The Bullitt County rate for obesity is above both the state and national levels. These rates are influenced by life-long lifestyle behaviors and choices such as quality of diet and amount of physical activity. According to the Community Assessment Report (2019), members of the Bullitt County community rated different aspects that they wanted to see an increase in. Based on this data, community members wanted to see better use of food safety practices and better skills for selecting and preparing healthier food for youth.

The Bullitt County Extension Service focused on these two aspects of the data by hosting a Healthy Chef Day Camp for youth aged 8-11 in the community. Thirteen youth participated in this day camp where the outcomes focused on the youth learning how to properly wash their hands, understanding the food groups and MyPlate, how to be safe and cut properly with a kitchen knife, how to read and understand a food label, how to read and follow a recipe, and how much exercise they should be getting every day. This day camp allowed these youth to master these skills and have five hours of direct and hands-on learning while making three different recipes.

The immediate outcomes and learning of this day camp were showcased in an exit data collection strategy. Youth learned steps in preparing a recipe correctly rated themselves out of a four-point scale. The average rating for preparing a recipe correctly was a 3.9 out of 4. Youth learned the correct techniques for measuring ingredients, self-rated at an average of 3.8 out of 4. Youth recognized the recommended handwashing steps and accurately answered how germs spread 76.9% of the time. Youth improved food and nutrition-related skills and accurately answered how to correctly hold and cut with a knife 84.6% of the time. Youth have increased their confidence to employ healthy practices as shown by 100% accuracy on a question about the amount of exercise needed daily and 100% on reading a food label correctly.