Thirty Honeywell employees who were at high risk for heart disease recently
volunteered for a program to help them modify their diet and lifestyle in order
to lessen their risk of developing heart disease. Funded largely by an
educational grant from Merck & Co., Inc., the demonstration project was
conducted by the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) and a division of
Honeywell International, Inc.
The purpose of the project was to determine the effectiveness and impact of a
nutrition counseling intervention targeted at employees who are recognized as
being at moderate/high to high risk for heart disease.
The 30 employees (who work for Honeywell's Home & Building Control,
Comfort, Energy & Health Solutions division in Golden Valley, Minnesota) had
elevated LDL cholesterol values (at or above 160 mg/dl) and one or more
additional heart disease risk factors. The program called for each employee to
meet at the worksite with a registered/licensed dietitian to discuss diet and
lifestyle and to set goals for improvement. Three months later, a dietitian
followed up with each employee by telephone to discuss progress and provide
encouragement. A nurse case manager conducted a final evaluation by telephone in
which participants summarized their personal health improvement efforts, plans
for continued improvement and impressions of the program.
All the employees believe their experience was helpful and valuable. Most of
them made significant progress in reducing their risk factors:
- 73% made one or more dietary/lifestyle change;
- 68% visited or consulted a physician or health care provider for additional
services such as cholesterol screening, medication prescription/management
and/or lifestyle counseling;
- 100% developed specific plans defined for maintaining and/or improving their
heart health over the next year.
Taking the Program to Other Worksites
The Foundation is very excited about the potential this focused education
approach can have on influencing and addressing individual risk factors for
heart disease development among high risk employee groups. Based on the results
of the demonstration project, this service will be made available later this
year to worksites throughout the state through MHIF's HeartMatters program.
For additional information on the project, contact the MHIF Education
Services Division at 612/863-1685.
