With the 2007 Nevada legislative session in full swing, a group of researchers from UNLV are carefully tracking the one thing that's important to every legislator regardless of party affiliation--health.
For eight weeks during the heart of the legislative session, legislators, lobbyists and their support staffs are eligible to participate in the Nevada 110 Challenge, an innovative web-based wellness program tracking daily actions that contribute to improvements in fitness, nutrition and stress management. The program takes its name from its menu of 110 activities, identified as day-to-day choices even busy individuals can make to contribute to their overall health.
"Our focus for the challenge is to reinforce the actions people are already taking to maintain or improve their health," said Chuck Regin, co-director of the program and assistant professor of health promotion at UNLV. "If the program can be beneficial to legislators--who work very long hours and are under a tremendous amount of stress--it can work for everyone."
The program is a continuation of the successful Nevada 100 Challenge, which debuted during the 2005 legislative session at the request of now Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera, a captain with the North Las Vegas Fire Department. Oceguera experienced firsthand the positive effects of programs provided by UNLV's Office of Research and Development for Firefighter Wellness and Fitness and asked the university's researchers whether a similar program could be adapted for Nevada's lawmakers.
In the last legislative session, more than 200 people signed up to participate and collectively reported more than 103,000 wellness actions during the session. Close to 200 people have already signed up for the newest challenge and represent an eclectic mix of participants, with members ranging in age from 19 to 83.
"Legislators take the lead on critical health policy decisions affecting Nevada and we also have the opportunity to take the lead as positive role models who make healthy choices in our own lives," said Senator Valerie Wiener, who was among the top challenge participants in 2005.
Participants in the Nevada 110 Challenge utilize a special web site to self-report activities designed to increase or maintain fitness, improve eating practices, increase physical activity and help manage stress. Each healthy activity, or action, recorded will be assigned a score based on the health of its health benefit. In addition, participants, who can sign up individually or as part of team, will be contacted weekly with personalized e-mail "health boosters" that provide motivating messages and ideas for healthy activities. Progress will be tracked throughout the study and researchers will offer post-program follow up.
