Increase Water consumption

We invite our staff to participate in Live Health Iowa's Burst Your Thirst Challenge. This has been an annual event for the past several years where teams of 2 to 10 compete in a web-based competition tracking water consumption and minutes of physical activity over a six week time period. Each team member reports their weekly total in effort to accumulate points and move their team up the challenge leaderboard. Participating staff work to encourage their other team members and there is compeition internally as well as with other teams across the state. Health information and tips on the importance of proper hydration are shared as well. We see great participation and it's always eye opening to realize that many of us don't drink as much water as we should. More information is available at http://www.livehealthyiowa.org/aspx/Public/Page.aspx?pid=13673  

We incorporated the Water First for Thirst campaign with our employee wellness program and held a monthly challenge to increase water consumption. Employees were given a punch card to track their water intake for the day. If they had the recommended amount of water for that day, they punched the card. Once all of the spots were punched, they turned the card in for a chance to win prizes (Subway gift cards, water bottles, an hour of annual leave, etc.). After filling the card, employees were given a new one for more chances to win. Fruit-infused water was placed in the lobby and lunchroom at least once each week along with the Water First for Thirst signage. We found that having the water in the lobby caught the attention of our clients and prompted them to have a glass or two, increasing their water consumption. At the end of the month, employees who successfully completed the challenge earned a $50 wellness credit through our wellness program. 

We have quarterly worksite wellness challenges and our summer challenge promotes increasing water intake. We received funding to purchase water bottles (with infuser columns built in) for all of our employees, but we do not have funding for prizes; thus, we usually offer 4 hours of administrative leave for the winner(s) that must be used before the end of the next quarter. To track water consumption, we provide a "passport" handout that is used to note how many 8-oz cups are consumed per day. At the end of the month, the totals are shared with everyone, which helps keep motivation high. To create some healthy competition, we create teams based on department/floor. At the end of the challenge, we raffle a few winners from those that have completed their passports to receive 4 hours of administrative leave.

I would be happy to share the passport handout or discuss futher if you would like. gurleen.roberts@dph.ga.gov