The problem

Regular physical activity and good mental health are essential for preventing chronic diseases. These serious public health concerns require effective interventions to encourage positive behavior change. Walking Kentucky is a community campaign designed to increase physical activity and promote health awareness in Kentucky. You don't need any special equipment or location to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. Participants are given the tools to lead a more active lifestyle by joining Walking Kentucky.

The educational program response

The eight-week walking challenge aimed to increase participants' regular physical activity and improve health outcomes for Kentucky citizens.

The participants/target audience

The Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble Family and Consumer Sciences Agents collaborated to implement a four-hundred-and-seventeen-mile Walking Kentucky Challenge as an innovative strategy to encourage movement among Louisville area residents.

Other partners (if applicable) North Central Health Department

Program impact or participant response.

This program empowered participants to improve their health by making lifestyle choices that increase physical activity. Seventy adults participated in the program, with eighty-seven percent feeling they had achieved their fitness goals. Ninety-seven percent reported exercising for thirty minutes three or four times a week or more after becoming aware of the benefits of regular physical activity.

At the end of the program, participants shared their positive experiences, such as losing six pounds, feeling more motivated to move, achieving more steps in a day, and enjoying friendly competition with co-workers.