2022 liveWELL Annual Report

2022 ANNUAL REPORT

OUR MISSION

liveWELL inspires a culture of well-being and campus excellence, providing employees with the opportunity to thrive.

MESSAGE FROM OUR LEADERSHIP

liveWELL was launched in 2006 after over a decade of groundwork to establish a sustainable model for employee health and well-being at the University of Iowa. 17 years later, liveWELL continues to be a central hub for measuring population health and well-being trends for employees and offering programs and services to address this data. Years of annual reports and population health information are archived online at https://hr.uiowa.edu/well-being/livewell/news

Programs alone do not lead to better health outcomes. Necessary ingredients include a culture where employees feel like they belong and are safe, have the time and space to access available programs and services, and have a physical work environment that makes the healthy choice the easy choice. Due to the vast contributors to a best practice employee health and well-being program, liveWELL is one part of a true culture of well-being that we are working to create and uphold at the University of Iowa.

The University of Iowa’s Strategic Plan for 2022-2027 specifically calls out in the Holistic Well-Being and Success priority area to “Embed well-being and mental health into all aspects of campus culture to better support students, faculty and staff.” It is extremely encouraging to have such leadership support and vision, and data shows us that there is lots of work to be done to support our people.

This report will highlight some excellent programs and outcomes, and we will also share some areas that we will be focused on to continue to deliver on our mission to “inspire a culture of well-being and campus excellence providing employees with the opportunity to thrive.”

99%

In 2022, across all liveWELL programs, participants indicated their identities were respected

94%

In 2022, across all liveWELL programs, participants gained knowledge or learned a new skill

Megan Hammes, MS, MCHES Senior Director, UI Wellness/University Human Resources

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA STRATEGIC PLAN

Excellence in teaching and learning

Innovative research and creative discovery

Holistic well-being and success Transformative societal impact Welcoming and inclusive environment

EMBEDDING WELL-BEING

WELLNESS AMBASSADORS

141 Wellness Ambassadors in 2022

These are our boots-on-the-ground local champions for a healthy workplace culture within their departments. Without our Wellness Ambassadors, it would be nearly impossible to truly “embed” wellbeing.

“University Human Resources in collaboration with the Office of the General Counsel and the President’s office, offered a “Week of Wellness” in July with daily offerings for incorporating and sustaining a healthy lifestyle. We send out monthly emails with wellness offerings to help engage employees in living their best lives. This awareness and visibility has increased our participation in the Personal Health Assessment to an over 70% completion rate for 2022!”

Andrea French, Wellness Ambassador for University Human Resources

There are over 20,000 full-time employees at the University of Iowa. They work in classrooms, health care, research labs, and offices. We have faculty, public safety, food service workers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, coaches, office workers and the list goes on. Reaching a diverse workforce in job type and work location requires systems that help embed well-being into people's daily experience.

WELLNESS HEROES

18 Wellness Heroes nominated in 2022

Wellness Heroes provide recognition to UI faculty and staff who inspire a culture of well-being within their department. Wellness Heroes are nominated for making a positive impact and are awarded a certificate and gift.

“Tami encourages her College of Law colleagues to participate in liveWELL activities and sets an example by participating in as many activities as she can. She conveys the value of exercise and camaraderie, particularly by leading others in participating in the annual Campus Scavenger Hunt and other wellness challenge programs.”

Tami Diebel, College of Law Wellness Hero

WELLNESS GRANTS

14 Wellness Grants awarded in 2022

By providing funding directly to departments for activities, items or spaces that promote well-being, liveWELL is truly helping to facilitate the ability to embed well-being at the local level.

“Our group had a wonderful time creating art and it truly had beneficial results. Our staff opened up with each other, had meaningful conversations, and were able to create art together while learning more about each other and ourselves! Thank you for your support of this program!”

