Just in time for people to declare their resolutions for 2024, the Alaska Department of Health is publicizing some success stories from a self-improvement program used in the state over the past year.
More than 4,000 Alaskans enrolled in a free program called Fresh Start, which offers online and telephone assistance to people who want to make healthful lifestyle changes, the department reported. A little over half of the enrollees are using the program to lose weight, lower blood pressure or control or prevent diabetes, the department said. Just under half of the enrollees are using the program to help them quit smoking, chewing tobacco or vaping, the department said.
Progress to date includes more than 10,600 pounds lost and an average 11-point reduction in systolic blood pressure, according to Omada Health, the company that provides some of the Alaska Fresh Start program services.
State health officials are encouraging more participation.
“Healthy is an outfit that looks different on everyone, but adopting new, healthier habits may protect you from serious health problems both now and in the future,” Jessica Downes, a nurse consultant with the Department of Health, said in a Dec. 20 statement. “After a while, if you stick with these healthy changes, they become part of your daily routine. Small changes can add up to big successes. Alaska’s Fresh Start programs are ready to help with these small changes when you’re ready to join.”
The Fresh Start program officially kicked off in December of 2022. However, the state has maintained several elements of the program for many years, including one aimed at tobacco-use cessation and another, the Play Every Day campaign, that encourages regular exercise, especially among youth. Those have been incorporated into the larger Fresh Start program. Alaska also has a separate diabetes-prevention program operating in some locations, but it is not free.
“The programs listed on the Fresh Start website have all been in existence for many years in a variety of ways, but the Fresh State program allowed us to build off of what already existed, and structure it in a more approachable way,” Alex Huseman, a department spokesperson, said in an email.
Health statistics show that nearly three out of four Alaskans face some sort of chronic health problem, according to the department’s latest assessment.
Two-thirds of Alaska adults are overweight or obese, while nearly a third have high blood pressure and 27% have high cholesterol, according to a report released in the fall by the department’s Division of Public Health. Chronic problems exist among youth, too. For example, about 30% of high school students were found to be overweight or obese, according to the report.
The Fresh Start program pairs participants with coaches who communicate online or by telephone. It also provides participants with free bathroom scales. There are eligibility requirements for some of the free services. Any Alaskan is eligible to apply, and participants are placed into appropriate cohorts after they pass health screenings, Huseman said.
• Yereth Rosen came to Alaska in 1987 to work for the Anchorage Times. She has reported for Reuters, for the Alaska Dispatch News, for Arctic Today and for other organizations. She covers environmental issues, energy, climate change, natural resources, economic and business news, health, science and Arctic concerns. This story originally appeared at alaskabeacon.com. Alaska Beacon, an affiliate of States Newsroom, is an independent, nonpartisan news organization focused on connecting Alaskans to their state government.
