Success Story: Moveabout Buncombe County
Healthy Buncombe's Worksite Action Team (HBWAT) recognized that policies in the workplace could have a significant impact on the health of people who work in Buncombe County. The team, that includes members from local businesses, decided to develop a worksite wellness initiative and began to explore worksite programs in other communities.
"I didn't do it for the prize; I did it because it's such a doable program. A mile a day takes 15 or 20 minutes. I found myself taking a quick walk at home if I didn't walk on campus during the day. And I feel better. I sleep better."
(Buncombe County Moveabout participant)
They made the decision to find a program that was simple, easy and inexpensive to implement, with broad appeal. A program developed by the Wellness Council of America (Welcoa) encouraging participants to log 100 miles of walking during a 100 day program seemed to be the best candidate. HBWAT obtained permission from Welcoa to adapt the program and developed a training manual and materials. In 2001 Buncombe County's "Walkabout" initiative for Buncombe County employers was launched.
The Road to Success
Using the message that healthy employees are good for business the team began recruiting participants. Invitations to attend the Walkabout training were mailed to downtown Asheville businesses and Human Resource Managers. The task force also approached area businesses for sponsorships and prizes. The program was well received by the local business community and 750 employees representing 9 businesses participated. Following the initial project, the team performed an informal process evaluation, revised the program and expanded the project within Buncombe County.
The worksite program has continued on a bi-annual basis (a program in the spring and fall) and has grown to include 34 organizations and over a 1000 participants. This fall 20 of these organizations are schools, providing a manageable way to assist schools in health promotion activities for faculty and staff.
Evaluation has continued after each session to identify ways to improve the program. Responding to the suggestions of participants and the need to breathe new life into the program by providing opportunities for a broader range of activities "Walkabout" became "Moveabout" in the fall of 2005. The program maintains the same structure and time frame; however, employees now participate in a wide variety of activities and use minutes spent on those activities to count towards their weekly goal of 150 minutes.
"Moveabout" has been a tremendous success and the program has become an institution in the local business community. As a result of the project, worksites have become more conducive to physical activity, and policy changes have been made to support exercise. Employees participating in the program are experiencing all the benefits of increased physical activity including: prevention of coronary artery disease, improvement in control of high blood pressure and in overall circulation, improvement in control of diabetes, prevention of osteoporosis, decreased storage of body fat and improvement in the levels of HDL cholesterol in the blood. In addition, new partnerships continue to be formed between community worksites and health agencies. Healthy Buncombe is also working with a sub-group of the local Chamber of Commerce to identify additional ways to provide and support health promotion in the community's many small businesses.
Stepping Stones...
Walkabout appeals to employers and employees alike. It is an easy program for businesses to implement. Training and technical assistance are available from the Healthy Buncombe Worksite Action Team and all the materials are provided free or at a minimal cost.
The program allows enough flexibility for businesses to tailor the program for their employees and offer additional incentives and it works well for most organizations. The two largest employers in Buncombe County participate, as do organizations with only a few employees.
Employees like it because it's doable. 150 minutes a week for a 100-day period is manageable for most individuals. The program also provides just enough structure to keep participant's going. The element of competition helps as well.
And then there are the prizes! Grand prizes generally include an overnight stay at a local inn or bed and breakfast with other amenities. Examples of additional prizes are massages, theater tickets or gift certificates to local restaurants.
The initial process took approximately 12 months. The actual costs associated with the program included: brunch for the training session, printing costs for invitations, training manuals, log books, and postage for invitations. The task force also decided to purchase the grand prize. Cost has remained minimal. The largest expense annually has been to purchase a $350 grand prize. The program manual and all needed materials are now published on the Healthy Buncombe webpage and employers are encouraged to print their own materials.
Contact Information
Name, Title: Terri Zimmerman-March
Agency: Buncombe County Health Department
Address: 35 Woodfin Street
City, State, Zip: Asheville, NC 28801
Phone: (828) 255-5047
Fax: (828) 255-5098
Email: terri.march@buncombecounty.org
Website: www.healthybuncombe.org
