| University exploring implementation of health promotion campaign BY MIKE UNGER Tell the truth. How many of you make it to the doctor for an annual check-up? You probably know that regular trips to the physician are vitally important for long-term health. It’s at these appointments that screening can detect serious health conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or cancer. You may not know, however, that regardless of whether you show up for an annual physical, AU pays for the visit. This is just one of many reasons behind all employers’ soaring health care costs. Hoping to slow the growth of those costs and improve the health of the AU workforce, AU’s benefits committee last year asked faculty associated with the health promotion programs in the CAS School of Education, Teaching, and Health to craft a health campaign geared toward faculty and staff. “A health promotion program is about creating a supportive environment on campus that facilitates and allows people to change their behaviors,” said Professor Stacey Snelling, who’s designing the program. “It’s an educational program that helps bridge the time between doctors visits.” High blood pressure and high cholesterol are the two biggest health problems among faculty and staff on campus, Snelling said. The conditions can lead to heart disease or stroke, serious problems that account for much of the university’s health care costs. A health promotion program could focus on educating people about the perils of a high sodium diet, the advantages of physical fitness, and benefits of weight and stress management. There are many ways to impart these messages, including through posters, flyers, and health fairs or expos. Snelling and a graduate assistant now are in the process of conducting targeted surveys, trying to determine which promotional paths would be most effective at AU. The university’s National Center for Health Fitness is among the leaders in this realm. In 1988, the NCHF designed, implemented, and evaluated a work site health promotion program for the U.S. Army’s Office of Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, and since 1987 it’s continued to run the U.S. Postal Service’s work site health promotion program. These programs have proven immensely effective on many levels. A report showed that the Army program returned 19 cents on the dollar, a calculation that did not take into account any benefit from the significant self-reported increase in productivity. “I think our human capital can make a difference,” said Robert Karch, NCHF’s executive director and a leader in the health promotion field. Snelling plans to meet with the Wellness Subcommittee, which she cochairs with acquisitions librarian Janice Flug, this week. Snelling expects to present the blueprint for the promotion campaign to the benefits committee in June. “We’re not necessarily looking for a drop in [AU’s health care] contributions, but at least holding the line on it. Some of the private industries have seen dramatic results,” Flug said. “That was one of the reasons why we pushed it, but also just from a wellness standpoint. It can be seen as a benefit to the faculty and staff for the university. There’s also things that you can’t measure, like attendance, morale, all those intangibles.” “To me, it’s a win-win situation,” Snelling said of a prospective health promotion campaign at AU. “It needs to be an integral part of our campus, and we believe AU will be better for it.” |
