Grayson County, KY ranks high among adult diseases. It has been reported that there is a 35% prevalence of hypertension among the residents of our county, whereas, Kentucky has a whole is ranked at 39%. There is an 18% prevalence of diabetes in our county, while the entire state reports only a 13% ranking. Also, 34% of adults report they have less than good health (https://kentuckyhealthfacts.org/data/location/show.aspx?loc=43).  All three of these issues can be related to poor nutrition.

Recently the Nutrition Education Program from the University of Kentucky partnered with the Goodwill Rise program to teach nutrition classes to their clients. “Participants of the Goodwill Rise program take part in a two-week session – now offered virtually – to learn valuable life and job skills, including financial literacy, digital literacy, communication skills, health and nutrition and behavioral health. (goodwillky.org).”

Through the months of April, May and June, the Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Senior Assistant from Grayson County taught nutrition classes using the “Healthy Choices for Every Body” curriculum. The NEP Assistant focused on teaching Food Safety, Meal Planning, Budgeting, Knowing your Limits and Exercise. There were four different cohorts taught with each cohort lasting for 2 weeks. Pre and post-tests were given electronically to gather information regarding eating and exercise habits. There were forty-one participants enrolled and out of those, thirty-nine graduated from the program. The post tests show that there was a 51% improvement in clients who eat more fruit each day; a 46% increase in clients who plan their meals now; and a 50% improvement in the clients who exercise at least 30 minutes per day.

As you can clearly see, even though these classes were all taught virtually, the behavior changes were still impressive, and indicates the effectiveness of our curriculum. And because of the success of this partnership, the Nutrition Education Program will continue the affiliation with the Goodwill Rise program to enhance their client’s health.