Iowa State University Extension

Problem:
Two out of three Americans are overweight because they are eating more and moving less! We have also changed the nutrient content of our diets by eating out more and by using more highly processed convenience foods. Unhealthy eating and physical activity habits come with a price tag. One weight-related disease, hypertension, is on the rise and leads to stroke and heart disease. People want to make healthy choices but lack motivation and accurate information to take small steps to make beneficial changes. Worksite wellness programs provide a good way to provide wellness information to people that fits into their busy lifestyles.

Response:
Eating Well Moving More is a worksite wellness program that helps employees make lifestyle changes in five areas that influence hypertension including weight, physical activity, diet, sodium intake, and alcohol use. Citizens Community Credit Union was looking for wellness activities for their employees. The Eating Well Moving More program was a good fit for this business as they have satellite sites. This program does not require attendance at meetings to participate but is provided by an eight issue newsletter series with optional weekly sessions. Participants receive pedometers, exercise bands, DASH diet guidelines, calendar with healthy recipes along with the newsletters. Each newsletter and meeting covers a different topic related to the DASH diet, a different physical activity, and a goal-setting assessment tool.

Impact:
Out of 35 employees, 21 signed up to participate, 6 of them from the satellite offices. Pre and post-screening of BMI’s and blood pressure readings were taken. About 10-12 participants attended the weekly meetings. Before the series, 55% had high blood pressure and 75% were overweight. After the series, 46% had high blood pressure and 46% were overweight. Improvement was indicated by these results as well as the progress made on personal goals. All reported progress on eating a healthy diet, most lowered their sodium intake, improved on doing regular physical activity and on losing weight.

The CEO attended most sessions and wrote: I believe our employees greatly benefitted from these meetings. The meetings were informational and presented in a way that encouraged group participation. Other participants wrote: We are being very careful on portion sizes for the meals we eat at home and when we go out to eat. The information we learned on reading food labels has helped in my shopping and cooking. I am eating more fruits and vegetables and I am paying a lot more attention to labels.

Contact:
Paulelda Gilbert
Webster County Extension
217 S 25th Street, Ste C-12
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
515-576-2119
pgilbert@iastate.edu