According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18.5% (or 13.7 million) of children and adolescents are obese. To address this problem, the Scott County Cooperative Extension Service implemented Recipe for Life, a cooking and nutrition program for fifth graders. 174 students took a day long fieldtrip to the Scott County Extension Office where they learned about food safety, kitchen safety, knife skills, measurement conversion, reading recipes, and other aspects of food preparation before getting to cook for themselves. Each participant got to practice their newfound skills while preparing four different, healthy recipes. After cooking, students got to practice table manners as they sat down to eat the meal that they had prepared together.

In order to have an effective impact this program required office wide collaboration. All agents and program assistants joined together to make this program a success with representation from the areas of 4-H Youth Development, Horticulture, and Family and Consumer Sciences and the Nutrition Education Program. Upon completion of the Recipe for Life program, 85% of youth participants reported that they plan to eat more fruits, 77% plan to eat more vegetables, 75% plan to try new foods, and 81% plan to help prepare food at home. Moreover, several students reported that they did indeed prepare one or more of the featured recipes for their family. The US National Library of Medicine has released several statements that show a link between family meals and an increase in typically under-consumed nutrients and ultimately a positive association between family meals and healthy weight among adolescents. This statistic illustrates that not only did recipe for life impact the students in attendance but also families across Scott County.