Adair County 4-H Benefits Youth

Kirksville, MO is the largest town located in Adair County, with around 17,500 residents.  The area is considered rural, however the majority of the citizens of Kirksville do not own land or work in agriculture.  There is a local 4-H program with around 200 participants ranging from kindergarten to seniors in high school.  The total number of citizens below the age of 18 is roughly 2,700 meaning the participating rate in 4-H would be about 7%, a rather low number.  What many people do not realize is that 4-H has a lot more to offer than just showing livestock at the local fair.  Programs in 4-H range anywhere from healthy living to science; while there still are opportunities to show your cow and bake cookies there are many other positive fun activities for students to participate in.  After all, the four H’s stand for Head, Heart, Hands and Health; the goal being to develop children into healthy adults.

In a town where the poverty rate is about 23%, with a total of around 17% of all children under 18 living below poverty, low cost or free after school opportunities are crucial.  The local Adair County 4-H is fairly inexpensive for all participants with a fee of $25 annually and for those students who receive free or reduced school lunch prices the United Way funds their participation in 4-H. 

According to OSEDA 66.5% of adults ages 25 and up have obtained a high school diploma or equivalent.  The national average for adults who have earned a high school diploma over the past decade is around 83%, significantly higher than the average of Kirksville, MO (LaFontaine & Heckman, 2007).  Research conducted on students participating in 4-H and those not participating in 4-H (and possibly another extracurricular activity) show that students involved in 4-H “Have higher educational achievement and motivation for future education” (Lerner & Lerner, 2005). Along with education they are also more active in their communities and volunteer more.  The youth of Adair County, with Kirksville having a lower than average high school graduation rate, could use a constructive extracurricular program such as 4-H to help them be the best they can be and reach their goals of graduating high school or attending college.  On average 4-H participants are twice as likely to plan on attending college and they do overall better in school than their non-4-H participant counterparts (Lerner & Lerner, 2005).

Healthy choices is another area in which 4-H youth participants excel in, with participants being 2.4 times more likely to avoid having sexual intercourse by junior year of high school.  This is extremely important for a county located in Missouri where the teen pregnancy rate for the state is 55.3 births out of 1,000 for women ages 15-19 ("Affordable care act," 2009). If programs exist to encourage students to make healthy choices regarding their bodies and sexuality it is important for students to participate and take that information and healthy attitude with them.   Students who participate in 4-H are also proven to have lower cigarette, alcohol and drug use than their peers.  If we can lower the use of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs it is possible that the overall health of Adair County will increase, with an increase in quality of life and life expectancy. 

Another huge benefit that many 4-H youth participants have statistically shown is that they are 2.3 times more likely to exercise and be physically active than those who do not participate.  According to the CDC, if youth learn healthy habits at an early age and begin practicing them such as exercising regularly and making good nutritional decisions they are more likely to carry those habits into adulthood and less likely to die of preventable diseases ("Safe and healthy," 2009). Just another way to improve the overall health of the citizens of Adair County and help kids achieve optimal health to prevent future illness, increasing their quality of life.

There have also been national campaigns to encourage more young girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); traditionally male dominated fields.  The study of 4-H students shoes that girls who participate are 1.6 times more likely to pursue careers in science than their counterparts.  If the national goal is to encourage more young women to pursue STEM careers than 4-H is a great extracurricular program that has already begun to give these girls confidence to enter those male dominated fields.

If you are in need of further proof as to how 4-H youth programs encourage our youth to become the best individuals they can be, according to the study 4-H youth in grade 11 are “3.3 times more likely to actively contribute to their communities when compared with youth who do not participate in 4-H” (Tufts).  More service in the community will possibly give kids a positive outlook on helping others and encourage service into adulthood.

4-H’s motto is “to make the best, better”.  The 4-H youth programs are aimed at making great kids great healthy adults.  With Adair County having a lower than average high school graduation rate, a high teen pregnancy rate and high drug use a program like 4-H could benefit many students.  Cost of joining is very low or free for those who cannot afford it, participating rates will hopefully increase as more individuals become aware of the great opportunities 4-H has to offer the youth and families of Adair County.

WORKS CITED

Affordable care act maternal, infant and early childhood home visiting program needs assessment. 47.(2009).

LaFontaine, P., & Heckman, J. (2007). The american high school graduation rate: trends and levels. The Institute for the Study of Labor, 6.

Lerner, R. M., & Lerner, J. V. (2005). Report of the findings from the first six years of the 4-h study of positive youth development. Institute for applied research in youth development Tufts University,

Safe and healthy kids and teens. (2009, October 15). Retrieved   from http://www.cdc.gov/family/kids/