According to the 2022 Overdose Fatality Report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, for the first time in four years Kentucky has seen a decrease in overdose deaths. Although that news is very promising, 2022 CDC data still ranks Kentucky as seventh highest in the nation for overdose fatalities. Substance use remains one of the most pressing public health issues facing Kentucky. 

 The Healthy Choices for Your Recovering Body (HCYRB) curriculum was developed by a team of UK Extension Nutrition Education Program and Family and Consumer Sciences specialists. It was piloted in 2021 and 2022 by twenty-four (24) Nutrition Education Program (NEP) Assistants, reaching three hundred and eighty-three (383) adults in twenty (20) counties. Using results from the pilot and input from the NEP Assistants involved, changes were made to the curriculum and evaluation instrument. During the fall and winter of 2023 and early 2024, NEP Assistants were trained on the revised HCYRB curriculum and begin teaching it in substance use recovery centers, drug courts and correctional facilities across the commonwealth. 

 HCYRB is a nutrition education program for limited-resource adults in substance use recovery. The program content includes information about the unique nutrition and health needs of this audience and provides instruction on nutrition, food preparation, food safety skills, food resource management and physical activity. Class delivery and activities are designed to be sensitive to the concerns and limitations of those in recovery.

 As of June 2024, thirty-four (34) NEP assistants in thirty-two (32) counties from all three Extension Administrative Regions had taught HCYRB to over nine-hundred and forty-seven (947) clients in recovery. 

Clients reported the following behavior changes following instruction: 

1. 65.8% increased the number of days they exercised for at least 30 minutes
2. 68.9% increased how often they made small changes to be more active
3. 52.3% decreased the number of times a week they drank regular (not diet) sodas
4. 67.2% increased how often they drank at least 6 cups of water every day 

 In addition, after participating in the class:

1. 95.9% of participants reported intentions to use MyPlate to make choices for meals
2. 98.7% reported intentions to choose healthy snacks
3. 98.2% reported intentions to eat more servings of fruit every day
4. 98.1% reported intentions to eat more servings of vegetables every day
5. 96.9% reported intentions to choose foods that are high in fiber
6. 94.2% reported intentions to choose drinks low in added sugar
7. 81.7% reported intentions to choose caffeine-free drinks
8. 97.8% reported intentions to drink more water
9. 98.7% reported that HCYRB increased their knowledge of substance use recovery
10. 98.6% reported intentions to use self-care strategies to improve their recovery
11. 99.0% reported intentions to be more physically active as part of their recovery

Over the next year, HCYRB will continue to be offered to those in recovery from substance use, and the successes resulting from this program will continue to be tracked and reported.