LEXINGTON, Ky. — The University of Kentucky is taking aim at childhood obesity and low activity rates across the state with a new community-based initiative designed to help families move together.

The "Families Moving Together" project is providing parents and children the knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physically active lifestyles, according to UK officials. Funded by the UK Office of Land-grant Engagement and the College of Health Sciences, the curriculum targets preschool-aged children and their families in Kentucky.

"Very few programs at the community level are providing what parents need to engage more with their children through movement," said Dee Dlugonski, an assistant professor in the Department of Health and Clinical Sciences at UK's College of Health Sciences who is leading the project. "We are designing programming to show families how to move together in fun and easy ways."

Dlugonski is collaborating with Katherine Jury, a senior Extension specialist for Family and Consumer Sciences, to develop the curriculum and train Extension agents across Kentucky's 120 counties. Each session includes warm-up activities, educational components, group movement and goal setting for both parents and children in shared spaces.

The initiative addresses a significant public health challenge in Kentucky. Data from the CDC and the Physical Activity Alliance shows that approximately 25 percent of adults and less than a quarter of school-aged children in Kentucky meet minimum physical activity guidelines. Kentucky children ages 10 to 17 have the nation's highest obesity rate at 23.8 percent, according to recent health reports.

"We are whole-life educators," Jury said. "We are currently training our Extension agents to offer this curriculum in their counties and communities, making movement practical and accessible for the whole family."

The project partnered with Kentucky Head Start programs and community child-care centers during its development phase. Laura Sheffield, associate director of child development at the Community Action Council, said the curriculum aligns well with Head Start's mission of providing critical life skills to young children from at-risk backgrounds.

"When Dee reached out and asked us to be a partner, we knew this could be a fun opportunity to help educate our kids and families in planning healthier goals," Sheffield said. "This is just another way to have fun play time with your kids."

Pilot sessions held at Jessamine County Public Library, Montgomery County Extension Office and child-care centers in Lexington engaged approximately 20 families over a six-week period. Site director Traci Norwood of The Prep Academy at South Lexington, one of the host sites, said the program helped remove barriers to physical activity by showing families that healthy habits don't require elaborate planning.

"Parents have a million things on their plates," said Norwood, who participated with her own children. "I realized that my excuses were just excuses, and I can do things that create positive habits for my children."

Dlugonski and Jury are now developing a facilitator's guide to train community members and Extension agents statewide, with plans for an online version of the curriculum. The project was selected as one of nine Land-grant engagement initiatives funded in 2025 to increase university collaboration with Kentucky communities on public health issues.