BANGOR – Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems announced that a study, directed by the Move & Improve program, has been published in the July issue (Volume 3: No. 3) of the Center for Disease Control’s journal, Preventing Chronic Disease, Public Health Research, Practice and Policy. The article is called “Move & Improve: A Worksite Wellness Program in Maine.”

The program’s longevity has enabled EMHS to collect a vast amount of data relevant to the many people who’ve taken part in Move & Improve.

During the past three years, EMHS has collaborated with the Maine-Harvard Prevention Research Center and Colby College to evaluate the significant influence that Move & Improve has on participants’ ability to change various behavioral tendencies – increased levels of physical activity, weight loss, stress management and overall chronic disease risk reduction. The article can be viewed online one of two ways:

. www.cdc.gov/PCD/ July 2006 Issue, Volume 3: Issue 3. Select “View Current Issue” from the menu located on the left side of the page. Scroll down approximately three-quarters of the way to “Community Case Studies.” The Move & Improve article is the fourth article listed under that category.

. www.cdc.gov/PCD/ issues/2006/jul/050123.htm (direct link).

To learn more about Move & Improve visit www.moveandimprove.org.

The Move & Improve program of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems is a community-based program designed to encourage and empower individuals to engage in a healthier lifestyle through physical activity. Move & Improve provides a supportive environment focused on promoting the benefits of physical activity as a way to combat health risks linked to chronic disease and obesity.

Move & Improve is a 12-week program designed to increase the amount of physical activity you engage in on a daily and weekly basis.

Participants are encouraged to engage in moderate physical activity for each week of the 12-week program. In order to be eligible for prizes, participants must be active for eight of the 12 weeks. There are two goal levels:

. Engage in moderate physical activity for 30 minutes each day for four days each week. Physical activity need not be continuous on each of the four days, but the minimum requirement is three, 10-minute sessions to equal 30 minutes for each of the four days.

. Engage in moderate physical activity for 45 minutes each day for five days each week (three 10-minute sessions and a 15-minute session each to equal 45-minutes for each of the five days.)

Move & Improve is now going into its 11th year. The 12-week program, which runs from March to May, has been successful once again in encouraging participants from throughout Maine to increase their level of daily physical activity. In fact, in 2006, Move & Improve had more than 9,500 participants representing 383 Maine municipalities.

Since the program’s inception in 1997, Move & Improve has reached a number of significant milestones along the way:

. In 1997, Move & Improve introduced the program to more than 1,300 participants.

. In 2002, Move & Improve attracted more than 14,000 participants.

. In 2005, 54 percent of the Move & Improve participants successfully completed the program, the highest completion rate in the history of the program.

. In 2006, Move & Improve celebrated 10 years in successfully encouraging participants to engage in physical activity.