Kaiser Permanente Launches New "Maintain Don't Gain" Program

Free Toolkit Helps Employees Take Charge of their Weight during the Holidays

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Oct 04, 2011, 03:45 ET

OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Everyone knows how challenging it is to keep the pounds off during the holiday season. It's the time of year when your office may be deluged by temptation, particularly if customers, vendors and team members shower you with gifts of candy and cookies. A study by the National Institutes of Health shows most Americans gain an average of one pound during the holidays and they usually don't lose it, so over time, it adds up.

To help employees beat the odds, Kaiser Permanente announces the launch of a new weapon to fend off those sugary treats and pounds: The "Maintain Don't Gain" toolkit. This free do-it-yourself resource from HealthWorks by Kaiser Permanente offers employers a variety of ideas, tips and materials to help employees resist temptation and take charge of their weight spanning an eight week period from mid-November to the first week in January.

"Employees spend more than 2,000 hours at work every year. It makes good business sense to keep them healthy. Employers can help employees make healthy choices during the holiday season." said Elisa Mendel, vice president, HealthWorks.

The toolkit includes a number of elements for an employer to use: An implementation checklist that details how to use each of the individual tools; a promotional flier, poster, tent card and emails; a participation pledge sheet; a series of eight weekly emails, each including a challenge, a tip and an additional resource; and an individual weight change tracking tool. Located at Kaiser Permanente's BusinessNet website, the toolkit can be found on businessnet.kp.org.

Kaiser Permanente first initiated the "Maintain Don't Gain" voluntary approach in 2009 among its own employees in Colorado to raise the awareness of holiday eating habits and weight gain. The goal was to maintain each participant's pre-holiday weight through the holiday season. The majority of participants were able to maintain their weight throughout the program and a number lost weight. More than 90 percent of participants reported confidence that they would continue their strategies to maintain their weight after the program ended, and would also participate again in a similar program if offered again.

In addition to "Maintain Don't Gain," HealthWorks provides a host of customized workforce health programs aimed at helping businesses reduce absenteeism, presenteeism and other hidden costs that can add to the bottom line. Kaiser Permanente's integrated care and groundbreaking electronic medical records and other online tools help create effective employee wellness programs with measurable results.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 8.8 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: www.kp.org/newscenter.

For more information, contact:
Diana Yee, 510-271-6671, [email protected]

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente