Extension
It Starts With Us
Wellness & Healthy Communities-NEW
Health and Wellness
Adkins, Wilson, Spurgeon, Lovett,
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Health
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Substance Use and Mental Health - ANR
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. CES Agents are encouraged to reach diverse audience to help combat chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky communities. 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.
Healthy living is one of three 4-H mission mandates and encompasses: physical activity, personal safety, mental health, addiction prevention, and diversity and inclusion. In Kentucky 37% of youth 10-17 are overweight or obese, and 51% report not exercising regularly. 25% of youth report some form of emotional or behavioral condition and suicide rates are at record high (KY suicides per 100,000 people: 15.3, 10th highest in nation). Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health disease can affect anyone, with 1,160 reported opioid-involved deaths (a rate of 27.9 deaths per 100,000 persons) in Kentucky and Vaping nearly doubled among middle and high school students — with 27% of high school seniors reporting they had tried the product in 2018.
Home gardeners face a myriad of products and internet information that can confuse even a knowledgeable person. It's easy to find an answer on the many pages of the web, especially those websites promoting a product.
Those planting for their enjoyment at home have a number of choices in what to grow in their landscapes. Getting plants established and caring for them correctly is the next hurdle.
With the right information from Extension, home gardeners can be better stewards of their little patch of earth. Many gardeners feel overwhelmed with pesticide and fertilizer choices, plant choices, and most are not well-versed in soil fertility and which pesticides are the safest and are the most efficacious
- Routinely meeting physical activity and dietary recommendations that promote health and wellness. Community environment promotes healthy behaviors where people live, learn, work and play.
- Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity.
- Fewer chronic diseases
- Reduced fatalities
- Increased number of youth maintaining positive health habits;
- Increased number of youth at a lower risk for serious disease and illness;
- Increased number of youth at a lower risk for physical and emotional distress.
- Reduce the number of youth reporting drug, alcohol, and tobacco use
- Home gardeners will be successful in their home gardening projects, add value to their homes, and be good stewards of natural resources.
- Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle
- Improved access and utilization of resources
- Improved perceived stress and ability to cope
- Youth will contribute to their communities
- Youth will practice refusal skills,
- Youth will intervene to prevent use/abuse
- All agents trained in YMHFA
- Home gardeners will feel empowered to complete horticulture projects on their own and be examples to their neighbors of using sound horticultural practices. Participants will respond to pest problems and landscape problems in a judicious way.
- Increase awareness about lifestyle choices and chronic disease, such as tobacco use, poor nutrition, and lack of physical activity
- Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy practices. Improve food and nutrition related skills with as preparation techniques and safe food handling. Increase motivation to be active and increase awareness of accessible safe place for activity.
- Improved in awareness of health concerns for youth
- Improved education about SUD and MH disease
- Improved education about diversity and Inclusion
- Reduced stigma of individuals with SUD and MH disease
- Improved understanding of the consequences of risk behaviors
- Promote optimal physical, social and emotional health habits
- Participants in Extension home horticulture classes will come away with improved knowledge on horticultural topics covered by the different classes.
Initial Outcome: Nutrition knowledge and dietary intake.
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported eating 4 to 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 and post implementing curricula or program
Intermediate 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 physical activity levels.
Method: Self report survey
Timeline: Ongoing
Long-term Outcome: Chronic Disease Prevention
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported; participants who had one or more health indicators, such as cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, blood glucose improved.
Timeline: On going
4-H
Initial Outcome: Promote optimal physical, social and emotional health habits
Indicator: More youth participate in activities that improve physical, social and emotional habits
Method: Common Measures
- Number of youth who indicated they learned about healthy food choices through 4-H
- Method of Evaluation
- Number of youth who were educated on health and well-being through 4-H programs? (KOSA)
- Number of youth who indicated they made healthy lifestyle choices as are result of what they learned through 4-H programming? (PRACTICE)
- Number of youth who indicated they increased their daily number of servings of fruits and vegetables eaten as a result of 4-H programs? (PRACTICE) Number of youth who indicated “yes or usually” to the Common Measures Experience Survey Question #6 “Is 4-H A place where you get to figure out things for yourself?” (SEEC)
- Number of youth who indicated “yes or usually” to the Common Measures Experience Survey Question #13 “Is 4-H a place where you have a chance to be a leader?” (SEEC)
Timeline: School Year, September - May
Intermediate Outcome: Improved perceived stress and ability to cope
Indicator: Youth will use coping skills to destress and will improve mental health
Method: Common Measures (Same as above).
