Students in poor Louisville neighborhoods learn healthful behaviors in Farm to Family Initiative

A program to fight childhood obesity and foster healthy habits in Louisville’s under-served youth has seen positive results since its launch in October 2013, says KentuckyOne Health. Results include:

• 41 percent of students now eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, up from 23 percent.
• 91 percent of students engage in at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity, up from 63 percent.
• 90 percent of students have eaten a vegetable they harvested or picked themselves, up from 59 percent.
• 93 percent of students know how to prepare a healthy recipe, up from 63 percent.

The Farm to Family Initiative is a collaboration between the Food Literacy Project and Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, part of KentuckyOne. It aims to influence long-term health and food literacy for students at Hazelwood and Wellington elementary schools, where more than 90 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

The project is funded by a $200,000 grant from the Johnson & Johnson Community Health Care Program Award for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity.