Creating a competitive advantage with healthier workers in the Mississippi Delta

Background: The death rate for heart disease in the MS Delta is 267.8 per 100,000, higher than national and state averages. African Americans (AA) account for the highest mortality rates of heart disease in the Delta, with AA men reporting the highest rates. More than 60% of adults work and many spend 2,000 or more hours a year at work. Worksite wellness makes the places they work healthier. An ideal healthy worksite has opportunities for employees to be physically active, eat healthful foods and live tobacco-free.

Objective: To prevent and control high blood pressure among AA in the workplace setting.

Methods: Viking Range Corporation in Greenwood, MS was selected to participate in a hypertension management project. Viking Range has total workforce of 850, of which approximately 53% is AA. Screenings were performed to identify employees at risk for or diagnosed with hypertension to participate in a hypertension behavior modification program, which included cooking classes in Viking's nationally recognized cooking school, one-on-one counseling, and increased monitoring and screening.

Results: 44 employees participated in the intervention. Pre-post assessments revealed an increase in self-management skills including knowledge and practice of proper nutrition, physical activity, and self-monitoring. A detailed evaluation report will be published March 2011.

Conclusion: Overall, employees who participated in the program demonstrated improvement in how to manage their hypertension and/or risk factors for hypertension. Onsite worksite wellness programs are an effective mechanism for targeting individuals with or at risk for hypertension. This project will be expanded to include diabetes management.