Family & Consumer Sciences Education - Improve Physical and Mental Health
Family & Consumer Sciences Education
Thompson, Imbus, Harney
Substance Use Prevention and Recovery General
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Cook Together, Eat Together
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 increased 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. 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.
The recent statewide needs assessment identified substance use prevention and recovery as the most urgent priority for Cooperative Extension. Moreover, substance use was the focal point of the CES Advisory Council Meeting in early 2019. Taken together, youth KIP survey data and data from the CES needs assessment demonstrate the need to address substance use prevention, recovery, stigma, and impact on families and communities.
Routinely employ healthy dietary practices that promote health and wellness (e.g. consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables and improve food management skills)
Reduce the rate of chronic disease and obesity
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
The prevention and/or reduction of substance use and its related consequences.
Changed public perception of substance use via stigma reduction.
Generate positive attitudes toward changing dietary decisions to be more healthful
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
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
Decrease tobacco/ substance use
Reduced stigma from local community members
Increase awareness about relationships between food and nutrition practices and chronic disease
Improve food and nutrition-related skills (e.g. gardening, preparation and preservation techniques, safe food handling, food resource management)
Increase confidence in ability to employ healthy eating practices
Increase motivation to access and prepare healthier foods
Increase awareness about lifestyle choices and chronic disease (e.g. tobacco use, poor nutrition, and 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 (or related subject matter)
Outcome: Nutrition knowledge, skills, and competencies
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: use knowledge and skills to improve food-shopping management; utilize the food label to make healthy food choices; choosing smaller portions; increased food preservation knowledge; demonstrated recommended food preservation practices
Method: Self-report surveys; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
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: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Outcome: Dietary intake
Indicator: Number of individuals who reported: eating 4-6 servings of fruits and/or vegetables daily
Method: Self-report surveys about fruit and vegetable intake or other dietary improvements; specific curricula or program evaluations
Timeline: 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, number of pints of foods preserved through freezing and/or drying.
Method: Self-report survey
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Discover Extension T.V. Shows
Content or Curriculum: U.K. FCS and Horticulture Publications, Health Bulletins, Cook Together, Eat Together, Mastering Food Choices, Dining with Diabetes, Faithful Families, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud resources, NEP resources-Plant, Eat, Move
Inputs: FCS and Horticulture Agents, Campbell County Media Central T.V. Public Access, Campbell County Extension Educational Gardens and Agent Demonstration Kitchen
Date: Ongoing; every other month filming throughout the year
Audience: Preschoolers
Project or Activity: Leap
Content or Activity: Leap curriculum
Inputs: Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and daycares/preschools
Date: Monthly during the school year
Audience: Preschoolers
Project or Activity: Stories, Songs and Stretches
Content or Activity: Stories, Songs and Stretches curriculum
Inputs: Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and daycares/preschools
Date: Monthly during the school year
Audience: Aging Adults
Project or Activity: Matter of Balance
Content or Activity: Matter of Balance Curriculum
Inputs: Matter of Balance curriculum, FCS Agent
Date: Taught weekly for 8 weeks
Audience: Northern Kentucky Area Homemaker Learn with Us Lessons
Project or Activity: Barn: Farm Dinner Theater
Content or Activity: BARN
Inputs: Northern KY Area FCS Agents and Homemaker Leaders/Volunteers, Homemakers and community, state specialists, community agencies UK FCS Curriculum and Publications
Date: August 31, 2023
Audience: Campbell Ridge Elementary Students
Project or Activity: Yoga for Kids
Content or Activity: Yoga for Kids 4-H curriculum
Inputs: FCS Agent, FCS Assistant, Family Resource Coordinator
Date: Fall 2023 (meet once a week for 6 weeks)
Audience: Campbell Ridge Elementary Students
Project or Activity: Mindfulness
Content or Activity: Youth Strong Helping Youth and Families in Times of Disaster and Stress
Inputs: FCS Agent, FCS Assistant, Family Resource Coordinator
Date: (meets monthly for 4 months)
Audience: Homemakers and Adults
Project or Activity: Cultural Arts & Mindfulness
Content or Activity: Cultural Arts, UKY publications
Inputs: Family and Consumer Sciences Assistant
Date: 4-6 times throughout the year
Author: Kate Thompson
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health - FCS
Farmers and farmworkers consistently report high levels of stress associated with commodity production and rural living. The culmination of rural living, farm work, and stress is associated with elevated rates of suicide in farming occupations. The BARN: Farm Dinner Theater was developed as a strategy to address and explore the difficult topics of mental health and suicide within a rural community.UK Cooperative Extension agents from Northern Kentucky Counties recruited youth and adult participa
Author: Kate Thompson
Major Program: Aging-General
One in four Americans ages 65 years and older fall each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). In 2014, there were 8,164 fall-related inpatient hospitalizations for Kentucky residents ages 65+ (Kentucky Safety and Prevention Alignment Network, 2014). According to the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center in Campbell County for seniors (age 65 +), the estimated emergency department visits to hospitals for unintentional falls from 2008-2012 was 30-40%.  
Author: Kate Thompson
Major Program: LEAP
Kentucky has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity. Children are not eating enough fruits and vegetables (National Library of Medicine, 2023). The risk factors of poor nutrition and physical inactivity associated with cardiovascular disease begin early in life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004). Therefore, educational programs which address the importance of healthy nutrition and increased physical activity are needed. The Campbell County Extension Ser