Farmers Market Day at the Health Department/WIC program/Rowan County 

Making Healthy Life Choices Eating/nutritious low calorie snack

Kentucky high school students have the highest rate of overweight/obesity in the Nation. Obesity rate as of 2015-16 was at its record high of 33% in our state. The Cooperative Extension in cooperation with the Rowan County Health Department, Kentucky State University SNAP Program and local farmers from the Farmers Market sponsored a summer promotion of support healthy food choices.  Local farms set up their items at the county health department and the WIC program offered 5 $4.00 market vouchers ($20 total) to each client that attended the market. Food processing, face painting, and health care tables were set up to enhance the activity. Emphasis was on healthy recipes for snacks and the selection of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers. Each client were asked to do a taste of our cucumber salsa and complete an evaluation.  Fifty-four families consisting of 62 adults and 48 youths participated with our sampling table that provided cucumber salsa with multi grain chips.  Participants were surveyed before and after the sampling with only 28 clients taking the survey.  The findings are; before the client tasted the salsa they were asked how many fruits and vegetable they eat per day, the evaluation found that 60% consumed 2 or more fruits and 75% consumed 2 or more vegetables per day.

After the samples:

85% of the clients liked the recipe and 100% of our clients received a recipe for the salsa.

10% increase to try more vegetables

90% liked the use of different vegetables used in the salsa

60% want to start using multi-grain chips