Passport to Cardiovascular Health Challenge

Manchester (NH) Public Health Dept.

Purpose:

To develop a worksite wellness program that helps participating employees reduce their risks of developing cardiovascular disease

Target Population:

City of Manchester, NH employees (pilot); area workplaces (toolkit)

Program Goals:

• To test the impact of a team-based worksite wellness program aimed at reducing participants' risks of developing cardiovascular disease
• To help participants understand and reduce their risk factors for cardiovascular disease
• To help participants make healthy behavior changes that will translate to long-term lifestyle transformations
• To develop a toolkit for use by other employers based upon a successful pilot program

Years in Operation:

2006 - present

Funding:

Funding for the pilot was provided by the City of Manchester and the Manchester Department of Public Health

Structure and Operations:

The City of Manchester Department of Public Health partnered with the American Heart Association, Catholic Medical Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Manchester, and Elliot Health System to develop and pilot the worksite wellness program and the resulting toolkit for employers. The pilot program ran from September to December 2006 with City of Manchester employees. Participants were provided with a health screening of their cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, waist to hip ratio, and BMI. More than 100 employees comprising 23 teams participated in the three-month program targeting cardiovascular disease risk factors. Individuals were awarded points for pre-determined health behavior changes, for attending health education and fitness sessions, and for increasing their daily step count totals toward achieving 10,000 steps/day. Individual points counted toward the team total. After the three-month pilot, there was a 28% increase in the number of people with an ideal blood sugar level, a 9 percent increase in the number of women with an ideal BMI, an 11 percent decrease in the number of men with a BMI in the obese range, and a 29 percent increase in the number of participants with a waist measurement within the desired range.

More Information:

http://www.manchesternh.gov/website/Departments/Health/HealthAZ/WorksiteWellness/tabid/356/Default.aspx

http://www.shhs.unh.edu/docs/hmp/Worksite_Wellness_Power_Point.ppt