Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the unemployment rate in Kentucky rose from 4.3% in January, to 16.6 % in April (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). This led to many Kentuckians struggling with poverty, and ultimately, food insecurity. To help address this, the Scott County Nutrition Education Program partnered with the Kentucky Career Center to teach the Healthy Choices curriculum for six weeks of their Workforce Wednesdays Facebook live class. The Healthy Choices curriculum focuses on MyPlate, Meal Planning, knowing the limits on certain nutrients, the importance of breakfast, reading labels, eating better on a budget, and food safety. 

This six-week series was primarily focused on food security and food safety to avoid waste. The data collected from the NEERS pre and post survey revealed progress in both of these areas. 75% of participants showed improvement in one or more food safety practices (i.e., washing hands before preparing food, washing all items and surfaces after cutting raw meat or seafood, not thawing frozen food at room temperature, or using a meat thermometer). While 75% of participants also reported improvement in one or more food security indicators (i.e., not eating less than you wanted so there was more food for your family or having enough money to get food for your family).

The most dramatic change for the Workforce Wednesday class was in nutrition. 100% of participants showed improvement in at least one diet quality indicator with 50% improving in three or more diet quality indicators like eating more fruits and vegetables, drinking less sweetened beverages, or cooking dinner at home more often.