According to 2017-2018 State of Childhood Obesity in Kentucky 20.8% of youth ages 10 to 17 have obesity, Kentucky ranks third highest for this age group. Additionally, 36.6% of adults in Kentucky are considered obese. Changing eating habits and increasing physical activity can help reduce these numbers.

In an effort to combat these issues, Meade County Cooperative Extension Service Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program Assistant partnered with David T. Wilson Elementary to conduct a six week after school program that involved eight sixth grade students and their parents. The assistant taught the students the fundamentals of cooking along with nutrition as they prepared two healthy recipes. The assistant then used the Healthy Choices for Every Body lessons to teach the parents about nutrition, food safety, food budgeting, and the importance of physical activity. As a family they all were able to sample the recipes.

At the conclusion of the program, 86% of the participants were preparing meals at home more often. Improvements were also seen within food safety. All participants reported that they were using the correct techniques to thaw meat in their homes. Several parents commented that their children were now involved with the planning and cooking of their meals.