According to 2022 data from the State of Childhood Obesity website, 24.6% of Kentucky children ages 10 to 17 have obesity. This places Kentucky’s childhood obesity rates at second highest in the nation for this age group. Recent research has suggested that teaching cooking skills to children encourages healthier food choices, which can lower obesity rates. In an effort to address this, the Area Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences partnered with county agents to provide cooking camps for children in Edmonson and Simpson counties. The camps were designed to teach youth kitchen safety, food safety, nutrition concepts, and physical activity. In addition, the participants practiced food preparation skills with supervision.

A total of 25 youth participated in the camps. Overall, participants demonstrated an increased understanding of the nutrition concepts and kitchen skills taught by the program. 88% of participants reported their intention to try new foods after the program. 80% of participants increased their understanding of knife skills and were able to correctly display proper technique by the end of the program. There was also a significant increase in participants’ cooking self-efficacy. This included an increased confidence in using a knife, cooking on the stove, and helping with family meal preparation. Several parents commented that their children were more interested in contributing to family meals as a result of the program. Two months later, one parent commented that their child was still preparing a program recipe every week.