Extension
It Starts With Us
Healthy Lifestyle and Life Skill Education
Healthy Living and Life Skill Development
Hettmansperger, Comley, FCS
Food Preparation and Preservation
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Financial Education - General
Nutrition and Food Systems General
All of the issues facing today's individuals and families require they have basic life skills to make the best, most informed decisions which will effect their future, the future of their families, and the future of their community.
The County Health Rankings and Road-maps program ranks Garrard County 51st of 120 counties. This ranking helps to understand overall health of Garrard County residents. According to 2013 County Health Rankings of adults, 12.1% have diabetes, 33.4% are obese, 36.1% are inactive, and 46% report having high blood pressure. Garrard County also has a high rate of deaths by all types of cancers. As the data suggests, increasing opportunities for physical activity, promotion of healthier lifestyle choices, selecting healthy food choices and preparing healthy foods are important to the adult and youth of Garrard County.
Garrard County Extension Council (CEC), other program councils and a local survey of community issues and needs supports the need for healthy lifestyle choices programming. The CEC and the survey also recognized the needs in areas such as financial planning, addressing drug abuse issues among teens and adults, and teaching basic life skills in areas such as, cooking, sewing, financial education, food preservation, needle arts and home environment.
Participants will reduce their risk for weight related or preventable diseases through healthier lifestyle choices resulting in decreased medical and mental health costs. Families will increase physical stamina, increase participation in physical activities and change the local culture to accept and promote active lifestyles among residents in Garrard County. There will be a reduction in 30 day use of substances among youth. Reduced rate of chronic disease and obesity through intake of nutritious foods, use of healthy cooking methods and home food preservation. Persons will become more proficient in basic life skills such as, increasing their emergency savings funds and be more financially secure, perform basic food preparation skills in preparing healthy meals, and be able to make healthy lifestyle decisions. increasing knowledge about healthy lifestyle choices will also influence mental health awareness and family and individual stress reduction.
Participants will decrease use of salt, fat and sugar in diet. Participants will increase consumption of fruits and vegetables. Data will indicate a decrease in number of youth involved in substance abuse practices. Persons will engage in more daily physical activity, create more physical activity opportunities in Garrard County, and participate in healthy lifestyle choices as it relates to mental health and stress reducing activities.
Increase knowledge of basic food preparation skills, food preservation skills, and safe food handling procedures. Increased fruit and vegetable consumption. Youth and adults will increase their knowledge of the legal, emotional, health and financial consequences of substance abuse. Gain knowledge about the relationship between disease and weight. Gain knowledge, attitudes, skills,and aspirations to increase physical activity. Gain knowledge about financial security and methods for financial planning.
Initial Outcome: Increase knowledge of basic food preparation skills
Indicator: persons reporting food preparation at home using healthy choices
Method: survey of participants
Timeline: year-long as programs are conducted
Intermediate Outcome: More persons will choose to prepare healthy meals at home.
Indicator: people attending programs report more cooking at home
Method: surveys, personal interviews
Timeline: year long
Long-term Outcome: Decrease in chronic diseases related to lack of physical activity and poor food choices.
Indicator: decrease in number of reported cases of diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity as these relate to increased chronic disease. Mortality rates as related to chronic diseases.
