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February
10, 2006
Little Rock--As the Winter Olympics get set to begin in
Torino, games of another sort prepared to launch today in Arkansas during which thousands of Arkansans
are expected to go for the “gold” in the 2006 Arkansas Fitness Challenge. A ceremonial torch was
lighted during a media kickoff today in the State Capitol Rotunda to commemorate the beginning of
the employee exercise contest, which begins March 1 and runs through May 31. In addition to the
Challenge anchors, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Arkansas Department of Health and
Human Services (DHHS), many other companies, organizations and state agencies statewide are
joining in the competition and were recognized at the kickoff.
“The 2005 statistics are in the history books and we’re beginning again at the starting line,” said
Sharon Allen, president and chief operating officer of Arkansas Blue Cross. “I, Sharon Allen, on behalf
of the employees of Arkansas Blue Cross, challenge you, John Selig, and the employees of DHHS to
‘Round 3’ of the Arkansas Fitness Challenge. ... Let the games begin ... again.”
Arkansas Blue Cross and the former Arkansas Department of Health introduced the Arkansas
Fitness Challenge in 2004 when employees of the two entities squared off to “get fit.” At stake? Better
health. The Challenge encourages employees to work toward the public health recommendation of
adult physical activity 30 minutes each day, most days of the week.
In 2005, the second year for the contest, a total of 2,362 employees from the two anchor
entities participated in the competition, engaging in eligible cardiovascular-oriented 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. Arkansas Blue Cross
employees won the contest in 2004 and 2005. However, the biggest win was in improved employee health and fitness for all
employees who participated in the competition.
“The first and second Challenge yielded great results in improved fitness levels for the
employees of Arkansas Blue Cross and the Arkansas Department of Health,” said Allen. “Last year, in
addition to our two entities, 45 other companies and groups stepped up to the Challenge and got
moving. Some groups did internal contests; some found a foe and challenged another company in
their community. We estimate that between 10,000 and 12,000 individuals through their groups
participated in the 2005 Arkansas Fitness Challenge. That is amazing. This year, many of those same
groups and several others are up to the Challenge.”
To help other companies prepare for their own competitions, the Employee Fitness Contest Kit,
a complete guide to organizing an employee competition, was distributed. The Kit was developed
following the 2004 contest and offered free to companies. To date, almost 500 requests for the Kit
have been received from large and small companies, banks, schools and universities, physician
offices, churches, hospitals and state agencies.
“We believe programs like the Arkansas Fitness Challenge are a fun, motivational way to help
people begin to change their lifestyles and, ultimately, improve their health and fitness,” said Selig. “In
Arkansas today, approximately 85 percent of our citizens have very little physical activity in their daily
lives,” said Selig. “We have roughly more than 65 percent of our citizens considered obese or overweight.
We still have a high number of smokers. The costs in treating diseases that result from these health risks,
like heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes — preventable diseases — is skyrocketing. We are
looking at a serious public health epidemic as overweight baby boomers age and become ill.
“In a post-contest evaluation, 2005 Challenge participants within our two entities told us that
their health had somewhat or greatly improved during the contest; that they had increased the
number of days they exercised per week; that they had lowered their systolic blood pressure, diastolic
blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight (four reported losing 50+ pounds). Ninety-eight
(98) percent said they would participate in future programs like the Challenge.
Feedback from our external participants showed that they had experienced similar results in their workplaces,” Selig said.
“We didn’t get here overnight and we don’t presume that things will be “fixed” in a few months,”
said Allen. “But the employees of these groups are making a start. This is awesome. It’s what we
hoped for. It’s what we need to help Arkansans enjoy a healthier life and move Arkansas from 46th in
the nation in poor health to first in the nation for good health.”
Governor Huckabee declared today “Arkansas Fitness Challenge” day in recognition of the contest
in a decree that was introduced by Jean-Paul Francoeur, chairman of the Governor’s Council on Fitness.
“The Arkansas Fitness Challenge is one way we are making a commitment to better health,
starting at home,” said Selig.
Allen said it is recommended that employees always consult their physician before starting any
exercise program. “Our desire is to meet employees right where they are and get them started down
the road to better health, better self-esteem and a better life,” she said.” You don’t have to be a fitness
fanatic; we just want to make some movement, literally and figuratively, toward better health. We also
want to encourage other companies and organizations around the state to organize their own fitness
challenges and keep this healthy movement ... moving.”
To receive a free copy of the “Employee Fitness Contest Kit” in notebook and/or CD format,
call toll-free: 1-800-686-2609 (Arkansas Blue Cross) or stop by the nearest Arkansas Blue Cross
office.
The Kit may be downloaded as PDFs at any one of the following Web sites:
www.ArkansasBlueCross.com (click on “Employers” tab, then the Kit logo)
www.HealthAdvantage-hmo.com (click on “Employers” tab, then the Kit logo)
www.BlueAdvantageArkansas.com (click on “Employers” tab, then the Kit logo)
www.HealthyArkansas.com (click on the Kit logo)
www.Arkansas.gov/ha/home.html (click on the Kit logo)
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, serving approximately
one-third of the fully insured market. Arkansas Blue Cross and its affiliates have more than 2,700
employees. If combined, the 39 independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans
collectively provide health-care coverage for 93 million — nearly one in three — Americans.
The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services plays a key role in protecting and
improving the health of all Arkansans. DHHS serves more than one million Arkansans each year. For
more information about DHHS services, please visit www.arkansas.gov/dhhs.
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