Nutrition education and healthy lifestyles were identified by local leadership councils to be an educational priority for youth to help combat the obesity issue in Kentucky.  According to the Trust for America’s Healthy Survey and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kentucky’s obesity rate for children ages 10-17 has increased to over 21%.  Instructing children with the aspects of healthy nutritional choices at a young age is critical to addressing issues of weight.  The 4-H Agent presented a series of five meetings based on MyPlate to 155 third grade youth in the Russell County School System through the creation of videos that were shared by teacher leaders in the Russell County School System.  The program was based on the Professor Popcorn curriculum.  The video lessons presented information about the nutrition in each food group, the importance of these foods in the diet, where/how the foods are produced, where to locate the foods in the grocery aisles, and examples of the foods in each group.  

After the program, the youth were given a Qualtrics survey to see what changes they had made because of the program.  Eighty-seven percent (87%) of the youth ate more vegetables and fruits now than before the program.  Ninety-two percent (92%) of the youth said that they eat breakfast, and ninety percent (90%) said that they did physical activities most days of the week.  Approximately, 42% of the youth had tried a new fruit or vegetable; some of the more popular foods that had been tried were dragon fruit, pears, peas, pineapple, and kiwi.  One youth even described dragon fruit as having “lots of tiny black seeds, white, and sticky on the inside.  Overall I give it 8/10.”