DoD Tightens Focus on Health and Nutrition Published Jan. 28, 2015 By Paul Ragusa MOUNTAIN HOME AFB, Id. -- The Department of Defense (DoD) has made a concerted effort over the past few years to increase support programs for military families. In response to health concerns regarding military service members and their families, DoD recently completed the pilot phase of the Healthy Base Initiative (HBI), a demonstration project to examine select military installations' efforts to support improved nutritional choices, increased physical activity, obesity reduction and decreased tobacco use. The HBI is part of Operation Live Well, the DoD program that supports the National Prevention Strategy of improving Americans' health and well-being through a prevention-oriented approach. DoD's goal is to implement best practices learned from the bases participating in the HBI, and provide a map or guide for installations to use in creating healthier communities. "It is designed to identify effective ways to improve health and wellness of the total force, including civilians and family members," noted Semper Fit & Recreation Branch Head Catherine Ficadenti, Marine and Family Programs Division. "Fourteen pilot sites throughout each of the military branches of services are participating to include our two: MCAGCC Twentynine Palms and MCB Quantico. Initiatives that were identified as evidence-based or promising practices that improve nutritional choices, increase physical activity, reduce obesity and tobacco use, have been implemented at all pilot sites." In addition to the HBI, DoD has launched several initiatives to help installations on the road to wellness. The "I Am Moving, I Am Learning" (IMIL) Train the Trainer program is a DoD-wide initiative extended to all branches of service. IMIL is a partnership between the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the DoD 13-state childcare initiative. "IMIL responds to Mrs. Obama's initiative to improve the standards of health, fitness and nutrition of children of active duty military," said Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) Services Directorate Child Development Program Section Chief Patti Mehrens. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. IMIL is a childhood obesity prevention approach for young children." The goals of IMIL are to: ·Increase the quantity of time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activities (MVPA) during the daily routine to meet national guidelines for physical activity. ·Improve the quality of structured movement activities intentionally facilitated by teachers and adults; and ·Improve healthy food choices for children every day. HEALTHY BASES DoD pilot installations participating in the HBI have been able to institute some noteworthy programs to bolster already strong efforts to create healthier bases. "Examples of some of the HBI initiatives being implemented are Farmers' Markets and fitness kiosks," explained Ficadenti. "Farmers' Markets increase the availability of healthy foods providing seasonal locally grown fresh produce to the installations. The fitness kiosk, which uses a touch screen and a projection system, provides another opportunity to increase physical activity participation and will be located in Semper Fit Fitness Facilities (Twentynine Palms and Quantico). The fitness kiosk improves access to premium group fitness programs beyond the regularly scheduled classes. Patrons have the flexibility to exercise at their convenience, to choose the type of exercise class, and to participate individually or in a group." Other examples of HBI initiatives being implemented at Marine Corps pilot sites include Go for Green, a color code food identification system using Green (Go), Yellow (Caution), and Red (Stop) "to help Marines select foods that best fuel the body and improve performance," Ficadenti explained. "It is implemented in the chow halls. Another tool to help identify healthier food options is the Better-For-You stamp, which is found in menus of food establishments (restaurants) on the base. The Better-For-You stamp provides a visual cue that identifies foods that are healthier both in caloric content and nutritional content." The Air Force has also had great success implementing the HBI, focusing heavily on both fitness and nutrition. "The HBI is being integrated in various ways to help bases improve programs for customers," explained AFMC Fitness and Sports Chief Margaret Treland. "Yokota AB and Mountain Home AFB were the first bases in the initiative; however, March ARB has now been added and other bases are supported as funding allows." "Lessons learned from the Healthy Base Initiative are finding their way into local and central programming," added AFMC Installation Support Division Staff Sgt. Benjamin Mermis. "For example, we learned our customers accept and welcome healthy snack options, resulting in a shift toward greater variety of fresh and healthy snack options in our resale areas. At F.E. Warren AFB, the Health Promotion team initiated the 5210 Campaign for children: ·5 fruits and vegetables daily ·No more than 2 hours of screen time daily ·1 hour of exercise daily ·0 sweetened beverages The focus on exercise and social interaction as an essential element of overall resiliency continued this year. Our centrally developed Team Cohesion Challenge program hit the mark by combining strenuous physical challenge with team building principles. The results were overwhelmingly