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Integration of a Nutrition Blog into a Hospital’s Employee Wellness Program

Integration of a Nutrition Blog into a Hospital’s Employee Wellness Program. Rebecca Scofield, MS Underwood-Memorial Hospital ARAMARK Dietetic Internship May 15, 2012. Introduction. Obesity-Related Costs Exceed $110 billion annually 1

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Integration of a Nutrition Blog into a Hospital’s Employee Wellness Program

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  1. Integration of a Nutrition Blog into a Hospital’s Employee Wellness Program Rebecca Scofield, MS Underwood-Memorial Hospital ARAMARK Dietetic Internship May 15, 2012

  2. Introduction • Obesity-Related Costs • Exceed $110 billion annually1 • Medical expenses 30% greater than normal-weight Americans2 • Wellness Programs • Reduce obesity-related costs • Involve incentives, both cash and otherwise • Incorporate healthy activities • Remote multimedia interventions (e.g. internet) as successful as traditional activities3 Finkelstein  EA, Fiebelkorn IC, Wang G.National medical spending attributable to overweight and obesity: how much andwho’s paying? Health Aff. 2003.Suppl Web Exclusives: W3:219-226. Withrow D,  Alter DA.The economic burden of obesity worldwide: a systematic  review  of  the  direct  costs  of  obesity.  Obes  Rev.  2011;12(2): 131-41. Appel LJ, Clark JM, Yeh HC, Wang NY, Coughlin JW,  Daumit G, Miller  ER,DalcinA, Jerome  GJ,  Geller S, Noronha  G,  Pozefsky  T,  Charleston  J,   Reynolds  JB,  Durkin  N,  Rubin  RR,  Louis  TA,  Branca. FL.  Comparative effectiveness of weight‐loss  interventions in clinical  practice.  N  Engl  J  Med   2011;365(21):1959-68.

  3. Emerging Trends • Emerging Trends in Dietetics highlighted throughout the project: • Employee wellness programs/managed care • Obesity Epidemic • Using multimedia/social networking and integrating technology in dietetics

  4. Background • Nutrition Interventions • Diet-related employee wellness interventions influence nutrition knowledge, food intake, and health • Reduce absenteeism and increase productivity4 • Nutrition interventions can be integrated as part of wellness programs • Combining a social media approach (blog) with nutrition education: • Easily accessible • Inexpensive • Independent-learning wellness program intervention  Jensen  JD.  Can  worksite  nutri.onalinterven.ons  improve  produc.vity   and  firm  profitability?  A  literature  review.  Perspect  Public  Health  2011;131 (4):184-­‐92.

  5. Research Question • The purpose of this research was to determine if an online nutrition blog at Underwood-Memorial Hospital (U-MH) would increase awareness and participation in the employee wellness program and influence healthy behaviors among participants.

  6. U-MH Wellness Program • Wellness Passport documents various wellness events and activities for participants • All employees able to participate, only those with U-MH health insurance can get cash incentives • Wellness fairs, walking club, healthy lunch purchases, health survey, annual physical, etc • 2011: 36 participants completed and turned in Wellness Passports

  7. Methods: Participants • All employees have access to the blog via the blog’s website and from the hospital’s intranet site, the Pulse • 8 individuals responded to blog posts with questions • 25 individuals completed survey posted on the blog and linked to the Pulse

  8. Methods: Resources • No monetary cost • Free blog hosting site (Google Blogger) • Free marketing on the Pulse, Rebecca advertising at wellness fairs • Free survey site (Survey Monkey) • Time and knowledge from dietetic intern, project coordinators, Clinical Nutrition Manager, VP of Human Resources, Wellness Committee

  9. Methods:Blog Implementation • 5 Biweekly posts from January to March 2012 • Developed and hosted on Google Blogger • Cooperation from and integration into existing wellness program at U-MH • Participants awarded Wellness Passport Point for responding to 3 blog posts via email or comment • Rebecca the dietetic intern responded individually to each question • Awarded additional point for completing post-survey developed through Survey Monkey

  10. Sample Blog Post Blog Website: www.umhnutrition.blogspot.com

  11. Methods: Outcomes • Primary Outcomes: • Awareness of wellness program • Participation in wellness program • Participants’ healthy behaviors • Measured using blog website statistics, U-MH Wellness Committee data, and survey

  12. Results

  13. Results

  14. Results • Charts demonstrating increased participation and influence on healthy choices:

  15. Discussion of Findings • Related to increased awareness: • Majority of employees who were new to the wellness program stated the blog was their first activity • 75.8% said the blog introduced them to wellness program activities they were previously unaware of

  16. Discussion of Findings • Related to increased participation: • Half of those who responded to the blog did not participate in the 2011 wellness program, indicating the blog recruited new participants who earned Passport points • 89.7% strongly or somewhat agreed that the blog increased their overall participation in the program

  17. Discussion of Findings • Related to incorporating healthy behaviors: • Majority of participants claimed the blog enhanced their nutrition knowledge • 88.5% are extremely or very likely to use information learned to incorporate healthy behaviors in their lives

  18. Additional SurveyQuestions and Responses • I feel this blog has enhanced my nutrition knowledge Strongly Agree 10 38.5% Somewhat Agree 14 53.8% Somewhat Disagree 2 7.7% Strongly Disagree 0 0% • I would like to see a nutrition blog continued in the future. Strongly Agree 15 60% Somewhat Agree 10 40% Somewhat Disagree 0 0% Strongly Disagree 0 0%

  19. Conclusions • Limitations: • Sample size • Only 8 people responded to blog posts for a point • Unable to demonstrate increased participation by tallying total points for the year (time frame) • Could have used additional quantitative • No pre-post test to measure nutrition knowledge before and after blog • Additional outcomes: • More people viewed site than earned point, indicating that it was wide-reaching despite participation

  20. Conclusions • Nutrition blog increased awareness, participation, and influenced employees to make healthy choices • The blog provides reliable, easily accessible nutrition information to large audiences • With a free blog as part of a wellness program, employers can reduce healthcare expenses with no risk • Due to the blog’s success, it will continue at U-MH under direction of the Clinical Nutrition Manager

  21. Thanks to: • Underwood-Memorial Hospital’s Wellness Committee • Rob Manestrino, Vice President of Human Resources • Rosanne Leibhart, MS, RD, CNSC, Clinical Nutrition Manager • Krystyna Bowen, Project Coordinator • Lisa DeHaven, MS, RD, LDN, ARAMARK Dietetic Internship Director

  22. Questions?

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