weight loss | PREVENT WORKPLACE WEIGHT GAIN
can your workplace help prevent
weight gain?
THE AVERAGE AMERICAN WILL GAIN UP TO 1.8 POUNDS EACH YEAR. THE TROUBLE IS, IN MANY CASES, AMERICANS WON’T EVER LOSE THE
EXTRA WEIGHT AND, OVER THE YEARS, THE POUNDS ACCUMULATE AND OFTENTIMES LEAD TO OBESITY.
written by AMANDA WOODFIELD FRENCH, MPH
OBESITY WH AT I S I T ?
With this in mind, a worksite
wellness program called the WellFeds Campaign “Federal Employees: Active and Healthy … Working Well!” was created to improve the culture of Chicago Federal workplaces to promote employee wellness, and thereby productivity, through physical activity, healthy eating, and other wellness activities.
During the holiday season the program focuses on the WellFeds Maintain Campaign, which encourages federal employees to track their weight and provides support for staying healthy through the New Year.
Participants were confidentially weighed before Thanksgiving and then after the New Year. The WellFeds Maintain campaign also provided support for participants in their weight maintenance efforts by hosting lectures led by nutritionists, sending them e-mails with healthy eating tips, and building camaraderie among participants.
Despite this being its first year, the WellFeds Maintain Campaign proved to be very successful. The program’s goal was for federal employees to maintain their weight, but in fact, 50 percent of participants actually lost
During the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. It is now the most prevalent disorder of the 21st century and is a leading cause of mortality, morbidity, disability, healthcare utilization, and healthcare costs in this country. Healthcare officials at The Obesity Society, at www.obesity.org, say it is likely that the increase in obesity will “strain our healthcare system with millions of additional cases of diabetes, heart disease, and disability.” While the obesity crisis is affecting people across the board, research shows that it is hitting minorities even harder. According to The Obesity Society and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov, blacks have approximately 51 percent higher prevalence of obesity, and Hispanics have around 21 percent higher obesity prevalence compared with whites.
The Obesity Society, www.obesity.org.
58 building healthier communities
really
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