Community Health Challenge

The upcoming Community Health Challenge will be launched at a special even on January 20, 2011. Click on the postcard here below for more information:

 

 

What is the Community Health Challenge?

The Heart of New Ulm (HONU) Project’s Community Health Challenge is an opportunity to engage the leaders of the community in our mission. We all can work together to lead healthier lives to reduce the number of heart attacks in New Ulm.

Overall Goals of the Challenge

  1. To engage residents in a quarterly lifestyle challenge program and other ongoing HONU Project programs (e.g., cooking classes, cooking TV show, walking clubs) designed to help residents increase their physical activity level, eat more fruits and vegetables, decrease or maintain weight and improve stress levels.
  2. Prompt self-adopted (or managed) improvements in physical activity, fruit/vegetable intake, weight and stress levels.
  3. Increase project visibility.

Key Components of the Challenge

  • District Segmentation – the City of New Ulm will be divided into 25 districts. The districts will be challenged to compete to improve their HONU lifestyle score and participate in HONU Project activities (district or city-wide activities). Data will be collected via random monthly surveys of households in each district. This data will be shared via radio, newspaper and through district leaders to invoke competition among the districts to try to improve their scores and participation rates.
  • District Leaders – Leaders for each district have been identified and selected and will serve as role models to individuals within the community and help engage residents living in their district and engage them in community-wide HONU Project activities
  • Quarterly Social Marketing Campaigns and District Activity – Each quarter, a different component of the HONU lifestyle score will be emphasized (e.g., weight, physical activity, fruits/vegetables, and stress; smoking cessation will be integrated within those campaigns). The campaigns will include monthly newsletters (e-newsletter/print version in the NU Journal), newspaper and radio ads, and one district activity that relates to the quarterly campaign. The district activities will be organized around schools, churches, parks or neighborhoods.

To get involved with the Community Health Challenge as a volunteer or participant, call (507) 233-1945 or email [email protected].