Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield wins 2004 Arkansas Fitness Challenge; develops free kit with Arkansas Department of Health to share program with state

Little Rock — Thousands of steps have been taken, the numbers
have been crunched, the results are in, and the winner of the first annual Arkansas Fitness Challenge is ... Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Sharon Allen, president and chief operating officer of Arkansas Blue Cross, flanked by a group of blue-T-shirt-clad employees, was officially crowned the “Queen of Fitness” today by Fay Boozman, M.D., director of the Arkansas Department of Health, in
the State Capitol Rotunda.

The Arkansas Fitness Challenge is an employee exercise contest held between Arkansas Blue Cross and the Arkansas Health Department that encouraged employees to work toward the public health recommendation of adult physical activity 30 minutes each day, most days of the week. A total of 2,696 employees from the two entities participated in the competition from March 1 - May 31, 2004.
During the three-month period, employees from each entity engaged in eligible cardiovascularoriented exercises to work their way through 30 virtual checkpoints in Arkansas – from Bentonville to West Memphis. The winning entity was determined by whose employees had the greatest participation and scored the highest in four categories of measurement.

“Every employee who participated in the Arkansas Fitness Challenge – regardless of who they work for – is a winner in my opinion,” said Allen. “The contest has been one thing, but the personal gain our employees have achieved has been more than I ever could have hoped for. Every participating employee worked hard to meet contest and personal goals, and I congratulate them on their accomplishments. We all win with better health.”

“While I’d like to be wearing the crown, I only can be pleased about what this contest has done for our employees,” said Boozman. “It is pretty amazing to me that in only a short period of time, we have seen such remarkable progress in the fitness levels of employees who participated in the Arkansas Fitness Challenge.”

“We now want to make this program available to employers and employees statewide,” said Allen. “Arkansas Blue Cross and the Arkansas Health Department together are compiling an employee fitness contest kit that will be presented to Gov. Mike Huckabee to be used with his Healthy Arkansas initiative. This kit will be made available free to interested companies and organizations to help them organize their own similar contests – and challenge other groups in their communities. The kits, in the form of notebooks, will become available at the end of the summer, and more information will be available upon completion of the kit. Our hope is that the idea will catch on and others will be able to experience similar success at their own worksites.”

In preliminary results from a post-event evaluation among Challenge participants (841 survey respondents), 19 percent indicated that their health status had “greatly improved” during the contest; 61 percent of the respondents said their health status had “somewhat improved;” and 19 percent said their health status had “remained the same.”

Of the respondents, 32 percent said they reached their own personal goal to “begin
exercising;” 44 percent of respondents said they reached their goal to “increase exercising;” and 31 percent to “lose weight.”

The following percentage of survey respondents indicated their levels of exercise below:

Respondents also indicated they had lowered their systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol levels, weight, blood sugar and stress levels during the contest. Eighty-nine percent of respondents said they increased their exercise tolerance during the contest, and 98 percent said they will participate in future programs like the Arkansas Fitness Challenge.

“Through the Arkansas Fitness Challenge, we have seen these kinds of results among a population of about 3,000 employees (participants) in three months,” said Boozman. “Just think what they can accomplish in a year. Imagine how much healthier Arkansans would be if every workplace had similar results with their employees year-round.”

“I received e-mails from employees saying they were lacing up and walking for the first time in 20 years!” said Allen. “Some said they just needed a little incentive to get up and get moving, and the Arkansas Fitness Challenge did that for them. One employee shared that the Challenge became a family affair, that once he started exercising, so did his wife and daughter and now they walk together. Another employee shared that she had diabetes and needed to do something to get things under control. I know of two employees in our camp that quit smoking during the Challenge.

“That’s what it’s all about. The Arkansas Fitness Challenge is one way we have made a commitment to better health starting at home,” continued Allen. “The contest fit perfectly with our worksite wellness program and got the Arkansas Health Department’s worksite wellness program off to a great start.”

During the Arkansas Fitness Challenge, employees of each entity were encouraged to exercise with consistent or increasing frequency during the three-month period. Employees advanced (virtually) on the Arkansas route by satisfying one daily exercise requirement from a list of eligible exercises (cardiovascular-focused) including walking/jogging/running, swimming/water aerobics, bicycling, court sports, aerobic dance or aerobic machines.

To stay on track and successfully complete the program in three months, employees were required to advance one checkpoint at least three times per week for 10 weeks. The more employees exercised, the more times they crossed the state.

Four measures determined the winner of the Challenge. The highest scoring entity on a single item earned the points assigned to that measure and was the “winner” of that measure. The entity earning the most cumulative points was declared the overall winner or “Best of Show.” Scores of the four measures were as follows:

Participating employees’ stats were logged and tracked electronically as aggregate data for monitoring each entity’s progress.

“It was a very close contest,” said Allen. “Back in April at our first data exchange, Arkansas Blue Cross was ahead, but only by fractions of percentage points. When we exchanged data in early May, the Arkansas Health Department had taken the lead, and we were sweating! Then, both entities raced toward the finish line, which brings us to today. It’s great to have the numbers in our favor, but I
will tell you we have had a worthy opponent in Fay Boozman and his team. In reality, the Arkansas Fitness Challenge has been a ‘win-win’ situation for everyone. Employees in both camps are continuing to exercise even though the contest has ended. Good habits that last a lifetime can lead to better health, and that is one of the greatest measures of success we can enjoy.”

Founded in 1948, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is the largest health insurer in Arkansas. Arkansas Blue Cross and its affiliates have more than 2,400 employees and provide health care financing for more than one-third of Arkansans. If combined, the 41 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Plans collectively provide health care coverage for 90 million — nearly one-third of all Americans.

The Arkansas Department of Health plays a key role in protecting and improving the health of all Arkansans. Public health measures have been responsible for many of the major improvements in the health of Arkansans by helping control infectious diseases, ensure safe food and water, ensure safe workplaces, support maternal and child health services, support dental health, recognize tobacco use as a health hazard, and much more. Many services are provided at the local level
through a statewide service network. The public health workforce of more than 3,000 employees is working every day to promote prevention services and to defend against threats to the public’s health, which makes “Keeping Your Hometown Healthy” more than a slogan for the Health Department.

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