According to 2017 data from the State of Obesity website, the current 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 Marshall 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. Last summer, in an effort to address this problem, the Marshall County Family Consumer Sciences agent partnered with the Marshall County Children’s Arts Center 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 could identify healthy foods and 94% stated they plan to be more physically active.  Also, participants’ cooking self-efficacy increased from pre-test to post-test. Several of the parent commented on how much the kids like coming to the camp and reported that their children had prepared some of the recipes at home for their families. One parent said, “Our son enjoys planning the family meals and makes a shopping list for food items. We are also visiting the farmer’s market for local produce.”