Annually, Family and Consumer Sciences Agents and staff see an increased interest from clients in health-behavior?choices around the new year.??This year,?to?reach both current and new clientele with?timely?and?research-based?information, FCS Extension rolled out a new program just in time for January 2021- Big Blue Goals.??The program was designed to allow for participation through either?an online platform?(Goalify app)?that could be?operated?on?a smartphone, computer, or tablet,?or through?a?traditional?paper format. Participants received daily or weekly?educational?information about a variety?of topics,?organized under six challenges which?included:?preparing meals at home, increasing physical activity, consuming?fruits?and vegetables, making sound financial decisions, living well, and improving?relationship skills.??Participants?selected which of the six challenges in which they participated?and?recorded?efforts made in?each?area?during?the 10-week?program.? 

Statewide, a total of 1,497?individuals?(18 from Marshall County) participated in Big Blue Goals?through both formats, and as a group made an impressive amount of wise and healthy choices!?Through the?Goalify?app, program administrators were able to track participation levels in the selected challenges.?At the end of the challenge, all participants were given the opportunity to complete an evaluation survey.? 

664 individuals?participated?in the Physical Activity?challenge and?had a?combined?total of?337,124?minutes?of physical activity.?Evidence shows that individuals who engage in physical activity have improved physical and mental health outcomes.?? 

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Seventy-seven percent of survey respondents adopted a new physical activity practice?as a result of?participating?in this challenge.?Additionally, 88%?of respondents who recorded health measures,?indicated?an improvement in at least one health indicator (cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index, or blood?glucose.)? 

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682?individuals?participated?in the?Meals at Home?challenge and?consumed?a?combined?total of?29,580?meals at home during the?10 weeks. Evidence shows that individuals who consume?meals at their residence, as opposed to in a restaurant, consume?overall?healthier foods and more?appropriate portion?sizes.?? 

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In addition to preparing meals at home, 53% of survey respondents?indicated?that they supplemented their meals with food they grew,?caught,?or preserved themselves.? 

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500?individuals?participated?in the Fruits and Vegetables?Challenge and?consumed a?combined?total of?47,852?servings of fruit and vegetables during the?10-week?challenge.?Evidence shows that eating 4-6 servings of fruit and vegetables each day improves health outcomes.?? 

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Eighty-eight percent of survey respondents?who?participated?in the Intentional Spending Challenge?followed a spending plan?for 5 or more weeks of the?10-week?challenge.??? 

During the challenge:? 

81%?of respondents?made a financial decision?(regarding?credit, budgeting, savings, and/or?debt);? 

65% of?respondents?took steps to avoid breaches in personal or financial security; and? 

95% of respondents reduced expenses or managed money effectively.? 

As a result of?participating?in this challenge, participants reported saving $59,403.50 during the?10-week?period.? 

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The Relationship Challenge and the Living Well Challenge incorporated the chat feature of the Goalify App to encourage participants to share their thoughts about what they were learning or respond to specific questions that were asked throughout the challenge.??Additionally, participants were encouraged to?participate?in independent study of?FCS publications related to the topics which were delivered directly to their mobile devices through the?app.?Many FCS agents found creative ways to ensure that their paper participants were also able to receive the materials related to these two goals, even though that was not required?by the state office.? 

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Eighty-eight percent of survey respondents who?participated?in the Relationship Challenge reported learning something new?to?strengthen?their relationships.??Respondents used information received to increase involvement with their children, reduce screen time for their families,?establish?family routines, or volunteer their resources to help others.? 

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Ninety-five percent of survey respondents who?participated?in the Living Well Challenge learned something new to enhance their own well-being.??Respondents used information received?to?establish?consistent sleep habits, accept that which is with their control, took time to care for themselves, and took precautions to prevent?injuries in their homes.? 

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However, it is often the words of our participants that speak to the success of our programs.??One participant said, “I enjoyed this challenge. This was a good challenge to get people in home working on healthy living habits and a chance to make choice of food habits you want to pursue or improve. Would like to keep doing this, I have lost 21 1/2 pound.”? Another?shared, “Great program. This helped tremendously. I got my cholesterol down 40 points. B/P is still a work in progress. Thank you.”? But?maybe the?one who said, “Perfect way to start a new year on track!” said it best for everyone!