By Jim McLean
KHI News Service
TOPEKA, April 16
Rick Bryant has a big job to do.
As the statewide coordinator for the HealthyKansas program, Bryant”s job is to improve the health of Kansans by convincing them to eat better, exercise more and stop using tobacco.
It would be a tough assignment even if Bryant had millions of dollars to spend. But given that he has only about $35,000 a year to work with, some might call it impossible.
Not Bryant.
“Our approach is to build it from the ground up, one brick at a time,” Bryant said of the social marketing program housed in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. “We”re building a network.”
The program has been around for about three years but only really got going a year ago with a push from Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Since then, Bryant said, more than 4,000 Kansans have taken the HealthyKansas pledge either online at
www.healthykansas.org
or by filling out a pledge card at the state fair and other high-profile events.
“We”re pretty encouraged by that,” Bryant said.
Kansans who take the pledge promise to increase their level of physical activity to at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week, improve their diets by eating more fruits and vegetables and to stop smoking.
“It”s a promise an individual makes to himself to do those three things,” Bryant said, adding that those who take the pledge receive a certificate signed by the governor and KDHE Secretary Rod Bremby along with a “little note of encouragement from the governor.”
To provide more help, a personal health management tool also is available at the HealthyKansas Website. Visitors can
download the CheckUp software for free
and use it to set and track health goals.
“It can do a variety of things,” Bryant said of the software. “It even gives you a series of prompts if you”re consuming more calories than you”re burning.”
The software was developed and provided to the state free for a limited time by the Innovision Corp. of Lenexa. Bryant said he expects it will remain available through the Website through August.
Recently, another tool to help Kansans eat healthier was added to the Website. The Dine Out Kansas feature lists restaurants that have earned Best of the Best, or BOB, awards. To earn a BOB, restaurants must pass KDHE health inspections with flying colors, feature healthy entrees and be willing to make healthy substitutions when a diner requests them.
Bryant said winning restaurants receive a certificate signed by the governor and Secretary Bremby that they can post and use “to separate themselves from their competition.”
In the first three weeks of the program, seven restaurants have earned BOBs.
During the summer months Bryant said he takes the HealthyKansas campaign on the road to public events, including the Kansas State Fair and the Sunflower State Games.
“We leverage every opportunity to get in front of people,” he said.
He said his booth is easy to spot even at the most crowded events. Just look for a six-feet tall cutout of Sebelius with a pair of exercise shoes slung across her shoulder.
“I have two of her in my office looking over my shoulder right now,” he said.
-Jim McLean is a staff writer for KHI News Service, which specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. He can be reached at
jmclean@khi.org
or at 785-233-5443, ext. 110.