According to recent data from the State of Obesity website, the current obesity rate for youth in Kentucky ages 10-17 is 23.8%, giving Kentucky a ranking of one among the fifty states and D.C. 

There are many factors that contribute to childhood obesity, including reduced physical activity and accessing or understanding appropriate nutrition choices. Recent research has indicated that teaching cooking skills to children encourages healthier food choices, which can lower obesity rates. In an effort to address these concerns, the Letcher County Family & Consumer Sciences Agent presented the Super Star Chef Camp, a three-day camp for students ages 9-12 years old.  This program teaches kitchen safety, food safety, nutrition concepts, and physical activity. In addition, the students practiced food preparation skills with adult supervision.

The program was completed in July 2022 and had fifteen participants. Overall pre-post comparisons of participant responses to the assessment instrument showed that the program improved participant understanding of the nutrition concepts covered in the program. After participating in the Super Star Chef program, 100% of the participants could identify healthy foods, plan to drink more water, plan to drink less soda, plan to eat more fruits and vegetables, and to try new foods.  94% of the participants plan to be more physically active. 

Many parents commented on how much their child/children enjoyed coming the day camp and reported that they came home and helped them prepare dinner for the family.  We had several youth ask that we make this day camp longer than three days.