Bright Spot: Healthy Lifestyles Challenge-"Get a Lifestyle!"

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash


This bright spot was originally published in the 100 Million Healthier Lives Change Library and is brought to you through partnership with 100 Million Healthier Lives and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Overview

Detailed Description

This was a challenge administered at local employers and at the Algoma community Wellness Center.

Focus: Adding in healthy lifestyle activities into your daily routine, with the intent of creating regular healthy habits. Each participant individual/family weighs in at the beginning and the end of the 6-week challenge. Each week participants will log specific healthy lifestyle activities to obtain points. There will be a weekly bonus challenge for participants to obtain extra points.

Lifestyle Categories:

  • Exercise: Earn 1 point for each 15 minute session of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Minimum goal is 2 points per day. (What is moderate to vigorous? Getting short of breath and breaking a sweat! You can earn extra points for every extra 15 minutes you do, beyond 30 minutes.)
  • Nutrition: Eat a minimum of 5 servings of vegetables and fruit per day. Earns 1 point.
  • Sleep: Get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep per night. Earns 1 point
  • Hydration: Drink 8- 8oz glasses of water per day. Earns 1 point. ONLY WATER COUNTS!
  • Relaxation: Take 10 minutes to relax each day! Earns 1 point. Meditate, stretch, deep breathe, pray, reflect, read etc. Do something just for yourself to recharge! Weekly Bonus Challenges Earns 4 points for each week.


Expected Outcomes

That participants in the challenge will show an improvement in 2 or more of the Get a Lifestyle activities over the course of the 6-week challenge.

Evidence

Emerging bright spot (emerging evidence)

Failing Forward Moments

Data is self-reported, therefore less reliable.

  • Would consider adding a biometric such as weight, or cholesterol to determine impact on health outcomes.

Using paper trackers was cumbersome to some participants.

  • Would consider having submission of data to be done electronically.

Administrative staff who assisted with collection of trackers felt like they had to be persistent with follow up.

  • Would consider providing more support through an additional administrative person and weekly text reminders.

The challenge was only 6 weeks in length, which has limitations in determining if the lifestyle changes that were improved upon were actually sustainable.

  • Would consider lengthening the challenge and doing 3 month and 6 month post surveys and biometric checks.
  • Would also add in group support sessions for participants to engage in conversation around healthy lifestyles and share bright spots!

Key Lessons Learned

  • Support from employer and healthcare organization leadership.
  • Promotion strategies through internal company communication to increase engagement.


Cost Details

Prizes donated from each employer for raffle drawing at completion of challenge.

Key Steps for Implementation

Co-create challenge criteria with Wellness Team members at Precision Machine employer.

  • Step 1: Co-create challenge criteria with Wellness Team members at Precision Machine employer.
  • Step 2: Educate employees on challenge rules, lifestyle activities, tracking methods, and ways to obtain support.
  • Step 3: Administer the challenge over the course of 6 weeks, offering support for participants to reach their goals.
  • Step 4: Provide feedback on aggregate results to participants involved and to the employer.
  • Step 5: Introduce challenge to an additional employer, sharing cycle #1 results. Allow additional employer to choose lifestyle activities and ideas. Repeat steps 2,3 4.

Other Key Requirements

Support from employer and healthcare organization leadership. Promotion strategies through internal company communication to increase engagement.

Partnerships

Healthcare organization (Bellin Health) partnering with local employers and providing onsite Nurse Coaching with an aim of improving the health and wellbeing of employees.

Policies, Laws and Regulations

HIPPA compliance to ensure confidentiality and avoidance of sharing PHI.

Required Staffing (FTEs)

0.2 FTE

Special Funding

Financial support for incentives/prizes are helpful for engagement, but not necessary.

Special Infrastructure

Onsite Nurse Clinic at local employers or access to a community nurse activator.

Tracking sheets. Optional prize incentives for participation and or highest # of points achieved. Prizes donated from each employer for raffle drawing at completion of challenge.

Training

Training of participants on how lifestyle activities are recorded and scored.

Types of Staff

RN health coach, Administrative assistant to help with tracker and data collection.

Return on Investment Details

ROI could be determined on an Individual/family basis over time. Employers could link lifestyle interventions to health risk assessment scores.


Evaluation Strategies and Data Collection Tools

Information available upon request.

Outcome Measures

Pre and post survey administered to participants. Average score obtained in each of the 5 Lifestyle categories.

Process Measures

    • Challenge administered at two local employers and the local community wellness center.
    • Trained staff at three locations.

     Related Topics

    Card image
    Physical Activity