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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Tiffany K. Pang, MPH, CHES, Regional Health Education, Health Promotion and Prevention, Kaiser Permanente, 393 E. Walnut St., Pasadena, CA 91188, 626-564-3628, tiffany.k.pang@kp.org
A worksite intervention designed to decrease cardiovascular disease risk by changing adverse lifestyle behaviors among high-risk employees was conducted to determine the effectiveness of tailored health education delivered through multiple communication channels. Media such as written pamphlets, broadcast e-mails, newsletters, posters, flyers, and referrals to other resources were consistently delivered over a 10-month period. High-risk individuals (n=97, 35.4%) were selected from employees who participated in a health screening (n=274) to measure blood pressure and cholesterol levels. A needs assessment determined the most preferred method(s) of communication, barriers to behavior change, current lifestyle practices, and awareness of available resources. Among the high-risk employees indicating they were not making healthier lifestyle changes since their health screening, 40% reported a lack of time as the barrier. The intervention is based upon concepts of the Health Belief Model, Social Support Theory, and Social Marketing Framework. It is believed that 1) by providing materials through multiple communication channels, a larger population is impacted, 2) by tailoring materials based on an individual's risk factor(s), specific and relevant information is provided, facilitating comprehension, and 3) providing ongoing health education directly to the individual serves as a cue to action, eliminates lack of time to access information as a barrier, and serves as a social support mechanism. Qualitative and quantitative analysis and comparison with pre-test results will be based upon a post-survey and health screenings to be conducted next month. Effectiveness will be based upon changes in lifestyle practices, self-efficacy levels, and cholesterol and blood pressure readings.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Worksite, Heart Disease
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.