Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #109733

Stephenie C. Lemon, PhD¹, Jane G. Zapka, ScD¹, Barbara Estabrook, MSPH¹, Milagros C. Rosal, PhD¹, Janet Fraser Hale, PhD, APRN, BC, NP², Patricia D. Franklin, MD, MBA, MPH³, and Wenjun Li, PhD¹. (1) Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, 508-856-4098, Stephenie.Lemon@umassmed.edu, (2) Graduate School of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655, (3) Department of Orthopedics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, Worcester, MA 01655

Hospitals are attractive worksites to test the effectiveness of ecological weight control interventions because they employ large numbers of people who are socio-economically and racially diverse, yet share common physical, social and policy work environments. This abstract summarizes the development, design and implementation of Step Ahead, a multi-level intervention designed to promote weight control among hospital employees through physical activity and healthy dietary practices. The intervention is being evaluated in a randomized controlled trial that includes six hospitals, randomized by site within matched pairs. Primary outcomes are changes in body mass index, physical activity levels and dietary practices. Developed within an ecologic framework and utilizing principles of community-based participatory research, the intervention consists of a comprehensive set of strategies that target multiple levels, the organization, the work unit and the individual, through changes to the physical environment, cultivation of leadership and managerial support and employee involvement, changes to the policy-procedural environment, informational strategies, informal social network activities, social marketing campaigns and structured educational opportunities. Each intervention strategy and objectives within strategies are based in theory and evidence. The key messages highlight that small choices made throughout the day lead to substantial health benefit. While the hospital workforce reflects multiple cultures including a wide variety of department types, multiple professional and support staff disciplines, and unionized segments of the workforce, it is hypothesized that promoting “small steps” to improve health can be universally appealing to diverse groups and has the potential to make significant impacts in weight control.

Learning Objectives:

• Articulate the components of a multi-level conceptualization of environment necessary for a hospital worksite weight control intervention.
• Recognize the need for a comprehensive participatory infrastructure to the successful implementation of a hospital worksite weight control intervention.

Keywords: Worksite, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.