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By the numbers: Montgomery County United Way fights obesity

By: Julie Adcock
| Published 01/20/2016

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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — The United States is facing an obesity epidemic that is disrupting lives at an alarming rate, and Montgomery County is not immune to its effects. More than one-third, or 78.6 million, adults in the US are obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also reports that African Americans have the highest age-adjusted rates of obesity at 47.8% followed by Hispanics (42.5%), whites (32.6%), and Asians (10.8%). How do these numbers add up in our community?

The Montgomery County 2011 Community Health Assessment compiled by the Texas Health Institute reported 70% of adults within Montgomery County to be obese or overweight, eclipsing the national percentage of 34.9%. The number of adults reported as overweight or obese within income populations of $25,000 a year or less peaked at 84%. Amid soaring health spending, there is growing interest in the US, as well as in Montgomery County, in workplace wellness programs to improve health and lower costs.

Montgomery County United Way has been on the leading edge of these studies and developed the Healthy Living Alliance in 2011 to focus on the needs of our community when it comes to health and wellness. Children, adults, and the aged are all at risk of the pitfalls of overeating and lack of exercise. The Montgomery County United Way Healthy Living Alliance focuses on the de-mystification of the obesity epidemic through motivation and education from teachers and coaches, doctors, fitness instructors, personal trainers, food experts, and real-life success stories.

Through various other studies by professors at Harvard University (“Workplace Wellness Programs Can Generate Savings”, (January 14, 2010), it has been found that medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs at one’s place of work. Absenteeism also drops by about $2.73 for every dollar spent on these types of programs. The return on investment of purposed workplace wellness programs suggests that a proactive budgeting of workplace wellness campaigns can save its employees, and the company, money in healthcare coverage, doctors’ visits and productivity lost to sick days.

The Montgomery County United Way Healthy Living Alliance Workplace Wellness program experienced measurable success in 2015, it’s pilot year. Through 2 pilot sites, Greenleaf Elementary and the City of Willis, employees opted to participate in the program that would offer daily group exercise, nutrition and general health education, and health screenings at the beginning of the program as well as the end. Sixteen City of Willis employees completed the program. Of those 16 employees, 9 experienced a weight loss ranging from 1.5 to 56 pounds. 21 staff members at Greenleaf Elementary School completed the program. Nineteen of the 21 participants experienced weight loss ranging from .2 to 40 pounds. While 50% of the Elementary school staff experienced improved health, a staggering 90% of Willis employees benefited from the program. The 2 pilot sites have continued their second year of the program while 3 additional sites have been added.

In the 2014-2015 fiscal year, Montgomery County United Way funded three external programs and operated four internally-run programs that directly work towards reducing obesity in Montgomery County. Through these seven programs, 7,775 residents received health education to reduce unhealthy weight. The Health & Wellness priority goal of Montgomery County United Way is to increase the number of residents in Montgomery County living at a healthy weight at the rate of 10% by 2020.

One success story from the Montgomery County United Way Workplace Wellness program is Marie Kellogg. A teacher at Greenleaf Elementary, Marie had little time outside of the classroom to focus on her health and wellness. “I am not the stereotypical recipient, but I would say that United Way has changed my life incredibly. I teach five classes so I am on the go all day. It goes to a point where you lose yourself and you do not apply yourself to exercise or taking care of your health. One thing that the United Way does is have an instructor that comes in that trains you to have a healthier life. It gives you a goal; something to work for…for your body, for yourself and for your health.” Because of the Workplace Wellness program, Marie has experienced a 32 pound weight loss, a decrease in disease-causing body fat, a decrease in blood pressure falling in the normal, healthy range and a drastic decrease in cholesterol.

Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer; some of the leading causes of premature death. The estimated medical cost of obesity in the US was $147 billion, with the costs for obese people being $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. Workplace wellness campaigns like the Healthy Living Alliance one helps educate participants about these diseases, how to prevent them, and overall general health and wellness.

To learn more about our Healthy Living Alliance programs including Workplace Wellness, visit http://www.mcuw.org/healthandwellness.

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