Author: Lora Gullett
Planning Unit: KSU Administration
Major Program: Accessing Nutritious Foods (general)
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Rowan County Nutrition Education Program 2016 annual report cited an estimated 4,953 Rowan County residents lived in poverty, and 1,304 of them were children in 2014 with the numbers increasing each year. Studies have shown that adolescents living with food insecurities are more likely to develop poor eating habits, and become overweight. Kentucky State University Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program Education (SNAP/Ed) Area Agent partnered with Rowan County Middle School to provide nutrition education to the six, seven, and eight grade enrichment classes. Six nutrition lessons were taught to approximately 260 middle school students on the concepts of My-Plate, variety, balance and moderation, and the importance of physical activity using Wellness in Kentucky and Power-Up SNAP-Ed curriculum. The classes were conducted in the computer labs at the middle school, so the students learned how to use food a pedia to evaluate their snacks, and to use super-tracker to evaluate their dietary habits. Pretest and post-test were administrated to monitor progress using the 6th-8th grade nutrition education survey developed by Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program Youth Evaluation Committee revision 9-23-2014. Out of the 260 middle school students in the enrichment program 247 (95%) completed both the pretest and the post test. Summary from the pretest and post-test using the Clemson University Web-based reporting system showed 87% of the youths showed, they had improved their diet quality by improving their ability to choose foods based on the Federal Recommendation Guidelines or gained knowledge. Sixty two percent (62%) of the youths showed improvements in physical activity practices or gained knowledge, while sixty three (63%) used safe food handling practices more often or gained knowledge. Overall, ninety nine (99%) of the total program participants improved in one or more core areas. The partnership between Kentucky State University Extension and Rowan County Middle School will continue next term beginning in January, 2018 with the new students in the enrichment class.
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