According to the American Heart Association teaching youth how to prepare their own food will give them a skill they can use for a lifetime and will help to build confidence. Youth who can prepare foods are also more likely to eat a healthier diet as adults.  The Floyd County 4-H Youth & Development Agent, 4-H Teen Volunteers, the Floyd County Family & Consumer Science Agent and University of Kentucky SNAP-ed program collaborated to offer the Super Star Chef program during August 2018.  This was a 3 day program that consisted of knife skills, nutrition education, and physical activity hosted at the Floyd County Extension Office.

According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2016, Kentucky’s adolescent obesity ratings were at 18 percent, 44.6 percent reported consumer less than one fruit daily, and 42.7 percent reported consuming less than one vegetable a day.

A total of 12 adolescents attended the 3 day program. Surveys from the program indicated that 100 percent of the participants were able to identify all five food groups in My Plate, dice fruits and vegetables safely, wash hands properly, correctly read a nutrition label, and to proper technics of safely handling food. After the program, parents stated that their child was more involved with cooking at home and gained more independence from this program.