Walking Kentucky 

Regular physical activity and good mental health are essential for preventing chronic diseases. These are serious public health concerns that require effective interventions to encourage positive behavior change. 

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.  The eight-week Walking Kentucky Challenge  is a community campaign aimed to increase participants' regular physical activity and improve health outcomes for Kentucky citizens. 

No special equipment or location was needed to incorporate physical activity into one’s daily routine. Walking Kentucky participants were given the tools by way of weekly mailings/emails to lead a more active lifestyle.  

Through this program, participants were empowered to improve their health behaviors by making lifestyle choices that increase physical activity. Seventy adults participated in the program, with eighty-seven percent of them feeling they 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.