high reviews from participating Airmen at 18 test bases." In addition, Air Force bases have received funding for fitness kiosks, cardiovascular and strength training equipment, fitness programs, staff training, and Fitness Access systems. The Air Force has been working on the complete deployment of Fitness Access, an initiative to provide 24-7 fitness center access, to all participating bases by late summer 2015. According to AFMC Fitness Program Specialist Anthony Alcala, 10 bases were initially included in a test phase for Fitness Access. "The test was highly successful and resulted in most other bases requesting to participate in the program," he explained. "Usage at the test locations is over 2,000 customers per month during after-hours access. Deployment for the additional bases is projected to begin February 2015, with completion for installation targeted for late Summer 2015." Funding has also continued for the purchase of fitness kiosks, which provide virtual access to a wide variety of group exercise programs using the latest technology. The Air Force has been working with Wellbeats (formerly Fitness on Request), and has deployed fitness kiosks to 72 installations. "The system brings a virtual instructor to group exercise classes instead of the traditionally live instructor," noted Acala. "Many customers and fitness staff have accepted the change and appreciate the benefits. For example, kiosk instructor-led classes provide a valuable alternative for walk-in customers, and customers find that the system is very friendly and enjoy the freedom to select classes anytime the fitness center is open. Other base-level feedback includes: 'The best thing is that the instructor always shows up on time and is always available for our customers,' as well as 'The kiosk is used by a variety of our customers due to the diversity of classes.'" BRINGING OUT YOUR BEST DoD also recently developed a program for Operation Live Well, as part of the HBI, called UltimateMe, which aims to help service members, their spouses and retirees to live their healthiest lives. The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) is working with the Sharecare team to support the launch of UltimateMe's secure, personalized online wellness platform to help members of the military community assess, manage and improve their health and performance. The new platform expands the access to wellness programs and resources for service members and their families to lead healthier and more active lifestyles, exemplifying a key area of focus of the Council and its Joining Forces Fitness Initiative. "Since we launched the Joining Forces Fitness Initiative in 2011, military families across the U.S. have continually shared with us the positive impact, both physically and mentally, of physical activity and good nutrition," said PCFSN Executive Director Shellie Pfohl. "With the additional support of the UltimateMe platform, we're providing military families with even more resources to help and inspire them to make the right choices to live an active, healthy lifestyle." UltimateMe serves as a one-stop shop for the military community to get a better understanding of their health using a unique and scientifically validated health-risk assessment - the RealAge Test - and then engage with personalized content and interactive tools like nutrition, sleep and fitness trackers to enhance performance, improve health, address problem behaviors and ultimately maintain or lower their RealAge. UltimateMe also provides a social community where users can share their progress, comment on friends' activities, earn badges for their progress and get support. "The UltimateMe online wellness site will help calculate RealAge (physiological age versus chronological age) through a health survey," explained Ficadenti. "A low physiological age correlates to good health. The UltimateMe tool provides personalized recommendations to help maintain or improve health and the lifestyle of participants. It also provides support through a variety of empowering resources. It is available to anyone registered in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). For the purposes of establishing tobacco-free areas, assessments of each base's physical environments where children live, learn and play are currently in progress." UltimateMe users who successfully improve their health and lower their RealAge will be recognized and rewarded by members of the President's Council through the promotion of the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA+). Additionally, at events across the country, members of the President's Council and the Sharecare team will support UltimateMe by meeting and inspiring military service members and families, and veterans at the 14 DoD sites participating in the HBI. "Our forces and our families face more stress than ever before," said U.S. Public Health Service Capt. Kimberly Elenberg, who is with the Defense Health Agency. "The commitment that the Council has made to the military is having a positive impact on their health and well-being, and will reduce healthcare costs in the long run. We encourage all members of the defense community to sign up for UltimateMe and discover how they can take charge of their health, achieve better performance and look and feel their best." To access UltimateMe, go to www.Health.mil/UltimateMe and log in with your Common Access Card (CAC). For those without a CAC, click 'Sign Up' to create an account.