178349 CDC's LEAN for Life: An interactive website for employers to assess, design, and implement effective employee obesity prevention and control programs

Wednesday, October 29, 2008: 11:15 AM

Michele Reyes, PhD , Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, CDC, Atlanta, GA
Mary Hill, BBA , Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, CDC, Atlanta, GA
Meredith Williams, MPH , Center for Health Communication, Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC
Beth Tohill, PhD , Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, CDC, Atlanta, GA
Annual costs of overweight and obesity to US employers is estimated to be as high as $117 billion in medical care and lost productivity. The Guide to Community Preventive Services recommends that worksite programs combine nutrition and physical activity to control overweight and obesity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the LEAN for Life (Leading Employers to Activity and Nutrition) initiative to translate these recommendations into practical strategies for employers.

LEAN for Life was developed through a number of processes, a systematic literature review, formative research conducted through employer-based expert panel meetings, and focus groups with human resources personnel. CDC developed this communication approach to target small (50-499 employees) and mid-size (500-4,999 employees) companies, human resource managers, and state employers. LEAN for Life provides employers with a centralized resource of free evidence-based tools to design, implement and assess employee obesity prevention and control programs. The LEAN for Life interactive web-site (www.cdc.gov/leanforlife) offers tools such as a cost calculator to project a company's financial return from a workplace obesity prevention program, a filter navigation system to easily customize a program unique to each employer regardless of size or sector, and case studies from companies implementing obesity prevention programs and tips for implementation. CDC partnered with organizations such as the US Chambers of Commerce, the National Business Group on Health, the National Business Coalition on Health, and other organizations to promote LEAN for Life. An evaluation of LEAN for Life will be discussed.

The author recommends an oral presentation

Learning Objectives:
• To increase awareness of CDC’s scientific evidence based reviews to identify effective worksite obesity prevention and control strategies • To increase understanding of corporate motivators, barriers and strategies for implementing and sustaining worksite obesity prevention programs • To increase awareness of CDC’s LEAN for Life initiative and resources available to employers

Keywords: Obesity, Worksite

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr Beth Carlton Tohill is a nutritional epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serving as the Team Lead for the Guidelines and Recommendations group in the Obesity Prevention and Control Branch ) in the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. Dr Tohill attended Texas A&M University, where she received her bachelor of arts degree in speech communication. She completed her master’s degree in international health at the University of Alabama, Birmingham in conjunction with service in the US Peace Corps as she spent 2 and half years in Guatemala conducting health and nutrition education to women’s groups as well as running workshops for primary school teachers and health care workers. Her doctorate in international nutrition was completed at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Tohill has been at the CDC for the last 8 years. Her current work includes extensive literature reviews of the epidemiological and intervention studies on weight management in both the medical care and community settings. Her team is taking this science base and translating the recommendations for obesity prevention and control in these settings. She serves as lead scientist for a practice guide for health care practitioners also known as the Research to Practice Series addressing the obesity epidemic. Dr. Tohill has served as a technical advisor to the World Health Organization on the implementation of the Global Strategy for Diet, Health and Physical Activity. She was a co-author on the obesity and healthy eating chapters of the Purchaser’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, which is currently being evaluated. Dr. Tohill and her team lead the national effort of summarizing the science on relevant weight management topics and translating the science into implications for practice.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Worksite Health Promotion Efforts to Combat Obesity
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