Launched in October 2004, a six-week “Healthiest Family Medicine Office in America” challenge encouraged family physicians’ office staff to get fit. Step Two is based on the philosophy that everyone a patient encounters in a family medicine office should be considered a role model and support the concept of leading a healthy lifestyle.
Staff participating in the “Healthiest Family Medicine Office in America” challenge registered as teams and followed a customized, Web-based fitness program developed in partnership with America on the Move, an AIM educational partner. Participants went online to record the number of steps they walked and the ways in which they improved their eating habits every day. Additionally, they were encouraged to choose and track activities that they felt would improve their emotional well-being.
Step Two: "Family Physicians and Their Office Staff"
- More than 1,700 individuals signed up to participate
- Nearly 600 people completed the program
- More than 258 million steps were logged during the six week challenge
- Fifty-six percent of participants lost weight during the course of the program, with an average weight loss of five pounds.
Each family medicine office team that completed the program was entered in a prize drawing for exercise equipment, walking systems, microwaves and educational materials for use in their office. Thirty-five team prizes and 52 individual prizes were awarded. Winners were not chosen by the number of pounds lost or how many steps taken, but rather by simply completing the six-week program and incorporating healthy lifestyle choices into their everyday lives.
Teams developed their own goals, motivations and recognition programs and reported on their efforts and successes. Here are a few examples:
Teams developed their own goals, motivations and recognition programs and reported on their efforts and successes. Here are a few examples:
Healthiest Family Medicine Office State Winners
-- View a state-by-state listing of the AAFP's AIM Step 2 winners.
Strategies from Successful Offices
-- View strategies and tips from offices that participated in Step 2.
Moving More
An office walking group was started at lunch time and staff used the stairs more frequently.
Eating Better
Office staff shared “healthy” snack ideas, provided a list of appropriate food offerings to pharmaceutical representatives and held an all-staff lunch each week.
Changing Environment
Staff shared their experiences with patients and challenged patients to walk 10,000 steps with them.
Incentives and prizes for the “Healthiest Family Medicine Office in America” challenge were provided by AIM core supporters and educational partners. Additional incentives were provided by:
AquaJogger
Balanced Body Inc.
Fitness Master Inc.
Fitter International Inc.
Human Kinetics
Sit and Be Fit
Thorlo, Inc.
Incentives and prizes for the “Healthiest Family Medicine Office in America” challenge were provided by AIM core supporters and educational partners. Additional incentives were provided by:
AquaJogger
Balanced Body Inc.
Fitness Master Inc.
Fitter International Inc.
Human Kinetics
Sit and Be Fit
Thorlo, Inc.
AIM Program Steps
