According to 2020 data from the State of Obesity website, the most recent obesity rate for children ages 10-17 in Kentucky is 23.8%. This places Kentucky at first highest in the nation for childhood obesity rates in this age group. In addition, the Marshall County Extension Council identified childhood obesity as a grassroots issue facing the community. Recent research has indicated that teaching cooking skills to children encourages healthier food choices, which can lower obesity rates. In an effort to address this problem, the Marshall County Family Consumer Sciences agent conducted the Super Star Chef Cooking Camp, a three-day camp for students ages nine through twelve years that is designed to teach kitchen safety, food safety, nutrition concepts, and physical activity. In addition, the students practiced food preparation skills with supervision.

Overall, pre- and post-test comparisons of total participant scores show that the camp experience enhanced understanding of the concepts taught by the program. In addition, 100% of the participating students agreed or strongly agreed that they could identify healthy foods and 94% stated they plan to be more physically active.  Also, participants’ cooking self-efficacy increased from pre-test to post-test. Several parents commented on how much their kids enjoyed coming to the camp and reported their children had prepared some of the recipes at home for their families. One parent said, “Our daughter couldn't wait to prepare veggie egg scramble for dinner." Another said her twins enjoy planning family meals and making a shopping list for food items to make the Super Star Chef recipes. She also stated they plan to visit the farmer’s market for local produce.