MEDIA CONTACT: Kaytee Long | Health Promotion Manager|O: 303-694-8012 |C: 303-619-8571 | [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Over 2,700 Participants Have Enrolled in the 2014 Healthy Holiday Challenge
All Residents to Stay within One Pound of Current Weight Will Receive a $15 Amazon Gift Card
DENVER, Nov. 25, 2014 – Kaiser Permanente supported program, Weigh and Win, launches the first annual Healthy Holiday Challenge encouraging Coloradans to maintain their current weight throughout the 2014 holiday season. All residents who lose or stay within one pound of initially recorded weight will receive a $15 gift card to Amazon.com. Participants are required to complete an initial weigh-in November 19-26 at any kiosk location. A final weigh-in must be completed January 1-8 to qualify for the Healthy Holiday incentive. Over 2,700 Coloradans have enrolled in the challenge.
“On average, a person will gain 1-2 pounds during each holiday season” said Lia Schoepke, Program Manager of Weigh and Win. “This excess weight is typically never lost which, over time, can add up to a significant weight gain. Weigh and Win creates an incentivized challenge for Coloradans to maintain a healthy lifestyle during the season.”
Weigh and Win is a free community program available to all Colorado residents (18 years and older) that teaches healthy habits and pays cash rewards for weight improvement and maintenance. Participants who join the program at an unhealthy weight (BMI >/= 25) qualify for cash incentives. Additional prizes are awarded just for participating. Kaiser Permanente is the founding funder of Weigh and Win as part of its commitment to promoting healthy eating and active living.
The average weight improvement for successful Weigh and Win participants after one year in the program is 17.7 pounds or an eight percent weight loss. Participants involved in the Weigh and Win Team Challenge see a higher success rate: 20.5 pounds for team members and 22.3 pounds for team captains. The next Team Challenge will begin February 1 and run through April 30, 2015.
In addition to the Healthy Holidays Challenge and bi-annual Team Challenges, Weigh and Win offers the one-on-one Challenge-a-Friend feature. Available year-round, the challenge creates a friendly competition with an incentive of the participant’s choice.
To date, more than 53,000 Coloradans have signed up for Weigh and Win as a commitment to health improvement. Participants have lost a total of 160,496 pounds, earning a total of $280,000 in cash rewards.
“Our goal is to reward 100 million people for engaging in a H.E.A.L. (Healthy Eating, Active Living) lifestyle. Our success in Colorado is one piece of the puzzle,” said Schoepke.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE HEALTHY HOLIDAY CHALLENGE:
- Participants can visit WeighandWin.com, sign-up for free (or log-in to existing Weigh and Win account) and click ‘Healthy Holidays’ under the ‘Challenges’ tab, followed by ‘Join the Challenge’.
- A pre-holiday weigh-in must be completed between November 19-26, 2014 at any Weigh and Win kiosk location. Weekly tips will be provided to assist with weight maintenance during the holidays.
- A post-holiday weigh-in must be completed between January 1 – 8, 2015. If recorded weight is within one pound of participants’ pre-holiday weight, a $15 Amazon gift card will be rewarded.
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ABOUT WEIGH AND WIN: As a free, one-of-a-kind community program, Weigh and Win utilizes verified weight loss data through patented photographed weigh-ins and provides Colorado adults with access to an effective weight management platform. The program engages participants with rewards tied to measured results and is aimed at decreasing obesity rates. This is the first program of its kind to translate an evidence-based worksite wellness program, developed by incentaHEALTH, into a community program for the general public. Weigh and Win is funded by Kaiser Permanente to complementthe organization’s other efforts to increase healthy eating and physical activity throughout the state. Currently, 45 percent of all Weigh and Win participants with two or more weigh-ins have achieved a 3 percent or more weight improvement. Recent research suggests that even a weight loss of 3-5 percent produces meaningful health benefits, such as reducing risk for Type 2 Diabetes and need for cholesterol and heart medications.
Colorado residents 18 and over can sign up for free at www.WeighandWin.com and will receive daily coaching on healthy eating and active living by email or text message. The coaching includes tips for weight loss, daily exercise and meal plans, weekly grocery shopping lists and more. Progress is tracked through quarterly weigh-ins at one of 56 community kiosk locations throughout the state. Success is rewarded with quarterly cash rewards for weight loss and maintenance, as well as monthly prize drawings for participating. Those who begin the program at an unhealthy weight (BMI >/= 25) qualify for cash rewards. For more information on Weigh and Win, please visit www.weighandwin.com or “like” Weigh and Win on Facebook.