Field Placement: Los Angeles County Dept. of Health Services – Health Education Program
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Preceptor: Rachel Pearson, MPH, Health Educator
Student Name: Gregory Green
Year: 2004

Fuel Up/Lift Off! Los Angeles

I completed my field studies during the summer months of 2004 at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LAC-DHS) Health Education Program (HEP). For years, the program had been relatively non-existent until early in 2004 when Eleanor Long was hired as the Director. The Health Education Program acts as somewhat of a central resource for the Department. The health educators have expertise and interest in a variety of topics, and they are multi-cultural to match the population of LA County. My preceptor was Rachel Pearson, MPH, a health educator for the program. My major project was to recruit Department of Health Services worksites to participate in an employee wellness intervention called Fuel Up/Lift Off! Los Angeles. This is a collaborative study with DHS and researchers from UCLA School of Public Health. The overall goal of the study is to determine if DHS employees who engage in physical activity and proper nutrition during the workday have better health outcomes than those who do not.

The county of Los Angeles is the largest employer in the five-county region, with over 90,000 employees. Nearly a third of the positions are in health services. Most DHS employees have jobs that require long hours sitting down and few opportunities to make healthy food choices. The study seeks to demonstrate the positive effects of providing DHS employees with time during the workday for physical activity and encouraging proper nutrition.

The randomized, controlled study incorporates 10-minute exercise breaks during meetings that last one hour or more. There is also an emphasis on providing healthy food options to employees. For example, employees are encouraged to bring their lunches from home instead of eating out and to take the stairs when possible. The intervention also includes incentives for employees who participate and encourages group competitions. Conceptually, Social Action Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, and social ecological frameworks guide the intervention. The primary outcome measures are body mass index (BMI) and systolic blood pressure (BP). Secondary outcomes include changes in perceived social norms, changes in physical activity and eating patterns, and increase in co-worker support. The study is scheduled to begin in January 2005 and last for 3 years.

I was also heavily involved in other projects that dealt with food policy and strategic planning for HEP. Because the program had virtually no budget, one of my responsibilities was to raise money for various meetings. Additionally, I had the privilege of contributing to a food policy that will be implemented in all County facilities after approval by the LA County Board of Supervisors. Overall, I had a wonderful experience working at HEP. They even offered me a position when my internship was over.

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