Obesity has become a significant issue among both adults and youth, presenting a major concern.  Kentucky finds itself among the top five states in terms of obesity rates, with 36% of adults affected, and among the top seven for physical inactivity, with 32% of its population inactive.  The Union County Health Rankings indicate that 37% of the adult population in Union County suffers from obesity, while an identical percentage is physically inactive.

The monthly educational cooking program caters to youth aged 9 to 18, providing them with an invaluable opportunity to acquire cooking skills and prepare nutritious meals sourced from the 4-H cooking curriculum, SNAP-ED, and Plate it Up recipes. The overall principal goal of the cooking club is to empower youth to become self-sufficient in the kitchen while fostering lifelong healthy habits that can positively impact their own lives and the lives of those around them.

As participants in the program learn to cook and make healthier food choices, they are poised to influence their family's eating habits by selecting and preparing nutritious foods. This ripple effect extends beyond the club, contributing to a culture of wellness within their households. Ultimately, the program aims to equip youth with the knowledge and skills needed to lead healthier lives and inspire positive change in their communities.

The cooking club convened for a series of 8 monthly meetings, each lasting 1.5 hours, resulting in a total of 12 hours of educational instruction. Throughout this period, an average of 17 youth attended consistently, actively participating in the learning and culinary activities offered by the program.

Of the youth involved, 85% reported trying new foods and enjoying them enough to consider trying them again, while 15% either did not like the new foods or were not willing to try them.

All participants, expressed enjoyment of the cooking club and voiced intentions to integrate more nutritional eating habits into their lives. This underscores the significance of increasing awareness about the importance of healthy eating, as it serves as a catalyst for fostering better and healthier lifestyles among youth.