Story in Brief
Childhood obesity and hunger can exist simultaneously in communities with high poverty rates. Terrell County, Georgia is the embodiment of that seemingly inconsistent truth. During the 2015-16 school year, the 4-H staff selected curriculum for 4th and 5th grade 4-H school club meetings that would help to teach the children basic nutrition. They used the Friends Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles publication for the curriculum. A total of 209 4th and 5th grade 4-H'ers were taught the Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyles curriculum and all participated in the first survey at the end of the lesson. The results indicated a high rate of short-term retention of the information presented. Then 4-H staff surveyed 253 4th and 5th grade 4-H'ers during the end-of-the-year program evaluation. The results reflected a moderate rate of retention of the information. The survey showed that 84 percent reported that they now eat more fruits and vegetables and 90.5 percent reported that they now play or exercise more often.