Science makes great strides every year, but the truth is, when it comes to staying healthy, we’ve known the basics for a long time: eat in moderation, and include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet; get some exercise; try to reduce stress; don’t smoke.
It’s all so obvious, and yet most of us don’t follow those simple guidelines – not all, for sure. And ultimately, we pay for it with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, orthopedic problems and much more, and the economy pays for it as our medical bills pile up.
So the rallying cry in recent years has become “behavior change.”
Health care experts talk about it as a much-better alternative to drugs and expensive treatments. Economists and policymakers talk about it as the only way to save businesses from being crushed by the weight of health insurance costs.
And at the grassroots level – at individual workplaces, at schools, at hospitals and health centers, and at community organizations – people committed to promoting behavior change have developed programs to help and encourage everyone to be healthier.
Last week, aiming to reward those efforts and spread the word about creative initiatives, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri gave out the first annual Governor’s Awards for Wellness Innovation to six recipients: the Guiteras School in Bristol; the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, based in Cranston; the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Providence; Lefkowitz, Garfinkel, Champi & DeRienzo PC of Providence; the Leon Mathieu Senior Center in Pawtucket, and Johnson & Wales University.
Each took a different approach, , Carcieri said, but what they shared was “resourcefulness” and a willingness to try new things to coax people into doing something for their own health.
“Some showed a creative use of limited resources, others developed programs with an element of fun, and some were particularly successful in reaching underserved populations,” he said. “The bottom line is that we can learn from all of them.”
“You’re looking for something that’s new or different that achieves the goal,” said Dr. David R. Gifford, the state health director. “Because what you’re talking about is changing routine and systems … [and] it’s clear that what works in a school district may be quite different from what works in a workplace.”
So what did the award winners do?
Lefkowitz, Garfinkel, Champi & DeRienzo, a regional accounting firm based in Providence, with about 70 professionals, has set up a “Got Health” initiative that sponsors educational seminars, afternoon walks, healthy-choice recipe giveaways and more.
But it’s during the busy season, when the staff works long hours and might be tempted to fill up on candy, junk food and greasy takeout meals, that “Got Health” team makes its biggest impact, stocking the kitchen with dried fruit, granola, nuts and low-calorie snacks so the accountants have a healthier option.
At the VA, veterans who are overweight are encouraged to join MOVE, a national weight management program that starts with a health assessment and provides one-on-one counseling, as well as nutrition, exercise and behavioral advice, and phone call support.
One of the program’s most effective aspects, however, is the group work, said Peg Dyer, the nurse who coordinates MOVE at the Providence site. Veterans of all ages, from all kinds of backgrounds, come together for six weeks at a time in group classes taught by a physical therapist, a nutritionist and a social worker.
“They really get into group activities, and they’re very supportive of each other,” Dyer said. “This may come from being a team in the military, and I also think that as they go through the six weeks, they also see us very much as a team as well.”
To build on the progress the MOVE participants make, the VA also hosts monthly follow-up sessions led by a nutritionist and a physical therapist. Not only do the veterans share their progress at those meetings, Dyer noted, but they also bolster their knowledge through activities such as trivia games.
And yes, there has been a payoff: From January of last year to mid-summer of this year, MOVE in Providence had reached 130 veterans, whose average age was 61 and whose average weight was 260 pounds. After six weeks, they had lost an average of 5.5 pounds – but one lost a more than 100 pounds, the VA reported in its award application.
At the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, meanwhile, in-house wellness initiatives have grown into a massive endeavor called Get Fit RI, which has already reached about 5,000 people through exercise programs, stress seminars, a farmers’ market, blood drives, a seat belt awareness program, tobacco intervention and much more.
But you don’t have to be that ambitious or take on such a wide range of activities to make a real difference, the governor’s awards recognized. Johnson & Wales’ winning program, for example, “Veggin’ Out,” is built on a single, well-proven bit of health advice: eat your veggies.
Started in 1999 as a community-service initiative, Veggin’ Out involves going to farmers’ markets and showing people – with a special emphasis on seniors and low-income families – how tasty fruits and vegetables can be.
Johnson & Wales chefs will find items at each market and prepare something quick, easy and healthy: a fresh raw tomato salsa, for example, or a 30-minute vegetarian chili, or grilled veggie quesadillas, or fruit skewers with maple yogurt dipping sauce.
“We give free samples and do cooking demonstrations,” said Linda Kane, a community service chef. “So we’re giving people an opportunity to try new fruits and vegetables they’ve never tried before – and also giving people ideas on how to use the same old tomatoes.”
Veggin’ Out targets people coming into the markets with coupons from the WIC program and the Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program for seniors, and this year alone, nearly 800 people in that demographic were reached, said Susan Connery, director of the JWU Feinstein Community Service Center. But the chefs also reach the general public, and love doing it.
“It’s great fun for the chefs to use their knowledge to reach the community that way, and people love tasting new items,” Kane said. “People remember us and look forward to us. They ask, ‘When are you coming back?’ And we get really positive feedback from people who replicate our recipes at home.” •
