Author: Kelly Burgess
Planning Unit: Allen County CES
Major Program: Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices (general)
Plan of Work: Reduce obesity through Diet & Physical Activity
Outcome: Initial Outcome
Allen County falls below state averages in a variety of health indicators, therefore nutrition and physical activity are key focuses for promoting healthier lifestyles in the county. In Allen County, the obesity rate is higher than the state average, 41% and 35%, respectively, according to kentuckyhealthfacts.org. In addition, 24% of adults age 20+ report participating in no leisure time physical activity (County Health Rankings 2014). Due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional methods of educating individuals on nutrition and physical activity were reinvented using Facebook Live. The Allen County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences utilized new resources created by University of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences specialists to reach a new population using social media during a time of social distancing by creating Facebook Live videos each business day in May, 2020. Video content was based on “5K in May” challenge materials, as well as the “Daily Meal Ideas” publication, which featured “no-recipe” meals that encouraged ingredient substitution for less-frequent grocery trips. The FCS Agent also made 30 “Focus on Families” kits available weekly with topics catered to a youth or family audience. Other partners included the Allen County Nutrition Education Program, the local grocery store, and the Boys and Girls Club of Allen County Scottsville, in various capacities. In addition to providing information to help Allen County residents be “Healthy at Home”, a secondary goal of the Facebook Live series was to reach a new audience on the Allen County Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Facebook page, especially the young to middle age adult audience who may be unfamiliar with Extension programming. In May, 2020, 21 Facebook Live Videos reached a total of 7,849 individuals, and fostered 1350 post engagements. This was a considerable increase in reach and engagement from previous months. Additionally, the videos reached a diverse age range of audiences, with video top viewership spanning from 18-24 year olds through 65 and over! As a result of the Facebook Live Series, four individuals participated in the “5K in May” Event and two participants reported walking a total of 120 miles. During the month of May, the page gained 23 new followers, which will hopefully prove to be dedicated Extension clients in the future as programming resumes in more traditional capacities.
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