The Healthy Choices for Everybody is a curriculum developed by University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Nutrition Education Program to teach limited resource adults about healthy eating and physical activity. Nutrition education is positively associated with substance abuse treatment program outcomes. (¹Nutrition and Food Service, James H Quillen VA Medical Center, Mountain Home, TN, USA. louise.grant2@med.va.gov)

The Todd County NEP Assistant taught Healthy Choices for Everybody to three substance abuse recovery programs during the KYNEP 2022 program year. Participants learned how to plan nutritious meals on a limited budget, improve food preparation skills, safe food handling practices and to include physical activity daily. They took home copies of each lesson and budget friendly recipes. Upon completion of the program, the NEP Assistant gave them a Certificate of Achievement and kitchen tools to use at home. 

Using the Web-Based Nutrition Education Evaluation and reporting System (WebNEERS) each participant completed a pre and post survey. Results for the 2022 year, show participants that completed the program improved:

Diet Quality by 87%

Food Resource Management by 89.5%

Physical Activity by 98%

Food Safety Practices by 81.25%

Examples of positive feedback from participants to the Todd County NEP Assistant include: 

“I am excited to prepare these recipes for my family members,” “I am looking forward to using my new meat thermometer” and “I will show my case worker my Certificate, then she will know, I have knowledge to prepare healthy meals for my children.”