Success StoryMaking Steps Toward a Healthier Lifestyle



Making Steps Toward a Healthier Lifestyle

Author: Brenda Williamson

Planning Unit: Pulaski County CES

Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)

Outcome: Intermediate Outcome

The Lake Hill Oasis Center in Pulaski County KY is a rehabilitation center for men with an alcohol and/or drug addiction. People with these addictions have poor nutritional habits. The SNAP-Ed Assistant in Pulaski County goes to the Oasis Center twice a week to enroll the men in the Nutrition Education Program offered through the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Upon enrolling 14 men into group #5 the Assistant found that all this group had a very poor diet quality according to their responses on their enrollment forms.


The Pulaski County SNAP-Ed Assistant used the Healthy Choices for Every Body nutrition education curriculum to teach the importance of improving their nutritional habits. The My Plate lesson was an eye opener to the men and seemed to give them the motivation they needed to start making a positive change in their eating habits.They realized they were not getting enough fruits and vegetables in their diets. The men upon entering the program went from 0% of meeting the USDA recommendation for eating vegetables daily to 79% upon completing the program. Fruits were similar with only 7% meeting the recommendation at entry and changing that to 57% at completion of the program. 93% of the participants are eating more fruits and vegetables each day as a result of the program! As one participant received the Certificate of Completion, the Assistant asked "What are you going to do differently when you leave this place?" The participant replied "Ma'am I will tell you what I am going to do, I am going to use that money that I used to buy heroin with to buy me some good healthy fruits and vegetables! I did not know how important it was to do that until I had this class and now that money is going to go on eating and being healthier!"    






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