Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Spring 2002)
TOPIC: A step in the right direction: Colorado On The Move
 
by karin meyer

An initiative in Colorado is literally taking steps to reduce obesity and the health problems associated with it.

The program, called Colorado On The Move, aims to increase residents’ walking by an average of 2,500 steps a day (about a mile a day). A pedometer worn at the waist measures progress. A Harris Poll taken in March showed Coloradans on average take 5,500 to 6,000 steps a day.
Now, the statewide program is looking for local groups to meet the challenge of boosting physical activity among their ranks. Businesses, schools, churches or any organized group can sign up for the 15-week program during which participants log the number of steps they’ve taken and chart their progress.

Data on participants’ height, weight, age, gender and physical activity level as well as the step logs will be used to help the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center evaluate progress toward reducing obesity through Colorado On The Move.
Interested?
Health District On the Move made great steps toward a healthier community during its three-year initiative that ended in August 2005. On the Move enrolled 225 companies and 5,000 participants. Community participants logged more than 2 billion steps! Although the Health District On the Move program is no longer enrolling groups, the Program Manual is available to groups wanting to implement the program!

Groups interested in hearing more about the Colorado On The Move program can contact Joanie Jones or Helen Thompson at (303) 315-9045 at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. www.coloradoonthemove.org

Participants begin by wearing the step counter for one week without increased activity. This establishes a baseline for the number of steps taken. Then, for 14 weeks, the meter is running. Walking, running and marching in place all count.

The cost of participation is nominal — $10 for a pedometer — while the benefits are far-reaching — exercise lowers the risk for heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and hypertension. The long-range goal is to get Coloradans to take 10,000 steps a day, which is a rough equivalent to the Surgeon General’s recommendation to achieve 30 minutes of physical activity of moderate intensity each day.

"If you have a company that’s starting to move, (the employees) have more energy," says Connie Mahaffey, who until February was the corporate wellness director for Hewlett-Packard’s Front Range sites. "People who are more active are more productive and take fewer sick days."

The goal of the program is to get participants interested in increasing their physical activity. Groups are encouraged to offer incentives and moral support to ensure success and participation.

"After 12 weeks, a habit should be forming. Hopefully these people have made this a part of their daily lives," says Mahaffey, who teaches in Colorado State University’s exercise science department.

Colorado On The Move, developed by Dr. James Hill at the Center for Nutrition, is funded in part by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase physical activity and nutrition.