Timeline: On-Going, Sept. - May
Long-Term: Decrease in chronic diseases in youth, decrease risk in youth for physical and emotional abuse
Indicator: Youth will have an overall higher quality of and more positive outlook on their life.
Method: Common Measures Survey (Same as above), Observation
Audience: Pulaski Community
Project or Activity: Policy, Systems and Environmental Approaches
Content or Curriculum: Health Coalitions, Diabetes Coalition
Inputs: Volunteers, community partners, key state holders, elected officials, Health Coalitions, SNAP Ed Toolkit
Date: On going
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Chronic Disease Prevention
Content or Curriculum: Publications, health bulletins, Fit Blue, Dining with Diabetes, Plate It Up, Kentucky Proud Resources, Keys to Embracing Aging
Inputs: Programmatic materials, community partners, health coalitions, Health Department SNAP, Schools, Homemakers
Date: On Going
Audience: KEHA
Content or Curriculum: Monthly Lessons
Inputs: FCS Agents, community partners
Date: On going
Audience: Youth- Cloverbuds
Project Activity: Mental Health
Content or Curriculum: Mindful Me
Inputs: 4-H volunteers, teen volunteers, agent
Date: Club meetings Sept-May
Audience: Youth in schools
Project Activity: fruit tasting- try a new fruit/vegetable each month
Content or Curriculum: Plan, Eat, Move
Inputs: Agents, teachers, SNAP-Ed assistant
Date: school year
Audience: Middle & High School Youth
Project Activity: Addiction Prevention
Content Curriculum: Health Rocks!
Inputs: 4-H Agent, trainings, specialists, volunteers
Date: Sept-May
Audience: Home gardeners
Project or Activity: various classes on home gardening topics
Content or Curriculum: powerpoints, Extension publications
Inputs: Specialists, other Hort agents, Extension publications
Date: throughout year
Audience: Home gardeners
Project or Activity: Horticulture newsletter
Content or Curriculum: unique articles, Extension publications
Inputs: Specialists, other Hort agents, Extension publications
Date: throughout year
Audience: all citizens of Pulaski Co
Project or Activity: Newspaper articles
Content or Curriculum: timely updates on home landscape issues, Extension publications, KY Pest News
Inputs: Extension publications, Specialists social media posts or emails, KY Pest News
Date: throughout year
Audience: all citizens
Project or Activity: social media updates
Content or Curriculum: timely information, interesting information as related to horticulture, environment, or sustainability
Inputs: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Hootsuite app
Date: throughout year
Author: Edith Lovett
Major Program: Active Living and Health Promotions General
Grow your Garden, Grow your Mind October 2023 Success StoryAccording to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health in 2021, 23.05% of people in Kentucky reported as having a mental illness of some kind in the past year (defined as having a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder, other than a developmental or substance use disorder). Four in 10 adults in the US were report
Author: Bethany Wilson
Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home
Tree Week is the brainchild of UK’s Urban Forest Initiative and has been in Lexington and a few other satellite locations for 5 years. Not only is the week about planting trees and overall learning more about trees, but it’s also an impetus to get people outside in nature. Pulaski County has participated since 2021. The Pulaski County Horticulture Agent organized a committee in April 2023 to plan and organize events for Tree Week 2023 (October 8-16). Master Gardeners,
Author: Abigail Roy
Major Program: Family and Consumer Science
From school visits I learned that a lot of young people in our county are interested in learning more cooking skills. To add more opportunities for youth to work on cooking skills, Pulaski County 4-H kickstarted a new program “Passport Kitchen” where students were able to cook dishes from countries around the world in their own homes. Passport Kitchen is a wonderful avenue to allow youth to practice cooking skills in a culturally immersive way. Each participant was given a kit that I
Author: Edith Lovett
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health - FCS
Today we are finding out that Gardening is not only great for producing healthy vegetables, but it is also a valuable tool for our mental and physical state of mind. Vegetable gardening not only helps to provide us with fresh vegetables, but it also allows us to be outdoors, increases our self-esteem, relieves stress in our body, helps us to feel better and provides us a tool for using our motor skills through exercising, bending up and down. Our clients that were enrolled in
Author: Bethany Wilson
Major Program: Horticulture, Consumer and Home
This home gardening series is in its second year, created by the Pulaski Co Horticulture Agent and one Extension Master Gardener. During summer 2023, the program had over 30 different participants over the 5 monthly programs. During 2024, xx people participated in 7 monthly programs.This Pulaski County Extension Horticulture program brought together gardening enthusiasts of all skill levels, empowering them with knowledge and skills to cultivate thriving gardens in limited spaces. Through