Method: Health rankings surveys, health screening results, Extension program evaluations and personal interviews
Timeline: year long
Audience: adults
Project or Activity: financial education integrated into other Extension programs
Content or Curriculum: Managing in tough times "Bits and Tips"
Inputs: FCS agent
Date: year round
Audience: adults
Project or Activity: eight session program/small groups
Content or Curriculum: Matter of Balance
Inputs: FCS Agent
Date: Fall 21, winter 22
Audience: adults
Project or Activity: Extension Food/Cooking programs
Content or Curriculum: Recipes/SNAP-Ed Calendar/USDA recipes/Plate It Up recipes and curriculum
Inputs: FCS Agent
Date: Year long
Audience: adults & youth
Project or Activity: Nutrition Education Program (NEP)
Content or Curriculum: NEP curriculum
Inputs: FCS Agent & NEP Program assistant
Date: year round
Audience: adults/youth
Project or Activity: life skills programming
Content or Curriculum: FCS curriculums/Sewing/quilting/needlearts
Inputs: FCS Agent
Date: year round
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: hiking, canoeing, kayaking to establish baseline appreciation for the outdoors and healthy alternatives to a more commonplace sedentary lifestyle
Content or Curriculum: Hiking Trails, Exploring Your Environment, Natural Resources Core Curriculum (Project WET, Project Learning Tree, Project WILD)
Inputs: Local Resource Funding, Grant Funding, 4-H Agent, volunteers
Date: spring, summer, fall
Audience: adult
Project or Activity: hiking at local parks and nature preserves to start a healthy initiative in our adult population
Content or Curriculum: Hiking Trails, First Aid in Action, Choosing Health
Inputs: 4-H Agent, Volunteers, Preserves and Parks, grant funding, transportation
Date: spring, summer, and fall
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Teaching youth to prepare food properly and look at the ingredients of each food item to determine health and taste. Also, prepare items for entry in county and state fair
Content or Curriculum: 4-H Cooking 101, What's on Your Plate?
Inputs: 4-H Agent, NEP Assistant, FCS Agent, kitchen supplies, local funding
Date: fall, winter, spring
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Teaching youth the different parts of the plants we use to eat raw or in prepared dishes
Content or Curriculum: Project Learning Tree, Learn, Grow, Eat, Go Curriculum
Inputs: 4-H Agent, FCS Agent, NEP Assistant, fruits and vegetables, local funding
Date: fall, winter, spring
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Teaching youth the value of movement and exercise in variable situations
Content or Curriculum: First Aid in Action
Inputs: 4-H Agent, Local Funding,
Date: fall, spring, summer
Author: Kayla Lunsford
Major Program: Cook Wild Kentucky
Food insecurity is a terrible reality that many Americans face. Sadly, Kentucky has even higher rates than the national average. According to Feeding America, 1 in 8 Kentuckians face hunger. One way to address this issue is to utilize natural resources our state is already abundant with. That is where Cook Wild Kentucky comes into play. At the Garrard County Extension Office, a collaborative program was planned and implemented by the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, the Agriculture and
Author: Kayla Lunsford
Major Program: Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association
Garrard County is a relatively small and rural area, so sometimes getting the word out about Extension programming can be difficult. The COVID-19 pandemic put a particularly challenging strain on existing programming. The once thriving homemaker program, for instance, faced difficulties with maintaining meeting times, especially for vulnerable audiences such as senior citizens. As of September 2022, Garrard County had 30 homemaker members. One long-running group had somewhat dissipat
Author: Jay Hettmansperger
Major Program: Cook Wild Kentucky
Food insecurity is a terrible reality that many Americans face. Sadly, Kentucky has even higher rates than the national average. According to Feeding America, 1 in 8 Kentuckians face hunger. One way to address this issue is to utilize natural resources our state is already abundant with. That is where Cook Wild Kentucky comes into play. At the Garrard County Extension Office, a collaborative program was planned and implemented by the Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, the Agriculture and
Author: Kayla Lunsford
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health - FCS
Increasing Knowledge on Mental Health Topics in a Fun WayMental Health is a topic which is increasingly becoming more talked about, and for good reason. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more Americans than ever are reporting problems with their mental health. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “In February 2021, 43.6% of adults in Kentucky reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. 22.8% were unable to get needed counseling or therapy.” To help address this need, the
Author: Kayla Lunsford
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
According to the CDC and data collected from the 2015 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, only 9% of adults consumed the recommended amount of vegetables, and only 12% consumed the recommended amount of fruit. Because of barriers such as high cost, lack of availability and access, and perceived lack of ability to prepare and cook, many are going without the essential nutrients they need. In order to promote healthy habits and increase knowledge of affordable, nutritious recipes, Lun
