Author: Hannah Mayrand
Planning Unit: Montgomery County CES
Major Program: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
Plan of Work: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
According to the CDC, 15.6% of adolescents in Kentucky are considered overweight and 17.6% are obese. Unhealthy dietary behaviors and lack of physical activity contribute to this statistic. To improve the unhealthy behaviors, the Montgomery County FCS Agent partnered with the local health department, and middle school to offer an after school group to middle and high school boys and girls who may be classified as overweight according to their body mass index (BMI). The program was called Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds. At each of the ten sessions, students were taught how to prepare healthy nutritious meals and snacks, promoted positive self-image and ended with a physical activity component. The focus was promoting an all-around healthy lifestyle. The nine students who graduated from the program has consistent attendance, attending majority of each after-school session. 100% of the participants reported learning more about healthier lifestyles and increased awareness of positive self-image. School staff and agencies involved in the program are expecting this to grow and become a program offered yearly to middle school aged adolescents.
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