Olivia Wulf, BSN, RN, CCRN Medical Intensive Care

Unit

1,301 staff, 156 faculty members, and 142 student employees or volunteers were directly impacted by Wellness Grants.

liveWELL CHALLENGE PROGRAMS

FOCUS AREAS

Nutrition; Physical activity; Mental well-being

PARTICIPATION

705 faculty/staff focused on increasing fruit and veggie intake and physical activity, reducing screen time, and drinking more water

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• 83% increased fruit and veggie intake.

• 77% increased physical activity.

• 60% reduced screen time.

• 80% increased water intake.

• 85% improved well-being.

• 98% said program was respectful and inclusive of my identities.

COLLABORATIONS

5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count is a collaboration between liveWELL and the Healthiest State Initiative, using customized materials and resources to encourage faculty/staff to focus on creating healthy habits.

QUOTES

“I feel participation helps keep you on track towards healthy habits!”

5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count Participant

February-March 2022

FOCUS AREAS

Nature, environment, and campus engagement; Diversity, equity, inclusion; Intellectual curiosity and learning

PARTICIPATION

651 faculty/staff completed learning activities about 10 outdoor spaces on campus. 30% completed the scavenger hunt in-person and 70% completed it virtually

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• 94% increased knowledge and appreciation for UI campus green spaces and trees.

• 71% improved well-being.

• 98% said program was respectful and inclusive of my identities.

COLLABORATIONS

liveWELL partnered with the UI Pentacrest Museums to explore green spaces and trees featured on the UI campus. As employees participated in the 2022 Campus Wellness Scavenger Hunt, they were also encouraged to participate in the Pentacrest Museums Tree Tours. The program focused on learning and appreciation of nature and campus.

QUOTES

“This was a great opportunity to get together with coworkers to discover our beautiful campus and spend time out of the office.”

Scavenger Hunt Participant

Summer 2022

FOCUS AREAS

Nutrition; Environment and sustainability; Financial well-being

PARTICIPATION

580 faculty/staff focused on reaching at least five servings of fruits and veggies per day over 20 days (about 3 weeks).

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• 85% increased fruit and veggie intake.

• 81% improved well-being.

• 93% learned a new skill or information they can apply in work or life.

• 93% said program was respectful and inclusive of my identities.

COLLABORATIONS

Colorful Choices was a partnership between liveWELL and Student Wellness to support all faculty, staff, and students with increasing fruit and veggie intake. The program focused on increasing skills for identifying serving sizes, budget friendly produce, and tips for keeping fruits and veggies on hand.

QUOTES

“This is a fun contest that you can do with the whole family. Kids love it too!”

Colorful Choices Participant

FOCUS AREAS

Mindfulness; Stress management; Mental well-being

PARTICIPATION

685 faculty/staff practiced mindfulness activities in the areas of mindful senses, mindful breathing, and mindful reflection.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• 87% improved skills for stress management.

• 84% improved well-being.

• 48% enjoyed the mindful breathing activities the most.

• 93% learned a new skill or information they can apply in work or life.

• 95% said program was respectful and inclusive of my identities.

COLLABORATIONS

The program was a partnership between Department of Health and Human Physiology students and liveWELL. Students created program materials and videos and provided activities and resources. The program focused on increasing mindfulness skills to manage stress and improve mental well-being.

QUOTES

“I found it very informative, and I think everyone could find at least one technique discussed to use in their daily life.”

A Colorful Choices Mindful Moments Participant

In 2022, liveWELL offered four wellness challenges to provide an informative and motivating format for individuals and teams to focus on a variety of healthy habits together.

RECHARGE+ RESILIENCE

With the need to offer employees a resilience program that was available 24/7 and did not take up a lot of time, recharge+ was offered in 2022 as a text-message program designed to help increase resilience. People with higher resilience are less likely to be depressed and more likely to have better health. Recharge+ leverages an evidence-based assessment (the Resilience Evaluation Measure) and individually tailored feedback to increase resilience. It is designed to activate users in their journey in three domains of resilience: reset, rethink, and reconnect.

The proportion of users with low, moderate, and high resilience scores from their first and last session are:

3,543 individuals enrolled in recharge+ and on average, people engaged 1.4 times.

