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- Title
Development of a Comprehensive 12-Week Health Promotion Program for Houston Airport System.
- Authors
Ebunlomo, Ebun O.; Hare-Everline, Nicole; Weber, Ashley
- Abstract
Background: In 2012, the City of Houston was named the fattest city in America according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which prompted initiatives such as the Mayor's Wellness Council (MWC) to encourage Houstonians to make wise choices regarding healthy eating and regular physical activity through education and activities. The City of Houston employee health risk appraisal data indicated that 62% of its employee population was overweight or obese. Given these statistics and the well-established importance of the workplace as an effective setting for health promotion and disease prevention, the City of Houston's Employee Wellness Program, Discover Health with the Wellness Connection, emerged. Discover Health with the Wellness Connection has focused its efforts through tailored, evidence-based approaches to promoting weight management among its employees. Methods: The 12-week Balanced Living Program was implemented as a pilot comprehensive health promotion program to address healthy eating, physical activity, and stress management to reduce obesity among 235 diverse employees within the Houston Airport System (HAS). Partnerships were cultivated with organizations such as the American Diabetes Association and Novo Nordisk, Inc., to provide interactive one-hour weekly educational sessions to the employees. The developed curriculum was designed based on the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a major research study which found that diet and exercise could prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Results: Employees lost a total of 345 pounds, and over 90% of participants were satisfied with the program's contents, delivery, format, and usefulness of the program. Discussion: Overall, this program was successfully implemented and yielded positive measurable outcomes. This program has implications for other worksite wellness initiatives as program planners can gain knowledge about how to develop comprehensive initiatives to improve in the health and well-being of diverse employee populations. We anticipate future implementation of a modified version of this program across other City of Houston departments with comparable health risk profiles.
- Subjects
HOUSTON (Tex.); EMPLOYEE health promotion; HEALTH risk assessment; INDUSTRIAL hygiene laws; PHYSICAL activity; HOUSTON Airport System
- Publication
Texas Public Health Journal, 2015, Vol 67, Issue 1, p11
- ISSN
2574-5859
- Publication type
Article