Success StoryYouth Explore MyPlate with Professor Popcorn



Youth Explore MyPlate with Professor Popcorn

Author: Kimberly Ragland

Planning Unit: Boyle County CES

Major Program: Health

Plan of Work: Disease Prevention and Management

Outcome: Initial Outcome

In the 2015-16 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the national obesity rate for children ages 2-19 was 18.5%.  In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control reported Kentucky youth in grades 9-12 had a 20% rate of obesity with an additional 16% of youth categorized as overweight.  Kentucky is notoriously inactive, ranking 50th in the CDC’s 2017 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System with 34.4% of adults reporting no physical activity or exercise other than their regular jobs in the previous 30 days.  In 2017, the CDC found that 51% and 49% of Kentucky adolescents (ages 9-12) reported eating fruits and vegetables respectively less than one time each day.  Given all that, it’s little surprise that 23.8% of Kentucky’s 10-17 year olds are obese, ranking as the nation’s heaviest state (2019-20 National Survey of Children’s Health). The Boyle County Extension Council has identified helping youth (middle school age and younger) to make good food and physical activity lifestyle choices as a primary focus of the Boyle County 4-H program.  “Exploring My Plate with Professor Popcorn” series is offered annually to all local schools grades K-3.  This year’s offerings are limited by the pandemic to Zoom and NearPod, but schools are offered a five-meeting series with each meeting to last approximately one hour.  Each daily program includes a pre-test, review of My Plate, in depth look at a food group, a physical activity and a post test.  The 4-H Agent and Program Assistants developed the class materials and foods based on the Professor Popcorn curriculum and adapted them for on-line delivery.  Nineteen classrooms (grades 2nd and 3rd) in the Boyle County and Danville Independent school systems have requested the series so far, reaching 460 students.  Highlights of the evaluations of classrooms include:

20% point increase in the number of 3rd graders reporting eating vegetables every day.

11% point increase in the number of 3rd graders reporting eating fruits every day.

19% point increase in the number of 3rd graders reporting physical activity every day.

27% point increase in the number of 2nd graders who could correctly identify physical vs. resting activities.

68% point increase in the number of 2nd graders who could correctly identify grain foods.

25% point increase in the number of 2nd graders who could correctly identify high protein foods.

 






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