53% of users improved their level of resilience. The average score on the Resilience Evaluation Measure at the first session was 65 out of 100 and at the most recent (last) session was 67.

liveWELL TRAININGS

liveWELL offers webinar-style training and departmental presentations on a variety of topics. The top presentations by topic include resilience , meal planning , financial well-being , caregiving , and mindfulness Across campus, there were 1625 employee participants in liveWELL trainings in 2022. Post-training survey data includes:

93% information met my needs

93% instructor was effective

100% instructor respectful of my identities

96% would recommend training to others 93% learned a new skill that I can use in my daily life

62% have already applied something they learned

“Being able to learn more about elder and family resources helps me keep more focused on my job and not spending time thinking about how to gain the information on my own.”

live WELL ELDER CARE WEBINAR PARTICIPANT

MINDFULNESS-BASED STRESS REDUCTION

8-Week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) was offered two times in 2022. This is considered the “platinum standard” in evidence-based mindfulness practice. Some common benefits of a regular mindfulness practice included better sleep, improved focus, responding more skillfully to emotions (anxiety, anger, or low mood), improved communication, and many more.

35 employees participated in two groups in 2022.

“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises when you pay attention in a particular way: On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”

JON KABAT-ZINN

IMPROVING UNIVERSITY OF IOWA POPULATION HEALTH

DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM (DPP)

125 faculty and staff have enrolled in 9 cohorts since 2020. Each cohort works through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s DPP curriculum over a 52-week period with a Certified Lifestyle Coach from the liveWELL team. The results are life-changing for individuals and their families from a health and quality of life standpoint. The value to the University of Iowa in terms of a healthier employee is outstanding.

49% lost at least 3% of body weight * 10% lost more than 10% of body weight * 83% increased physical activity

67% increased energy

Cost savings of $65,425.10 since 2020 **

* Medical experts advise that losing at least 3% of body weight leads to medically significant health improvements. ** https://journals.lww.com/joem/fulltext/2019/11000/direct_and_indirect_cost_of_obesity_among_the.3.aspx

“I’ve always had the desire to lead a healthier lifestyle, but DPP helped me to finally get my motivations over the hump and take some action.”

TIMOTHY BLAKE

Systems Administrator, Finance and Business Information Services

WONDR HEALTH

840 faculty and staff have participated in the 10-week Wondr Health program since it started on campus in 2020 (completed at least two sessions).

38% of participants lost at least 3% of body weight

Estimated $359,028 cost savings since program was implemented on campus.*

“I have recommended the program to friends, and they have seen the results I have accomplished.”

UI Participant

HEALTH COACH SERVICE

Certified Health and Wellness Coaches work one-onone with faculty and staff at two campus locations: University Employee Health Clinic within UIHC (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics) and the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. They also do appointments via zoom. Typical focus areas for employees include nutrition , exercise/movement , weight management , and managing stress and energy.

145 employees completed the Health Coach Service in 2022

16% selected an in-person visit; 84% via Zoom

82% chose an 8 out of 10 or higher when asked “How likely are you to recommend the Health Coach Service to a friend?”

95% agreed or strongly agreed that “my ability to perform optimally has increased”

97% agreed or strongly agreed that “my personal well-being has improved”

HEALTH COACH HIGHLIGHT

UI Staff Council Member Brett Cloyd worked with Health Coach Carla Melby over ten years ago. He recently sat down with liveWELL to encourage his fellow UI employees to make use of this beneficial service. As a member of Staff Council, Brett is aware of the challenges employees are facing now.

"

I think the Health Coach Service can be a great benefit to employees. You get to meet confidentially with someone outside of your circle. You will have someone that you can be accountable to for making changes. And the tips and strategies have been demonstrated to help people with a variety of issues so I thought I would help make this video and encourage my colleagues to make use of the Health Coach Service."

