Success StoryGood Nutrition is Our Mission



Good Nutrition is Our Mission

Author: Ruth Kirk

Planning Unit: Lawrence County CES

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Outcome: Initial Outcome

According the KY State Nutrition, Physical and Obesity Profile from the Center for Disease Control (2012), KY youth and adolescents, ages 2-19, are obese at a rate of 17 percent. The Lawrence County Expanded Food Nutrition Education Program Assistant (EFNEP) implemented the Literacy, Eating, and Activity for Primary (LEAP) program with kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades. The programs were implemented at Blaine, Fallsburg, and Louisa Elementary Schools. The EFNEP Assistant enrolled and graduated 206 students.

The LEAP program consisted of a pre-assessment, to learn of existing knowledge, followed by a total of six lessons using health and nutrition-based storybooks to reinforce healthy behaviors. In each lesson the students would listen to the story, participate in an activity, and then be rewarded with a healthy snack pertaining to the story that was read. After each lesson, parents received a newsletter with tips for family health and fun nutritious recipes. Following a post-assessment, behavioral improvements were as follows: 88% of participants improved in their responses to handwashing, 81% improved in their responses by identifying dairy foods, 67% improved in their responses to identifying healthy snacks, 45% improved in their responses of physical activities, and 56% improved in their responses by identifying fruits and vegetables.






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