Active Living Program News
Healthy Eating Every Day Online (HEED) Program: A Coast Guard Health
By Melissa Ross
As Coast Guard health promotion manager for the southeast United States and Caribbean, I oversee a core of approximately 280 collateral duty unit health promotion coordinators (UHPCs) located at 140 operational units in the region. UHPCs attend training to obtain the knowledge, tools, and skills to implement and coordinate programs at their worksites, and it is my responsibility to ensure they have access to adequate and credible resources. While UHPCs do well dedicating time to awareness and education-level programs, offering intervention programs is always a challenge. I came upon the HEED program when researching online behavior change programs. I was pleased to see that not only does HEED address the nuts and bolts of healthy eating, but more important, it addresses the most difficult aspect of behavior change: how to establish and sustain new and healthy habits in an increasingly stressful and demanding world. HEED had other programmatic factors I was looking for as well: It was flexible, affordable, convenient, and user friendly. After completing an online training and attending facilitator training at the Cooper Institute, I was prepared to offer my first online course.
Nutrition and weight management are two of the most popular elements of our program. Our active-duty personnel are required to meet a weight standard, and weigh-ins are conducted in April and October. Weigh-in periods cause a great deal of stress for members who struggle with lifestyle, weight, and healthy eating issues. If a member is put on the weight program two consecutive times within a specific period, that person can be separated from the Coast Guard, marking the end of his or her Coast Guard career. Sadly, the majority of personnel separated from the Coast Guard because of overweight are good performers. While the HEED program is not a weight loss program per se, I needed to identify an appropriate program for members who struggle with weight issues and also one that would help them to change their lifestyle and establish healthy eating patterns. Not all participants in the first course had weight problems. Some were interested in improving their disease risk profile. One participant had borderline high blood sugar and a family history of diabetes, and another had high cholesterol and was slightly overweight. All the participants were seeking to improve overall health and well-being. To meet the needs of those struggling with weight problems, we will offer HEED online to our population four months before each weigh-in period.
As the first organization to offer an entirely online ALP program, I knew there would be some challenges along the way. Nevertheless, I was happy to meet the challenge and, while doing so, provide valuable feedback for the ALP staff. The first course was a small, manageable group of 15 participants from worksites with varying operational missions. With this approach, I gained insight into how the type of unit affects the participants’ ability to complete the program. For example, a person assigned to a boat has uniquely different challenges than someone in an administrative position at a shore unit. Boats at sea often experience frequent computer network outages, and the spontaneous nature of their work can throw a schedule out to sea! Solicitation for the program was sent via e-mail to each of the 15 unit officers in charge and their UHPC. The e-mail explained the who, what, where, when, and how of the HEED program and requested they respond with names of interested people. In sending this solicitation to the XO and UHPC, a team effort was encouraged to provide on-site participant support and motivation. After receiving names of interested people, I conducted phone interviews with each person to determine level of readiness and motivation.
With a busy schedule, I was concerned about program workload. Fortunately, this did not turn out to be a problem. I was never overwhelmed with phone calls and e-mail or stuck in the tediousness of reviewing food logs. I communicated with biweekly e-mails and let the participants know I was available, which encouraged discussion. Frequent and open communication is the key to a successful HEED course.
In hindsight, I recommend that facilitators obtain participant passwords from the ALP support staff once registration is complete. This enables the facilitator to view a participant’s site and confirm he or she is completing the pyramid, goals, and other assessments. Also, assessment results provide valuable program outcome data. At various points along the course, I reviewed participant assessment results and reports, but my schedule did not allow me to do this for every participant. During the next course, I plan to keep a spreadsheet tracking completed participant assessments.
Most of the participants thought the online food log was too time consuming. They much preferred to carry a small spiral notebook and log their intake throughout the day. I supported whatever method they chose and let them know I was happy to review their food logs. Those who used the online food log did so for only the first couple of weeks, and I provided feedback on request.
Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of the pilot program, and results from participant evaluations were positive. Of the original 15 participants, 8 completed the program. Each person was committed from the beginning, but life happens. Some were unable to complete the course because of work demands, and some had personal issues that interfered. As online facilitators, we do our best to be available to course participants and offer nonjudgmental support through the behavior change process. In the end, though, personal responsibility and a high level of readiness and commitment are what lead them to reach their goals.
Following are some of the participants’ comments about the course:
“I really benefited from the course. My eating habits are much better and I eat a ton of fruit, which gives me a lot of energy. I also noticed that my sleeping problems are getting better.”
“I took a lot of the online course home and was able to work on it from home and work, which made it more convenient.”
“The 14-week course is the right amount of time with some of the topics as small as they were.”
“I loved this course. I really felt I gained a great future through good eating habits.”
“I love eating healthier. I feel so much better about myself. I’ve got a great response through doctor check-ups as far as high blood pressure and weight are concerned.”
In closing, I had a lot of fun facilitating HEED Online and enjoyed the process of watching the participants change and grow in so many positive ways. Thanks to Bhibha, Michelle, and the tech support crew for all their support. I look forward to helping make HEED Online the best it can be.
There is more to share about my first experience with facilitating HEED Online. Please feel free to call me if you would like to learn more.
Melissa Ross, US Coast Guard Health Promotion Manager 305-278-6664
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