Extension
It Starts With Us
Healthy Lifestyles
Healthy Lifestyle/Wellness
Alexander, Hardy, Heisdorffer, Potts, and Clingenpeel
Super Star Chef
Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud
Nutrition and Food Systems General
Active Living and Health Promotions General
Due to the increasing trend of chronic disease and obesity in Kentucky, individuals, families, and communities need tools and environments that support healthy and active lifestyle choices. The Daviess County Extension Council met with the Extension Agents to identify programs to reach the needs of Daviess County.
According to Kentuckyhealthfacts.org (2019), 27% of adults 18 years and older in Daviess County were classified as obese and 67% as overweight, which is equivalent to the state percentage. In addition, 29% of individuals in Daviess County reported lack of physical activity and 39% have hypertension. Increased consumption of unhealthy food, stress, and lack of physical activity are largely responsible for the obesity epidemic among adults and youth.
Maintain or improve health, physical activity
Reduce impact of substance abuse
Access to healthy foods
Eat 1 or more fruit and vegetable a day
Plant a garden
Plan a meal, prepare with healthy alternatives
Be physically active for 30 minutes, 3 days/week
Calculate the cost of negative behaviors
Make 1 or more behavior changes to reduce risk of chronic illnesses
Apply stress management practice
Match foods to MyPlate groups
Name 3 ways to be physically active with no money
Recognize consequences of negative behaviors
Discuss long term risks for health
Describe 2 or more ways to reduce stress
List 3 cool-season vegetable crops to plant in the garden
Initial Outcome: able to complete activities during programs and answer post evaluation questions. Increase in knowledge, continuing to attend programs, using healthy recipes.
Indicator: Able to answer questions and complete activities
Method: Oral feedback, paper surveys and activities
Timeline: July 2023 - 2024
Intermediate Outcome: Increase in consumption of fruits and vegetables, put into practice cooking and food safety skills, increased physical activity. Number of individuals reporting increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, utilizing healthier recipes for meals and meal planning, and the number of people increasing daily or weekly physical activity. Increased number of people with own garden, purchasing produce at farmers market, begin trying to discuss mental health.
Indicator: Use of skills in follow up classes/programs, answer post evaluations
Method: follow-up surveys and evaluations, follow-up programs
Timeline: July 2023 - 2024
Long-term Outcome: Improved Health, and healthy choices. Participants report better health, consume more healthy recipes/foods, complete Steps challenges, open discussions among family about health, continue using resources like diabetes support groups, healthy cooking classes and steps challenges, continue gardening and help others.
Indicator: Improved overall health
Method: Observations, inquiry
Timeline: July 2023 - 2024
Audience: Adults
Project or Activity: Steps Challenge and Cooking Classes
Content or Curriculum: Dining with Diabetes, Plate it Up KY Proud, FitBlue App
Inputs: FCS Agent, SNAP Assistant, 4-H Agents
Date: 2023-2024
Audience: Adults with Diabetes
Project or Activity: Diabetes Support Group
Content or Curriculum: Dining with Diabetes, Hospital/Healthpark Diabetes Educator Resources
Inputs: FCS Agent, Diabetes Educator, Healthy Horizons Health Coalition, Diabetes Coalition
Date: 2023-2024
Audience: Youth ages 9-15
Project or Activity: Super Star Chef
Content or Curriculum: Super Star Chef Curriculum, SNAP handouts
Inputs: FCS Agents, 4-H Agents, SNAP Assistant
Date: Summer 2023
Audience: Preschool and Kindergarten Age Youth; Youth ages 9-18
Project or Activity: Introduction of various healthy food and snack choices
Content or Curriculum: LEAP (Literacy, Eating, Activity for Primary Youth Health); Healthy Choices monthly bulletin; MyPlate; Better Bites/Snack Strong Program; 4-H Choose Health; 4-H Teen Cuisine
Inputs: FCS Agent, SNAP Assistant, 4-H Agents, Program Assistant, Extension Volunteers
Date: 2023-2024
Audience: Owensboro Regional Recovery Residents
Project or Activity: Raised Bed Gardening
Content or Curriculum: Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky publication
Inputs: Extension Agent
Date: Summer-Fall 2023, Spring-Summer 2024
Audience: General Public
Project or Activity: Home Vegetable Gardening Topics
Content or Curriculum: Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky publication
Inputs: Extension Agent, Extension Master Gardeners, Seed Library at the Daviess County Public Library
Date: Summer 2023 and February-May 2024
Audience: Farm Families
Project or Activity: Farm Wellness Dinner Theater, mental health education
Content or Curriculum: UKHealthcare dinner theater curriculum
Inputs: Dr. Deborah Reed, Extension Specialists
Date: 2023-2024
Author: Katherine Alexander
Major Program: Food Preparation and Preservation
Home food preservation has become quite popular and with the internet, TikTok, Youtube etc... the correct and research-based methods may not be in the hands of those who need it. The Daviess County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent offered a food preservation workshop for five participants. One hundred percent of participants identified research-based methods of home food preservation as a result of this program.One hundred percent of the participants differentiated between high and l
Author: Stacey Potts
Major Program: Health
Unintentional injury, while declining, remains the leading cause of death among children ages 19 and under. (Source: Safekids.org) To raise awareness and demonstrate techniques children can use to prevent unintentional injury, the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service applied for and received a grant from the Progressive Agriculture Foundation to host a Progressive Agriculture Youth Safety Day. The grant provided access to training, along with educational and planning ma
Author: Katherine Alexander
Major Program: Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association
Pickleball has been the fastest growing sport in America over the last two years, according to many sources such as Pickleball Player; Pickleball, USA; and the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. It has grown in popularity because most ages, body types, and skill levels can play. It is an easy, affordable, accessible, fun, social, and friendly game that combines features of badminton, ping-pong, and tennis. It is played with a large paddle and plastic ball on an indoor or outdoor court simi
Author: Katherine Alexander
Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General
Research shows that people who prepare and cook meals at home are more likely to eat the recommended fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains needed in a balanced diet. Building cooking skills and knowledge increases the likelihood that people choose to prepare homecooked meals. To encourage more home-prepared meals, the Daviess County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent collaborated with the Green River Area Health Department Health Education Director/Registered Dieti
Author: Annette Heisdorffer
Major Program: Substance Use and Mental Health - ANR
The substance-use epidemic touches all areas of the commonwealth, and treatment programs are using creative, research-based approaches to assist those impacted. Extension Agent for Horticulture Education in Daviess County, Annette Heisdorffer, and Daviess County Nutrition Education Program Assistant, Catherine Dowdy, collaborated with Owensboro Regional Recovery from May to October 2023 to teach both gardening skills and nutrition education. The gardening, meal planning, and cooking skill
Author: Katherine Alexander
Major Program: Active Living and Health Promotions General
The Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service hosted their first Open House in many years in May of 2024. The idea behind the Open House was to showcase the different areas of programming Extension has to offer in Daviess County. Members from the County Extension Council and District Board provided input during the planning process. Flyers of the event were sent to all who receive a newsletter from the Daviess County Cooperative Extension Service, local community groups, city/county officials
Author: Stacey Potts
Major Program: Health
Daviess County 4-H and the Daviess County SNAP Assistant partnered to offer 4-H Healthy Living for YOUth, a six-week series focusing on 4-H Yoga, nutrition, and cooking skills. The series was offered during the school day and targeted the home-school audience. Sixteen youth ranging in age from 5 to 13 registered and completed the program which used the Yoga for Kids curriculum from the University of Arkansas.The benefits of yoga are many. In addition to the physical fitness as
