The obesity epidemic threatens the quality and years of life of Kentuckians. Obese individuals are at increased risk for many chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancers. According to the 2017 Nutrition Education Program Annual Report data gathered in 2013 indicated that 43.2% of Leslie County's population were considered obese.  Also, 37% of the county’s population does not consider themselves physically active. Increased consumption of unhealthy food, stress, and built environments that promote physical inactivity are largely responsible for the obesity epidemic. According to the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Leslie County ranks 111th out of Kentucky’s 120 counties in regards to overall health.
Leslie County Family Consumer Science Agent, Brittany Bowling, presented Super Star Chef a 3-day workshop for students. Students were taught knife skills, measuring skills, MyPlate curriculum, and many other topics related to nutrition and beginning cooking skills.
A total of 8 students responded to both the pre and posttest. Of these respondents, 6 were female and 2 were male. 60 percent of the students had participated in the program before.
Overall, pre-post comparisons of participant responses to the assessment instrument show that the program enhanced participant understanding of nutrition concepts covered in the program. The average score on the test increased from 10.38 in the pretest to 12.25 in the posttest. Pre-post analysis showed the participants’’ cooking self-efficacy increased from 24.75 in the pretest to 28.88 in the posttest.
The posttest also included eight (8) self-assessment of learning gains items. These items asked the participants to indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed that they learned the concepts described in each statement. Seven of the participants responded to these questions. All of the seven respondents agreed/strongly agreed that they learned about the amount of fruits and vegetables they should have on their plates; learned about how germs can be transferred to food; and learned about how to wash their hands to remove germs. Six of the seven participants agreed/strongly agreed that they learned how to read nutrition labels; how to measure ingredients, and how to read recipes. Also, six of the respondents plan to eat more fruits and vegetables after participating in the program.