
Project or Activity –One Pan Meals (continuing series)
Content – UK home equipment publications, UK meal publications
Inputs – FCS agent designed
Date – Sept/Oct/Nov 2021
Project or Activity – Area Homemaker Learning Seminar – Brain Matters
Content – UK Health Curriculum
Inputs – Agent, area homemaker designed
Date – Fall 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: 2021/2022
Audience: Kenton County 4-H Youth
Project or Activity: Healthy Living and cooking Tichenor Middle SchoolContent: 4-H Health
Inputs: Agent designed
Date: 2021/2022
Audience: Kenton County 4-H Youth
Project or Activity: Adulting 101 Cooking Bartlett Alternative School
Content: 4-H Health
Inputs: Agent designed
Date: 2021/2022
Audience: 4-H Youth
Project or Activity: Expressive Art
Content or Curriculum: National 4-H Art Curriculum
Inputs: Agents & assistants
Date: July 2021-June 2022
Author: Linda Brown-Price
Major Program: Family Development General
The Kenton County Annual Farm Tour seeks to connect the urban and rural residents with learning where their food comes from. It is important for farmers to work on educating the public about who they are, what they do, and why it matters. 98 percent of the population is removed from modern agriculture, so connecting to consumers is important. This educational activity provides the public an opportunity to see what happens on the farm, ask questions, and develop trust in farmers and the food prod
Author: Joan Bowling
Major Program: Super Star Chef
In Kentucky, 23.8% of youth ages 10 to 17 have obesity, giving Kentucky a ranking of 1 among the 50 states and D.C. according to The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (n.d.). Obesity Rate Among High School Students. https://stateofchildhoodobesity.org/high-school-obesity. Overweight (body mass index >85th percentile for sex and age) and obese (body mass index >95th percentile for sex and age) in youth have emerged as a major health concern. One of the best ways to combat childhood obesi
Author: Joan Bowling
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) may help ease economic and time constraints of cooking, helping low-income households prepare healthier meals. Increased frequency of home-cooked meals among SNAP participants is strongly associated with improved dietary outcomes among adults and may be beneficial simply by replacing fast food intake. In an effort to encourage older adults living on fixed incomes to cook more at home, the Kenton County Extension agent offered
