Obesity is a concern in communities all across the Commonwealth. According to the Alliance for a Healthier Generation more than 1 in 3 children in Kentucky is overweight or obese. Studies show that overweight kids are likely to become overweight or obese adults. There are a lot of reasons for obesity: bad eating habits, poor nutrition and low or no physical activity. This trifecta puts our community’s children at risk for serious health issues that start when they are young. Parents have increasingly relied on schools to teach concepts and skills once taught within the family. 

For children and adolescents, the Center for Disease Control recommends that schools can make a difference by building a strong foundation and taking action. The Cooperative Extension Service in Boone County, in cooperation with the Boone County school system, partnered with several schools to offer nutrition education to preschool and kindergarten students. Approximately 75 students participated in the nutrition program last school year. 

Over a course of six hours of nutrition instruction per grade level, students were presented with information on My Plate, food safety, germs and handwashing, and physical activity. The goal of the program was to introduce students to new foods, be able to recognize which foods belonged in the correct food groups, state and explain the four fight back rules to food safety, increase physical activity, and become aware of the importance of hand washing as a way to decrease the spread of germs. 

At the completion of the series of classes over half the students stated they tried at least three new foods presented to them during the class and out of that half, most of the students liked the new food and would be willing to eat it again. At the beginning and conclusion of the program the students were asked a series of questions. At the beginning of the program at least one-fourth of the students claimed they did not wash their hands after using the restroom. At the conclusion of the program half of the students stated they washed their hands most of the time after using the restroom. One teacher stated she observed an increase in the use of hand sanitizer in her classroom since the beginning of the program.