Nutrition and Food SystemsPlan of Work

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Pike County CES

Title:
Nutrition and Food Systems
MAP:
Improve Physical and Mental Health
Agents Involved:
Schuler, Porter, Stumbo, Workman
MAJOR PROGRAM 1:
Active Living and Health Promotions General
MAJOR PROGRAM 2:
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
MAJOR PROGRAM 3:
Nutrition and Food Systems General
MAJOR PROGRAM 4:
Health
Situation:

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 increasing trend of chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky, individuals, families, and communities need tools and environments that support healthful dietary decisions. CES agents are encouraged to reach diverse audiences to help combat chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky communities.

Nutrition Education Programs help families gain access to food and stretch food dollars, communities to decrease hunger, and local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy and safe food preparation methods. Under the guidance of the Pike County program councils, the agents, paraprofessionals and volunteers are pivotal in influencing policies, systems, and environments and in training consumers and producers to maximize local access to food products from farm to table. Many Pike County communities are located in designated "food deserts" and are therefore in need of critical food preparation skills, buying knowledge & preservation techniques. The Pike County Extension Council listed consumption of healthy foods, awareness of diabetes and an expanded Farmers' Market to Address these needs.

Long-Term Outcomes:

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

•    Decrease intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium

•    Employ healthful cooking methods, feeding practices, and food preservation techniques

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

• Pike Countians will improve food-management skills and healthy eating habits

• Youth will be food secure when school is not in session

• People accessing emergency food sources will select from nutrient-dense items

• Youth will maintain positive health habits.

• Youth will be at lower risk of serious disease and illness.

• Youth will lower the risk for physical and emotional distress.

• Youth are competent, capable, contributing adults because of their participation in 4-H Health Programs.

Intermediate Outcomes:

•  Participants will plant, harvest, and preserve produce

•  Participants will apply improved food preparation skills, food-management skills, food safety and healthy eating habits.

•  Youth will access other appropriate food sources when not in school

•  Households will access emergency food sources when needed

•  Youth will practice healthy eating choices.

•  Youth will adopt healthy behaviors that will lead to a healthy lifestyle that includes healthy lifestyle choices, not engaging risky behavior and handling stress.

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

•   Decrease intake of solid fats, added sugars, and sodium

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


Initial Outcomes:

• Understand the importance of sustainable local agriculture to individual health and financial well-being

• Learn to grow, prepare, and preserve food

• Learn to incorporate unfamiliar foods or foods not currently eaten into a healthy diet

• Increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, food safety and food resource management

• Learn about community support services to increase food security

• Youth will identify healthy lifestyle choices.

• Youth will understand risky behaviors and consequences.

• Youth will gain knowledge and develop skills through the SNAP Education meetings.

• Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease.

• Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices 

• Increase motivation to access and prepare healthier foods

Evaluation:

Initial Outcome: Participants will report improved skills in the safe handling, storage, and preparation of food.

Indicator: Number of people reporting safer handling, storage and preparation of food.

Method: Survey, informal observation & information gathering

Timeline: August 2023

 

Initial Outcome: Youth will participate in food projects and nutrition education programs.

Indicator: Number of youth exhibiting food & nutrition projects.

Method: Survey, informal observation & information gathering

Timeline: March 2023

 

Intermediate Outcome: Individuals/families reporting utilizing delivery system/access points that offer healthy foods (CSA or Farmers Market)

Indicator: Number of individuals & families who report using delivery system/access point for healthy foods.

Method: Survey

Timeline: November 2023

 

Intermediate Outcome: Youth will demonstrate their Family and Consumer Science Skills.

Indicator: Number of youth who reported that they showed another person how to do what they learned themselves.

Method: 4-H Projects, Camps, Workshops and Camps.

Timeline: November 2023

 

Long-Term Outcome: Emergency food sources will include healthy, nutrient-dense choices.

Indicator: The number of emergency food shelters & pantries offering emergency food will increase their healthy offerings.

Method: Survey, Coalitions

Timeline: June 2023

 

Outcome: Preparing and preserving food 

Indicator:  Number of individuals who reported: preparing more home-cooked meals; modifying ingredients and/or preparation techniques to improve nutrition

Method: Self-report survey; specific curricula or program evaluations

Timeline:  June 2024, Pre-post implementing curricula or program

 

Outcome:  Availability and access to healthy food 

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 or preserved (e.g., community or backyard gardens, fishing, hunting, farmers markets); dollar value of vendor-reported sales or EBT, WIC, or Senior benefits redeemed at farmers’ markets; the number of pints of foods preserved through water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or drying. 

Method: Self-report survey

Timeline: June 2024, Pre-post implementing curricula or program


Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Nutrition Volunteers

    Project or Activity: Training

    Content or Curriculum: Champion Food Volunteers

    Inputs: Extension resources

    Date: Fall 2024

 

Audience: 4-H Youth 9-19

    Project or Activity: Food and Nutrition and Snap-Education Programs

    Content or Curriculum: Food Preparation & Nutrition, Nutrition Education Curriculum, Health Rocks, Jump Into Food & Fitness, Leap, SPARK Curriculum

    Inputs: Workshops, Newsletters, Club Meetings, Workshops and Camps

    Date: October through March, yearly

Audience: Communities

Project or Activity:  Farmers Market Outreach

Content or Curriculum: Cooking programs, marketing, increased access (e.g. location, hours, EBT), Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud resources, Farmers Market Toolkit, Super Star Chef, baking classes, SNAP-Ed lessons

Inputs: Nutrition Education Program (NEP), paid staff, grant funds, facilities, Kentucky Department of Agriculture

Date: April – October/Growing seasons, yearly

 

Project or Activity:  Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approaches

Content or Curriculum: Faithful Families, Health Coalitions, resources for early care and education settings

Inputs: Volunteers, grant funds, faith-based organizations, community partners, key stakeholders, SNAP-Ed Toolkit & resources

Date: Sept through Nov 2023

 

Project or Activity: 4-H SNAP Education Workshops

Content or Curriculum: U.S.D.A. Website, Health Rocks 

Inputs: Workshops, Skits, and Demonstration

Timeline: October-May, yearly

 

Project or Activity: 4-H Cooking 

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Project Books, Health Rocks, SNAP Education Resources

Inputs: Workshops, Demonstrations and Fairs

Timeline: January-May, yearly

 

Audience: Families and Individuals

Project or Activity:  Food Preparation for Better Health

Content or Curriculum: Cook Together/ Eat Together, Mastering Food Choices, Dining with Diabetes, Super Star Chef, Faithful Families, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Resources

Inputs: Programmatic materials, paid staff, community partners, faith-based organizations, health coalitions

Date: Summer 2023

 

Project or Activity:  Food Preservation

Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Homebased Micro-Processing Training.

Inputs: Paid staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP

Date: July – September, yearly, for adults and youth

 

Audience: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association/Volunteers

Project or Activity:  Promoting Nutrition with Volunteers

Content or Curriculum: Mastering Food Choices, International Cuisine publications, Food preservation workshops, Monthly Leader Lessons

Inputs: Volunteers, paid staff, community partners

Date: Monthly, August through May each year



Success Stories

Planning Holiday Meals on a Thrifty Budget

Author: Chelsea Workman

Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General

Grocery costs have increased in recent years. According to USDA Economic Research Outlook (2023), in 2022, food-at-home prices increased by 11.4%, which is more than three times the 2021 rate. Additionally, food prices are expected to continue to rise throughout 2023 and increase by another 8%. These historically high average prices make meal budgeting, especially holiday meals which tend to cost more, extremely important. To address this issue the Pike County Extension agent for Family and Cons

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