Week of 2/5-2/9

Daily Descriptions 

• Tuesday 2/6 

• Today, I gathered information from each of the Total Health Fair attendees, including their name, department, health area of focus, and helpful health fair resources. I created an excel sheet with all of this information, which took roughly 4 hours. This information will be further analyzed to gauge which health topics employees most want to focus on throughout the year, as well as which health fair vendors were most impactful. Later on, we will follow up with attendees to check-in on their improvement in their specific health area focus. I also contacted an employee at the Solid Waste Department to schedule a meeting to discuss proper trash disposal and recycling tips for April’s health education resource handout. That month will focus on how proper sanitation influences the health status of a community. 

• Wednesday 2/7

• Today, I created a video “reel” with videos and pictures from February's cook-along demo. I also included pictures from previous cook-along demos to display the delicious meals that employees have made in these programs. I used Canva to include pictures of grocery shopping, packaging groceries into individual bags, delivery hand-offs, zoom participants, and the final product. I created this video compilation as a way to entice employees to register for our upcoming cook-along demo, as well as future ones. This took roughly 4 hours to complete. 

• Thursday 2/8

• Today, I participated in a presentation on the impact of sugar, namely fructose, on the body in small group sessions. It was quite insightful and was stimulating to attend because a lot of the information presented was covered in my chronic disease prevention class last semester. We had 8 attendees and it was awesome to get to know ACCUG employees in a more individualized manner. They found the information to be beneficial and are planning to implement some of the tips and tricks they learned into their everyday lives. Then, Kendra and I met with an ACCUG firefighter and his wife to provide information on dietary concerns, supplements, exercise, and easy and nutritious meals. Each of these “healthy hours” enables employees to receive a health credit, to lower their health insurance expenses. I also worked on editing some cook-along demos and finalized the cook-along demo “reel.” 

• Friday 2/9 

• Today, I attended our monthly caregiver support group sessions for employees caring for loved ones with special needs. I helped set up and participated in the discussion components. Again, it was awesome getting to meet more employees and hear about their journeys. I think these caregiver support sessions are a saving grace for regular attendees because it provides them a space, once a month, to actually take time for themselves. I also continued to contact and schedule participants for the hearing screening on February 23rd. 

Weekly Summary 

This week I enjoyed getting to meet more ACCUG employees and connect with familiar faces. I have been contacting and scheduling employees for the Hearing Screening on February 23rd, which I have learned the importance of writing to your audience as well as enhanced some of my managerial skills. I spent a lot of time creating a “reel” that encompasses the cook-along demo planning and implementation processes. It took me a little while to get the hang of it, but I have gained knowledge that will be useful when I create videos of the same manner in the future. This week I also collected information from the Health Fair attendees and compiled to evaluate the most common health areas of focus and useful resources and vendors at the fair. I found this to be interesting because I would say 90% of attendees had weight and waist circumference, in some way shape or form. This data will be helpful for us to follow-up with individuals throughout the year to gauge their progress on their area of health improvement. 

Responsibilities & Competencies 

• 1.4.5- Report assessment findings.

• I met this competency by disseminating the findings from the excel document with information on Health Fair attendee’s health area of focus and helpful health fair resources. 

• 3.2.2- Collect baseline data. 

• I met this competency by gathering data on each attendees main health area of focus so that ACC Wellness can check-in and monitor their progress throughout the year. 

• 4.3.5- Prepare data for analysis. 

• I met this competency by preparing data about how many individuals came, which departments were most prominent, the most popular areas of health employees want to focus on, and the health fair vendors attendees found most impactful. This information will help to plan for next year's event as well. 

• 6.4.2- Select communication channels and current and emerging technologies that are most appropriate for the audience(s) and message(s).

• I met this competency by choosing to use Canva to create an instagram or video “reel,” as they are quite popular for many age groups on social media. I felt as though this would reach a large number of employees. 

• 6.4.3- Develop communication aids, materials, or tools using appropriate multimedia (e.g., infographics, presentation software, brochures, and posters).

• I met this competency by creating a Canva compilation of videos and pictures from previous cook-along demos to entice future participation. 

• 6.5.6- Use digital media to engage audience(s) (e.g., social media management tools and platforms).

• I met this competency by including both pictures and videos of previous cook-along demos to display the various components of the program. By using various digital media techniques, I hoped to engage the audience in a fruitful manner. 

• 6.5.1- Deliver presentation(s) tailored to the audience(s).

• I met this competency by engaging in a health education group session for a couple who were seeking out ways to improve their diet and exercise routines. The presentation was based solely on them. 

• 6.5.3- Use facilitation skills with large and/or small groups.

• I met this competency by engaging in a health education group session for employees at the Tag Office, which covered information on the impact fructose has on blood sugar levels and overall health. 

• 8.2.2- Provide expert consultation, assistance, and guidance to individuals, groups, and organizations.

• I met this competency by facilitating presentations and discussions to various groups of people, with different health literacy, to improve their diet. Kendra provided most of the information, and I added some details here and there to further assist employees. 

• 6.3.3- Tailor message(s) for the audience(s).

• I met this competency by discussing the purpose for the caregiver support group session for individuals taking care of loved ones with special needs. The information must be tailored to individuals taking care of loved ones with a wide range of conditions. 

• 6.1.2- Identify the assets, needs, and characteristics of the audience(s) that affect communication and message design (e.g., literacy levels, language, culture, and cognitive and perceptual abilities).

• I met this competency by engaging in conversation about the intent, scope and effectiveness of the caregiver support group session for individuals taking care of loved ones with special needs. We have to assess participants' cognitive and perceptual abilities in order to provide adequate support. 

• 7.1.3- Involve partners and stakeholders throughout the health education and promotion process in meaningful and sustainable ways.

• I met this competency by contacting employees to schedule them for the hearing screening and providing relevant information to them. This hearing screening will connect employees and partners to promote robust health behaviors. 

Reflection 

The best part of the week was definitely interacting with various individuals, that I would never have the chance to outside of this internship. It is so fascinating to me to see how different departments operate and who they employ. I have found that many of the individuals who attend group sessions, healthy hours, and other programs are truly interested in the information being presented and actively want to make changes in their lifestyle to improve their health and well-being. It is eye-opening to see how hard certain lifestyle changes may be for individuals who do not have access to more nutritious foods, simply do not have the time to exercise, or lack the knowledge of the role that diet and exercise play in health status. Kendra teaches employees, in my opinion, in the most effective way. She explains the topic (for example, fructose in the diet) in an easy to understand manner that is tailored to the health literacy status of whichever department we are working in and then provides manageable ways to incorporate healthier behaviors into everyday life. For example, for individuals who are drinking 4 diet cokes every day, they should first start by limiting it to 3 diet cokes a day for a week, and then down to 2 per day and so on until they are able to eliminate it to the best of their abilities. It truly demonstrates the Stages of Change Theory because the capability to actually make meaningful changes to improve one's health depends on whether individuals actually want to make those changes. Some individuals may know that they need to reduce their soda intake, yet they do not want to make the necessary changes. For a health habit to actually stick, individuals must actively want to promote a healthy lifestyle. However, for individuals who do not want to change a certain habit, the best way to reach them is simply providing them the information and meeting them where they are.