The overall obesity rate for Clinton County, Kentucky is 35% of the adult population according to the Lake Cumberland Health Department Community Assessment of 2020.  One way to help combat that problem is to educate the youth of the county on how to make healthier choices in their everyday lives.   The Clinton County Nutrition Education Program Assistant and the Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent collaborated with 8 administrators and teachers with the Clinton County School District to offer the Recipes for Life Program to 109 fifth grade students.  14 volunteers worked with students in a hands-on educational setting to teach important life skills.  A pre-test/post-test evaluation was conducted to determine learning outcomes; 99 students completed both pre and post-test.  As a result of the program, two-thirds of students can correctly recognize the main food groups that comprise MyPlate and should be consumed every day.  In addition, after attending the Recipe for Life program, 84% of students plan to eat more fruits, 78% planned to eat more vegetables and 86% of students reported that they plan to try new foods.  

Administration was impressed with the depth of coverage that the Recipes for Life program addressed.   One teacher stated, “This is information and skills that all people need.”  While preparing the various recipes associated with the program, one student stated, “I didn’t know cooking for myself could be so easy.”  This program was a huge success and will hopefully help in combating future obesity in the students that participated.