BRETT CLOYD Social Sciences and Public Policy Libraries

UI HEALTH & WELL-BEING FAIR

34 University of Iowa departments and 3 community partners participated in the UI Health and Well-Being Fair held at the UI Field House. 600 faculty and staff attended and enjoyed free health services including:

• Chair massage

• Flu shots (117 administered)

• Blood pressure checks (70)

• Blood cholesterol and blood glucose tests (77 administered)

• 347 participants turned in a ‘passport’ showing they had visited with at least five tables and were entered into door prize drawings

“One patient told us this was her first time having her cholesterol checked in years because she stopped going to the doctor during COVID.”

WELL-BEING DATA & TRENDS

The COVID-19 pandemic which began in Spring 2020 had a major impact on the way people live and work. Global and local well-being data reveal negative impacts from the pandemic. These impacts range from death and long-term physical health effects to collective trauma affecting mental and emotional well-being to declines in exercise and nutrition habits. Despite these challenges, through our commitment to measuring well-being and offering evidence-based supports, we see that UI still compares very favorably! See UI Well-Being Index on page 11.

For its “Best Possible Life Scale”, Gallup classifies Americans as thriving, struggling or suffering, according to how they rate their current and future lives on a ladder scale with steps numbered from 0 to 10. For those classified in thriving, well-being is strong, consistent, and progressing. They report significantly fewer health problems, fewer sick days, less worry, stress, sadness, anger and more happiness, enjoyment, interest and respect.

Source: Gallup, Inc.

PERSONAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT DATA

Personal Health Assessment data administered by liveWELL has also shown declines in overall well-being. As such, we are motivated and poised to help employees inch back to pre-pandemic states of well-being.

In 2022, 9,278 faculty and staff completed the Personal Health Assessment survey (46.5% of the eligible population).

CULTURE OF WELL-BEING

80% agree that their physical work environment provides opportunities to make healthy choices.

87% agree that their supervisor supports health and well-being locally.

Increase participation in the Personal Health Assessment (PHA) to 60% (pre-pandemic level).

Launch Mental Health and Well-Being module as a part of Supervising @ Iowa training.

Emphasis on increasing % of employees who agree their supervisor supports well-being.

HEALTH BEHAVIORS

Health Behaviors contribute to overall health and well-being. Good health behaviors help one feel energy daily, boost immunity, and help protect from chronic health conditions and manage chronic health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. Individual choices and environmental factors (for example, access to affordable food options) influence the prevalence of health behaviors.

WELL-BEING INDEX

The “Best Possible Life Scale” which is also used by Gallup to assess overall well-being is included in the PHA. Participants rate their current level of overall well-being and how they think they will be doing five years from now based upon two questions. The questions ask participants to place themselves on a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top. A composite of these two questions places participants into three categories:

Top Health Risks at UI

NOTE: These all represent an increase from 2019 which is consistent with national trends for health risk behaviors. Poor nutrition has increased by 4%, Lack of Physical Activity has increased by 1%, Unmanaged stress has increased by 7% and Cigarette Smoking prevalence has increased 1%.

UI Well-Being Index

THE UNIVERSITY HUMAN RESOURCES VISION Human Resources provides leadership in shaping an equitable and inclusive culture that drives diversity, excellence, and innovation by supporting talent, engagement, and the employee work experience.

THE live WELL MISSION Inspiring a culture of well-being, providing employees the opportunity to thrive.

ASK QUESTIONS at livewell@uiowa.edu or call 319-353-2973

CONNECT WITH US on social media @ UIowaLiveWELL

GRATITUDE FOR PARTNERSHIPS

Partnerships are vital to the outcomes in this report. liveWELL would like to thank the following partners and stakeholders: University Human Resources, Recreational Services, University Employee Health Clinic, Campus Well-Being and Mental Health Collaborative and subcommittee members, Wellness Ambassadors, and students who contribute via internships, employment, or class projects.

We are also grateful for UI President Barbara Wilson and her leadership in the space of well-being and mental health which has rallied many individuals and teams to serve the UI Strategic Plan to improve the well-being experience for our community. The call to action to “embed well-being and mental health into all aspects of campus culture” has been inspiring to our team and many across campus.