Extension
It Starts With Us
Accessing Nutritious Foods
Improve Physical and Mental Heath
Proctor, Hance, Utz
Nutrition and Food Systems General
Food Preparation and Preservation
Family Development General
Horticulture, Consumer and Home
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.
Trimble County has an obesity rate of 33.9%, 11.8% with diabetes and 34.8% of the population are inactive. Local schools are delivering free or reduced lunches at a high rate. Elementary schools assist 63% of the students and there is a 55% rate countywide. This is an economic issue, but shows the importance of children getting healthy meals. On any given day, less than 15 percent of school children eat the recommended servings of fruit; less than 20 percent eat the recommended servings of vegetables. Kentucky adults rank among the 10 highest for poor consumption of fruits and vegetables. The dietary guidelines provide advice for making food choices that promote good health, a healthy weight, and ways to reduce risk of disease. Nutritional programs help families gain access to food and stretch food dollars; and local food assistance programs to educate recipients on healthy and safe food preparation methods.
- 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
- Improve food preparation skills, food management skills, food safety and healthy nutritional habits
- 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
- Youh make better food choices
- Apply skill of food resource management, food safety, and food preparation to afford healthy, nutritious food choices
- 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 in addition to unfamiliar foods not currently eaten.
- Increase knowledge and understanding of healthy eating, food safety and food resource management.
- Youth and adults are inspired to choose nutritious foods.
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 water bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or drying.
Method: Self-report survey
Timeline: Pre-post implementing curricula or program
Audience: Families and Individuals
Project or Activity: Health Rocks
Content or Curriculum: Health Rocks
Inputs: Hance, Agents, Volunteers and State Specialist
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year 2023-24
Audience: Trimble County Residents
Project or Activity: Trimble County Farmers Market
Content or Curriculum: Kentucky Proud Farmers Market rules and regulations
Inputs: Utz, USDA Guidelines, Trimble County Farmers' Market Committee Members, Local vendors
Date: May 4-October 26, 2023
Project or Activity: Gardening and Home Horticulture
Content or Curriculum: UK publications and resources
Inputs: Utz, UK publications, NEP resources
Date: Sept 2023 - Feb, March 2024
Project or Activity: Food Preparation for Better Health
Content or Curriculum: School Health Fairs, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Resources, resources for early care and education settings (LEAP), USDA MyPlate guidelines
Inputs: Proctor, Programmatic materials, community partners and volunteers, CES publications. Family Resource and Youth Services center, health coalitions, Trimble County School System, Trimble County Headstart, USDA materials
Date: Ongoing projects throughout the year 2024-2025
Project or Activity: Basic Food Preservation
Content or Curriculum: UK food preservation resources, Ball Blue Book, University of Georgia So Easy to Preserve
Inputs: Proctor, facilities, programmatic materials, NEP resources, FCS resources
Date: May - June 2025
Audience: Communities – Limited resource individuals
Project or Activity: Commodity Day, DARE to Care food distribution
Content or Curriculum: Nutrition information distribution, Cooking programs, Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud resources
Inputs: Proctor, Nutrition Education Program (NEP), facilities, Kentucky Department of Agriculture, Tri-County Community Action Agency
Date: Monthly 2024-25
