The average American will gain up to 1.8 pounds each year. The trouble is, in many cases, Americans won’t ever lose the extra weight and, over the years, the pounds accumulate and often leads to obesity.

With this in mind, a worksite wellness program called the WellFeds Campaign “Federal Employees: Active and Healthy…Working Well!” was created to improve the culture of federal workplaces in Chicago to promote employee wellness, and thereby productivity, through physical activity, healthy eating, and other wellness activities.

During the holiday season the program focuses on the WellFeds Maintain Campaign, which encourages federal employees to track their weight and provides support for staying healthy through the new year.

Participants were confidentially weighed before Thanksgiving and then after New Year's. The WellFeds Maintain campaign also provided support for participants in their weight maintenance efforts by hosting lectures led by nutritionists, sending them e-mails with healthy eating tips, and building camaraderie among participants.

Despite this being its first year, the WellFeds Maintain Campaign proved to be very successful. The program’s goal was for federal employees to maintain their weight, but in fact, 50 percent of participants actually lost weight over the holiday season. At the final weigh-in, participants were enthusiastic about the program and reported that regardless of whether or not they were able to meet their weight goals, they were more conscious of what food and drinks they consumed during the holiday season. Several participants also commented that as a result of the program, they have been able to make healthy lifestyle changes, which they hope to continue to implement throughout the year.

Whether supporting employees to reach their weight maintenance goals during the holidays or lose the extra holiday pounds before summer, a weight maintenance campaign can encourage participants to be more conscious of the food and drinks they consume each day and to take small steps to improve their health. As an incentive for participants to make healthy choices, some weight maintenance campaigns provide the opportunity for participants to donate a small amount of money to a campaign fund. After the final weigh-in, donations from the fund are divided up among those participants who successfully maintain or decrease their weight during the campaign.

The Maintain Campaign is just one way that the WellFeds Campaign is working to improve the health and wellness of the 78,000 federal employees in the Chicagoland area. The WellFeds Campaign is changing the culture of federal workplaces to promote wellbeing through efforts that promote physical, emotional, and social health. Volunteer Wellness Champions in agencies across Chicagoland coordinate activities for their colleagues. Activities include “take the stairs” campaigns, walking clubs, ensuring the availability of healthy food at the workplace, promoting charity walks/runs, and more.

The WellFeds Campaign is quickly becoming a national model and has the goal of ensuring that all federal workplaces across the country promote a healthy lifestyle. For a full list of free and low cost worksite wellness activities, please visit our Web site www.healthierchicago.org/wellfeds and click on manual.

Obesity: What is it?

During the past 20 years there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States. It is now the most prevalent disorder of the 21st century and is a leading cause of mortality, morbidity, disability, healthcare utilization, and healthcare costs in this country. Healthcare officials at The Obesity Society, at www.obesity.org, say it is likely that the increase in obesity will “strain our healthcare system with millions of additional cases of diabetes, heart disease, and disability.” While the obesity crisis is affecting people across the board, research shows that it is hitting minorities even harder. According to The Obesity Society and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov, blacks have approximately 51 percent higher prevalence of obesity, and Hispanics have around 21 percent higher obesity prevalence compared with whites.

Adult obesity

For adults, overweight and obesity ranges are determined by using weight and height to calculate a number called the “body mass index” (BMI). An adult who has a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. An adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. For most people, BMI correlates with their amount of body fat. Some people, such as athletes, may have a BMI that classifies them as overweight even though they do not have excess body fat. It is important to remember that BMI correlates with the amount of body fat, but it does not directly measure body fat and is just one indicator of potential health risks associated with being overweight or obese.

Use this chart to help calculate your BMI (For a height of 5’ 9”).

weight range	BMI	considered
124 lbs or less	below 18.5	underweight
125 lbs to 168 lbs	18.5 to 24.9	healthy weight
169 lbs to 202 lbs	25.0 to 29.9	overweight
203 lbs or more	30 or higher	obese

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov.