Kentucky now has the fifth highest adult obesity rate in the U.S. being at 34.6% in the nation. Adults from 18-25 are at 17.8%, ranging up to age 64-and up being at 31.2%. The rate for adult genders are at a close comparison with men being at 31.6% and women at 31.2%. In Johnson County the adult obesity rate is at 39.4% and rising. Most of these adults are in the working class and are sedentary most of the work week. After gathering this information the Johnson County SNAP-Ed assistant and the local hospital teamed up for a summer program to teach adults in the area work force, healthy eating habits and how to implement exercise into their busy work week.

During the seven week program the group was involved in a series of lessons that included knowing your limits, reading food labels, meal planning, good health along with other topics. They started out with little to no exercise and no meal plan for the week. We demonstrated quick and easy prepare recipes, discussed the importance of knowing what is in the foods they ate and gave out pedometers so they could track their activities during the day. By the end of the forth week they were challenging one another with step goals they had set for themselves. As a result of this program each of the members were able to make better food choices as well as increase their activity levels. The group had a 97% overall improvement rate by the seventh week. One client stated that they had lost over 10 pounds during the seven weeks and would continue with the program on their own.