his health, he had to change his life- style and exercise regularly to main- tain his new, healthier weight. “It was very moving,” Dr. Pike said.
“It was truly somebody who was go- ing through the process of becoming healthier. As a physician, it’s hard to be healthy, and our lifestyle really challenges us to be healthy. I related to that. Honestly, people have still mentioned it from time to time — that he gave a really great talk, and it’s be- cause he shared something really per- sonal that was to the benefit of a lot of people in the group.” Walk With a Doc Texas outings —
increasing in numbers since the Texas Medical Association’s pilot program brought the national initiative here in 2012 — are more than just a social stroll around a park, a track, or some other convenient stomping ground. There’s the potential to see or hear something inspirational or something funny or something that will help peo- ple develop a better relationship with their physician. “Once we start walking,” said Cuero family physician Mike McLeod, MD,
“Once we start walking, you never know what topic’s going to come up.”
“you never know what topic’s going to come up.” Fifteen Texas physicians lead 15
Walk With a Doc sites, and the walks will have attracted an estimated 7,500 participants in 2015 by the time the year concludes.
A MORE COMFORTABLE PLACE Columbus, Ohio, cardiologist David Sabgir, MD, founded the Walk With a Doc program in 2005. Today, doctors and participants are walking in about 40 states and some international sites, including Russia, Canada, Ireland, and Australia. The TMA Foundation funds Walk
With a Doc with an annual grant of more than $100,000, which includes generous support from the TMA In- surance Trust. The TMA Council on Health Promotion oversees the proj- ect. The foundation funded the pilot program, which started in 2012 with four sites. Just three years later, the
44 TEXAS MEDICINE November 2015
financial backing is in place to poten- tially fund more than 25 sites. The Texas program has four goals:
• Improve the health of all Texans; • Increase the number of partici- pants;
• Increase the number of physician leaders of Walk With a Doc; and
• Educate Texans about the preva- lence of diseases associated with obesity by providing relevant talks to walk leaders.
The focus on obesity and greater
physical activity is a particularly rel- evant one for Texas, where adult obe- sity is higher than the national average. Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveil- lance System data for 2013 showed 30.9 percent of surveyed adult Texans were obese, meaning they had a body mass index of 30 or more. In 2014, that number went up to 31.9 percent. The national obesity rate for 2013 was 28.3 percent. Dr. Pike’s first walk three years ago
drew about 45 people. After some at- tendance fluctuations since then, she says her monthly Saturday walks now average around 40 participants. “We have a very strong core group
of people who are there almost every time. And then we have a lot of people who come in and out of the group, or they bring somebody new, and their reaction is always positive,” she said. “Wellness [is] a lot more than just
height, weight, and blood pressure. It requires a sense of community, a sense of safety, and a willingness to get to- gether and meet people with common needs and goals. All of those things are really met within this program.” Although most Walk With a Doc
Texas sites feature monthly walks, some offer them weekly. Li-Yu Mitch- ell, MD, leads weekly Walk With a Doc events in Tyler, where she’s a family physician. Dr. Mitchell is in her sec- ond year of Walk With a Doc partici- pation, teaming up with the Smith County Medical Society for the events each Thursday.
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