Extension
It Starts With Us
Active Living & Health Promotions
Improve Physical & Mental Health
Heather Graham, Jessica Morris
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Substance Use Prevention and Recovery General
Nutrition and Food Systems General
With the increased trend of chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky, individuals, families, and communities need tools and environments that support healthy and active lifestyle choices. In Wolfe County, 40% of adults are obese, 50% have hypertension, and 7.7% have diabetes (Kentucky Extension Community Assessment 2019). The goal is to reach diverse audiences to help combat chronic disease and obesity in Wolfe County. This will be accomplished by focusing on a foundation of overall direct health education to increase health literacy and ability to make healthy lifestyle choices. Including, creating spaces or opportunities for active living and health behaviors.
- Routinely meeting physical activity and dietary recommendations that promote health and wellness (e.g. 150 minutes a week of moderate activity and consuming recommended daily fruits and vegetables)
- Community environment promotes healthy behaviors where people live, learn, work, and play
- Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity
- Prevent and reduce substance use and its related consequences
- Generate positive attitudes toward changing lifestyle choices to be more healthy
- Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient-dense foods
- Improve self-efficacy in physical activity, movement, and active routes to destinations
- Delayed age of first use of substances among Kentucky youth
- Increase awareness about lifestyle choices and chronic disease (e.g. tobacco use, poor nutrition, & lack of physical activity)
- Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy practices
- Improve food and nutrition-related skills (e.g. preparation techniques, safe food handling)
- Increase motivation to be active
- Increase awareness of accessible safe places for activity
- Increased knowledge of substance use prevention, addiction, and recovery
Outcome: Nutrition knowledge and dietary intake
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: eating 4-6 servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily, utilize the food label to make healthy food choices; choosing smaller portions
Method: Self-report surveys
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
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 surveys
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Chronic disease prevention
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: one or more health indicator (cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, blood glucose) improved
Method: Self-report survey
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Availability / Access to healthy lifestyle choices
Indicator: Number of communities, health coalitions, or organizations who reported: implemented policy, system, and/or environmental changes to promote healthy eating and active living
Method: Self-report survey
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Substance use prevention
Indicator: Number of students undergoing Botvin Life Skills
Method: Retroactive pre-post
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Audience: Youth
Project or Activity: Chronic Disease Prevention
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Health Bulletins, Cook Together Eat Together, Community Park development, Recovery Week, Zombie 5K, and Youth on the Move
Inputs: Efforts from Agents, support staff, Wolfe County Schools, volunteers, Extension Specialists, ASAP, Wolfe Countians Against Drugs, and various community agencies
Date: Cook Together Eat Together – Spring 2022, Community Park Development – Summer 2021 through Summer 2022, Recovery Week –2021 & 2022, Zombie 5K – October 2021 & 2022, Youth on the Move – Summer 2022
Project or Activity: Physical Activity
Content or Curriculum: Recovery Week, Zombie 5K, Youth on the Move, Longest Day of Play, and Community Park Development
Inputs: Efforts from Agents, public library, Early Childhood Development, Wolfe County Schools, ASAP, Wolfe Countians Against Drugs, and various community agencies
Date: Recovery Week – 2021 & 2022, Zombie 5K – October 2021 & 2022, Youth on the Move – Summer 2022, Longest Day of Play Challenge – June 2022, Community Park Development – 2021-2022
Project or Activity: Substance Use Prevention
Content or Curriculum: Recovery Week, Zombie 5K, and Youth on the Move. Meetings/programs with Specialty Court participants
Inputs: Efforts from Agents, Extension Specialists, Wolfe County Schools, volunteers, ASAP, Wolfe Countians Against Drugs, and various community agencies
Date: , Recovery Week 2021 & 2022, Zombie 5K – October 2021 & 2022, Youth on the Move – Summer 2022, monthly meetings with Specialty Court participants starting January 2022
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Chronic Disease Prevention
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Health Bulletins, Cook Together Eat Together, Dining with Diabetes, Fit Blue, Faithful Families, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Recipes, Keys to Embracing Aging, Community Park development, Recovery Week, Zombie 5K, Wolfe County Movement Challenge, Youth on the Move, and Diabetes Prevention Program
Inputs: Efforts from Agents, support staff, Wolfe County Schools, volunteers, Extension Specialists, and various community agencies
Date: Community Park Development – Summer 2021 through Summer 2022, Recovery Week – 2021 & 2022, Zombie 5K – October 2021 & 2022, Wolfe County Movement Challenge – Monthly, Youth on the Move – Summer 2022
Project or Activity: Physical Activity
Content or Curriculum: Publications, Faithful Families, Fit Blue, Keys to Embracing Aging, Wolfe County Movement Challenge, Recovery Week, Zombie 5K, and Longest Day of Play
Inputs: Efforts from Agents, support staff, Extension Specialists, publications, ASAP, Wolfe Countians Against Drugs, and various community agencies
Date: Wolfe County Movement Challenge – Monthly, Recovery Week – 2021 & 2022, Zombie 5K – October 2021 & 2022, Longest Day of Play challenge – June 2022
Audience: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association
Project or Activity: Leader Lessons
Content or Curriculum: Sharing Meals Together, Meal Kits, Holiday Roadshow, Grocery Lists and Coupon Apps, The Buzz About Honey, Plate it Up KY Proud, Pin Weaving, and Organization
Inputs: FCS Extension Specialists, KEHA, FCS Area Agents
Date: September 2021 through May 2022
Reviewed: June 30, 2022 HKG & JLM
Author: Jessica Morris
Major Program: Build Engaged and Empowered Communities – General
On March 29, the Wolfe County Extension Office partnered with the Wolfe County Health Department to host a community health fair. The focus of this health fair was to identify those who are pre-diabetic and diabetic. I partnered specifically with our new position at the health department, Claudia Burnett, who is the Diabetes educator for the community. She wants to create a diabetes support group for those individuals in Wolfe County. By creating this group, we want to encourage a safe space whe
