USDA Keys to Embracing Aging 30-day Challenge

Program Dates: July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

Keys to Embracing Aging “101” Program Success Story

Health and safety-related decisions that individuals and families make across the lifespan directly affect overall well-being and the ability to age well. Yet many individuals make choices which result in poor overall health and high chronic disease rates. Keys to Embracing Aging is a Cooperative Extension educational health intervention aimed at improving overall health by focusing on ways in which individuals and families can be empowered to take control of their own lifestyle decisions and behaviors in terms of health and well-being.  This program is important because “strong, stable and resilient families are crucial to the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and society” (K-State Extension, n.d.).  

Under a USDA-NIFA Rural Health and Safety Grant, 20 Kentucky Counties participated in the Keys to Embracing 30-Day Challenge.Each agent was trained to recruit a cohort of 10 participants to whom they would teach and evaluate their knowledge and behavior change. Each lesson was taught one time/month for 12 consecutive months.  The program launched in April 2017.  

From July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018, 20 agents taught 9 of the 12 Keys to Embracing Aging lessons to 272 Kentucky participants. As a result of the program, an average of 95.1% participants reported improved understanding regarding the impact lifestyle choices have on overall health and well-being across the 9 lessons. An average of 82.4% participants reported intentions to implement at least one strategy to improve their overall lifestyle.

A valuable program, participants learned:

1. what foods to eat to promote brain health

2. that being social reduces risk of depression

3. you can stay in tune with the times by learning about technology

4. how to practice safety at home

5. how to understanding body mass index measurements

6. new and different ways of handling stress

7. how to set a monthly saving goal

8. that sleep can affect memory and brain function

9. that it is okay to say “no” to make time for yourself

To demonstrate behavior change, the program included a 30-day follow-up evaluation. An average of 82.4% participants reported that they implemented at least one strategy to promote a healthier/safer lifestyle.  The keys in which the most improvement was reported include: Taking Time for You (89.9%), Sleep (87.8%), and Safety (87.8%).

Since participating in the program, participants have:

1. read more and watched less television

2. scheduled time to spend with friends

3. began using new computer programs

4. put together emergency kits

5. made regular doctor’s appointments

6. set aside time for relaxation

7. paid off credit cards each month

8. set an earlier bedtime

9. took more time to relax

Thirteen (13) counties also reported that 19 participants participated in all 9 “keys” lessons (Breathitt/1; Cumberland/1; Green/1; Johnson/2; Knott/2; Letcher/1; Lincoln/2; Mercer/1; Morgan/1; Ohio/1; Perry/2; Todd/2; and Washington/2).  As a result of their experience with Keys to Embracing Aging, these specific participants reported that they learned that taking time for themselves is not selfish and that keeping a positive attitude can improve your energy levels. Six-month final program follow-up evaluation data with both agents and participants is currently being processed to better understand this cohort’s unique experience. 

In Conclusion, Keys to Embracing Aging is an educational health program aimed at improving overall health by focusing on ways in which individuals and families can be empowered to take control of their own lifestyle decisions and behaviors in terms of health and well-being.