According to 2017 data from the State of Obesity website, the obesity rate for children ages 10-17 in Kentucky is 19.3%. This places Kentucky at third highest in the nation for childhood obesity rates in this age group. In addition, the Owsley County Extension Council identified childhood obesity as a grassroots issue facing the community. Recent research has indicated that teaching cooking skills to children encourages healthier food choices, which can lower obesity rates.  In an effort to address this problem,  this past summer the Owsley County Extension Agent for Family Consumer Sciences Agent partnered with the University of Kentucky Nutrition Education program to present Super Star Chef, a three-day camp for students aged nine through twelve years that is designed to teach kitchen safety, food safety, nutrition concepts, and physical activity. In addition, the students practiced food preparation skills with supervision.

Overall, pre-test/post-test comparisons of total participant scores show that the program enhanced understanding of the concepts taught by the program. In addition, 100% of the participating students agreed or strongly agreed that they had learned how to identify healthy foods, 94% planned to drink more water, and 94% planned to be more physically active. Also, participants' cooking self-efficacy increased from pre-test to post-test. Several of the parents commented on how much the kids liked coming to the camp and reported that their children had prepared some recipes at home for their families. One parent said, “My daughter cooks her own breakfast now.”