According to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Kentucky has one of the highest prevalence for pediatric obesity in the nation.  Approximately 37% of Kentucky children ages 10-17 years are considered overweight or obese according to BMI-for-age standards. Half of Kentucky’s children in poor families are overweight or obese. According to the 2008 Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, 32.3% children ages 2-5 years in Kentucky are overweight or obese. 

 To address this issue of childhood obesity, the Logan County Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H Youth Development Agents as well as the Logan County SNAP program assistant partnered together with the county preschool and kindergarten programs to provide the Literacy, Eating and Activity for Primary (LEAP) program at every elementary school in Logan County.  The agents and assistant were able to go into the classrooms at each school and read a story and provide a healthy snack related to the storybook to each child.   

The LEAP program was delivered to a total of 302 youth in Logan County.   According to surveys, all students enjoyed the storybooks and most students sampled the accompanying snacks.   Several of the students indicated that they were tasting foods for the first time.  All students also learned the importance of taking a "hello bite" and by the end of the program indicated understanding of what that was.  Teachers indicated much appreciation for coming and sharing the books and accompanying snacks with the students.