According to the 2020 Kids Counts data for Kentucky 38% of teens (ages 10-17) are overweight or obese.   Being overweight or obese can compromise a child’s overall health and wellbeing even as adults.  This percentage has increased since the last report.  Therefore, health and nutrition continue to be a focus for the Boyd County 4-H program.

Ashland Middle School completed its third consecutive year of health and nutrition 4-H programming in spring 2020.  All 239 students completed six cooking and nutrition lessons.

Each lesson was composed of a recipe that was prepared, the nutritional information for that recipe, kitchen safety, and general nutrition facts.

The pre and post survey revealed the following:

90% felt that healthy recipe versions were fun and tasted good

86% learned how to wash dishes properly

25% experienced cooking with a stove for the first time

60% learned knife safety for the first time

100% made a recipe they had never made before

87% learned a healthy substitute for two or more ingredients of common recipes

The students enjoyed the 4-H Health and Cooking club so much; they requested an afterschool cooking club that finished its first year at Ashland Middle School.