Get Healthier cards

Description

‘Get Healthier’ Lifestyle education cards teach employees how to live healthier lifestyles by working in small groups or teams and talking about the scripted information on the Cards, and to practice these habit patterns. Groups of 3-7 employees meet for about 30 minutes weekly to discuss each card or topic, plus an additional 10 minutes if test data are collected to determine how much is learned. Employees take turns leading topic discussions and typically rotate weekly.

Each download of the ‘Get Healthier’ Lifestyle Education Cards includes (1) Leader Cards and Member Cards, (2) a supplemental sheet for the Calories card and (3) Take Home Activities for each of the 12 topics. The Leader Cards have information, questions and answers to stimulate discussion. Member Cards have information and questions but they do not have the answers. All employees can use the Take Home Activities to practice what they have learned in the sessions.

‘Get Healthier’ Topics (1 double-sided card per topic):

• Get healthier (making goals, pedometer)
• Sleep
• Calories (calories in foods, portion sizes, RMR calculations)
• Liquids & calories (low calorie/sugar options, low-high comparisons)
• Basic nutrition (reading labels, food groups: healthy vs. unhealthy)
• Snacks (healthier options)
• Sugar (natural vs. added, limit added)
• Exercise (benefits, starting out)
• Strength (weekly needs, group strength routine)
• Flexibility (benefits, injury)
• Stress (body-mind, management)
• Moving forward (overview, future health goals)

Click to see an example of a Member Card (side 2 only) and a Take Home Activity sheet.

Evidence base:  The BeSuper! intervention (available as a toolkit) provided (1) this computer-based training for supervisors; (2) self-monitoring activities on team building, work-life balance, and reinforcing targeted behaviors designed to support the computer-based training; (3) scripted healthy lifestyle education in small groups with (4) practice activities designed to support the lifestyle education; the lifestyle education and practice activities were both designed to be completed by all participants, in small groups of 3-7 people.  BeSuper (presented in English) was studied in a pre- vs. post-intervention comparison of 22 supervisors and 13 workers primarily under those supervisors.  The computer-based training improved performance from the pre-test (78%) to the post-test (98%) producing an effect size (d) = 2.92.*  The intervention produced a significant (p<.05) improvement in family-supportive supervisory behaviors (reported by the supervisors; effect size or d=0.72), but most effects were in the lifestyle measures; they were an increased frequency of exercising 30 minutes/day and muscle toning exercises (d=0.50 and 0.59), family and co-worker healthy diet support (d=0.53 and 0.59), team cohesion (d=0.38), reduced sugary snacks and drinks (d=0.46 and d=0.46), sleep duration (d=0.38), and objectively-measured systolic blood pressure (d=0.27).  These are all medium effect sizes (d).  This study has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal; the work is a product of Dr. Kent Anger’s laboratory.

* Effect size (d) is a measure of the size or magnitude of a change.  A review of hundreds of studies categorize d = 0.25 to 0.49 as small; 0.50 to 0.79 as medium; and 0.80 and above as large (Cohen, 1988). Cohen J. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences Lawrence Earlbaum Associates. Hillsdale, NJ. 1988:20-26.