Regular physical activity and good mental health are essential for preventing chronic diseases. Chronic diseases are serious public health concerns, especially in Kentucky, that 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. Special equipment is not needed, nor is a special location, to incorporate physical activity into a daily routine. By joining Walking Kentucky, participants are given the tools to lead a more active lifestyle. 

The eight-week walking challenge aimed to increase participants' regular physical activity and improve health outcomes for Kentucky citizens. The Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agents collaborated to implement a 417-mile Walking Kentucky Challenge as an innovative strategy to encourage movement among Louisville area residents. This number was chosen because it is the length of the state of Kentucky in miles.  

Throughout this program, participants were empowered to improve their health behaviors by making lifestyle choices that increase their level of 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.