Paying the community to achieve a healthy weight: An adaptation of a worksite wellness program for the general public

Overweight and obesity trends are on the rise - 55% of adults in Colorado have a BMI greater than 25. Weigh and Win is an incentive based community-wide behavior modification program aimed at helping people achieve and maintain a healthy weight. To create Weigh and Win, Kaiser Permanente modified a proven worksite wellness program that achieves an average weight loss of 5-7%. This is the first time the program has been adapted for the community. Weigh and Win is also the first large scale public program to use actual weight measurements to determine success. The program facilitates behavior change by helping participants incorporate healthy eating and active living in to their lifestyle through daily emails or text messages, a 24/7 health guide, and weekly journals. The actual weight of participants is measured quarterly at kiosks equipped with a camera and scale, which creates a visual report to track progress. Weight improvement enables participants to receive cash rewards and other prizes. To maximize program reach, kiosks are placed strategically in community locations such as libraries, supermarkets, recreation centers, and medical facilities. Retention is measured through ongoing use of program functions and quarterly kiosk weigh-ins. Program promotion methods (team challenges, use of existing community coalitions, social media) will be analyzed for success in obtaining participants. Lessons learned, reach, retention, and results data will be presented for the first eight months of the program (March – October, 2011) to demonstrate the adaptation of an incentive based worksite wellness program for the public.