Mason County CES

Title:

Health and Wellness

MAP:

Health and Wellness

Agents Involved:

Abby Gray, Trever Cole

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Active Living and Health Promotions General

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Nutrition and Food Systems General

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Health

MAJOR PROGRAM 4:

Family and Consumer Science

Situation:

The community needs assessment from both Mason County and Kentucky as well as the Mason CEC recognized health and wellness as a top priority. They have asked for focus or improvement on better skills for selecting and preparing healthier food, availability of substance use prevention programs, mental health programs, and fewer chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, etc.

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.

Long-Term Outcomes:

• The prevention and/or reduction of substance use and its related consequences.
• Changed public perception of substance use via stigma reduction.
• 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
• Reduced fatalities
• Reduced number of children in foster care
• Reduced incarceration
• Increased number of youth maintaining positive mental health habits

Intermediate Outcomes:

• Reduced stigma from local community members
• Increased Opioid Stewardship (less rx’ing by doctors, appropriate Rx disposal, drug takebacks, etc.)
• Delayed age of first use among Kentucky youth
• 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
• Increased adoption and mastery of healthy behaviors that lead to a healthy lifestyle 
• New coalitions developed to address substance use disorders and mental health
• 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

Initial Outcomes:

• Increased knowledge of substance use prevention, addiction, and recovery (or related subject matter)
• Increased ability to use destigmatized language
• 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
• Improved social skills and/or self-efficacy in KY youth
• Improved in awareness of health concerns for youth
• Improved education about substance use disorders and mental health diseases
• Improved education about diversity and Inclusion
• Reduced stigma of individuals with substance use disorders and mental health diseases
• Improved understanding of the consequences of risk behaviors
• Promote optimal physical, social and emotional health habits

Evaluation:

Outcome:  Increased knowledge of substance use

Indicator(s):  Number of individuals attending programs

Method:  Retroactive pre-post

Timeline:  Following every addiction 101 training

Outcome: Preparing and preserving food

Indicator(s): 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: Chronic Disease Prevention

Indicator(s): Number of individuals who reported: participants who had 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

Initial Outcome: Increased number of youth maintaining positive mental health habits 

Indicator(s): Number of youth who indicated they help others reach their goals (Common Measures – UN 11)

Method: Pre & Post Evaluations

Timeline:  Pre-post implementing curricula or program

Intermediate Outcome: Youth will contribute to their communities 

Indicator(s): Number of youth who indicated they talked about ways to be active in 4-H (Common Measures – BA 5)

Method:  Pre & Post Evaluations

Timeline:  Pre-post implementing curricula or program

Long- Term Outcome: Increased number of youth maintaining positive mental health habits 

Indicator(s): Number of youth who report making healthy lifestyle choices

Method:  Pre & Post Evaluations

Timeline:  Pre-post implementing curricula or program

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Families Impacted by Addiction

Project or Activity: Addiction Training

Content or Curriculum: Addiction 101

Inputs: FCS Agent, UK specialist

Dates: 2024

Audience: 8^th Grade Students

Project or Activity: Truth and Consequences

Content or Curriculum: Truth and Consequences: The Choice Is Yours

Inputs: FCS Agent, community partners, MCMS, St. Pat, Extension Homemakers

Date: October 2023

Audience: Families

Project or Activity: Cooking Through the Calendar 

Content or Curriculum: KYNEP Calendar

Inputs: FCS Agent

Date: Monthly in 2023-2024

Audience: Children under 5

Project or Activity: Stories, Songs, and Stretches 

Content or Curriculum: Stories, Songs, and Stretches

Inputs: FCS Agent, Head Start, preschool teachers

Date: Monthly during school year

Audience: Families and Individuals

Project or Activity: Food Preservation

Content or Curriculum: Publications, UK research-based information, Ball Blue Book, So Easy to Preserve

Inputs: FCS Agent, UK specialist

Dates: Annually between May and August

Audience: 2^nd graders

Project or Activity: Food Explorers 

Content or Curriculum: Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud recipes

Inputs: FCS Agent, 2^nd grade teachers

Date: Monthly during school year

Audience: Youth

Project or Activity: Mental Health Series

Content or Curriculum: 4-H GEM

Inputs: 4-H Agent, teachers, parents

Date: Fall

Audience: Youth

Project or Activity: 4-H Health Workshop

Content or Curriculum: 4-H Health Rocks

Inputs: 4-H Agent, teachers, schools

Date: Fall

Success Stories