Green County CES

Title:

Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices

MAP:

Family and Consumer Sciences

Agents Involved:

Katelyn Squires

MAJOR PROGRAM 1:

Food Preparation and Preservation

MAJOR PROGRAM 2:

Nutrition and Food Systems General

MAJOR PROGRAM 3:

Active Living and Health Promotions General

MAJOR PROGRAM 4:

Family Development General

Situation:

A foundations 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.

Long-Term Outcomes:

• Routinely employ healthy dietary practices that promote health and wellness (e.g. consume recommended daily fruits and vegetables and improve food management skills). 
• Green County will increase in the practice and promotion of physical activity and healthy eating.
• Green County will see an improvement in the built environment to promote physical activity and healthy eating. 
• Green County will see an improvement in the mental health and well-being of Kentuckians. 

Intermediate Outcomes:

• 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.  

Initial Outcomes:

• 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.

Evaluation:

Initial 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 programs. 

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

Method: Self-report survey

Timeline- Pre-post implementing program

Intermediate Outcome: Preparing and preserving food

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 survey; specific curricula or program evaluations. 

Timeline: Pre-post implementing programs 

Learning Opportunities:

Audience: Children and Youth 

Project or Activity: Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Choices 

Content or Curriculum: Cooking programs, Teen Cuisine, Laugh and Learn, LEAP, Super Star Chef, Recipes for Life, The Clover Way to Wellness

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

Date: Monthly/ periodically throughout the year 

Audience: General Public

Project or Activity: Physical Activity

Content or Curriculum: Publications, Faithful Families, Story Walk, Master Health Volunteer, Shared Space Agreements, Health Coalitions, Be More, Fit Blue, WIN, Health Partner, Bingocize, Keys to Embracing Aging, Couch Potato Challenge.

Inputs: Volunteers, facilities, health coalitions, Healthcare Providers, Health Department, Non-profits, Schools. Homemakers, Community Centers. 

Date: Periodically each year

Audience: General Public

Project or Activity: Food Preservation 

Content or Curriculum: Publications, Trainings, Home-Based Micro-Processing Training, Champion Food Volunteers

Inputs: Paid Staff, volunteers, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP.

Date: May-September for adults and youth

Audience: General Public

Project or Activity: Availability and access to nutritious foods 

Content or Curriculum: Cook Together Eat Together, Mastering Food Choices, Dining with Diabetes, Champion Food Volunteer, Nutrition classes, Cooking programs, Farmers Market Tool Kit 

Inputs: Programmatic materials, community partners, health coalitions, Food Pantry, Health Department, Farmers Market, Grocery stores

Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year

Audience: Kentucky Extension Homemakers Association Volunteers

Project or Activity: Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Content or Curriculum: Master Health Volunteers, Health Bulletins, Monthly Leader Lessons

Inputs: Volunteers, paid staff, community partners

Date: Monthly 

Success Stories

Homemakers Partner with Local Library

Author: Katelyn Squires

Major Program: Kentucky Extension Homemaker Association

Little Libraries and Bookmobiles are a way to increase access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds to different parts of the community. Little Libraries are growing throughout the state of Kentucky; Green County alone has nine little libraries set up at different restaurants and businesses in the community. Green County Library also utilizes the bookmobile which is a mobile library that visits various locations and organizations in Green County such as Little Lambs Preschool and many

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Teen Cooking Camp

Author: Katelyn Squires

Major Program: Nutrition and Food Systems General

The National Survey of Children’s Health reported that in 2022-2023, 17.0% of youth ages 6 to 17 had obesity. According to this same data, Kentucky is ranked the 13th state with the highest obesity rate at 18.7%. Green County FCS conducted a one-day Teen Cooking Camp that focused on introducing middle school and high school age students to the world of health, nutrition, and learning their way around the kitchen in a hands-on environment. This class was presented to give teens the opportun

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