HOW READY ARE YOU TO CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE BEHAVIOR?
As we all know, the cost of obesity in America is staggering and it is no different here at Prime. Prime has always believed that a healthy driver is a safe driver, and by helping drivers lose weight, Prime helps those drivers reduce their risk for 60 medical disorders and 12 cancers. That makes both the driver and Prime more profitable. It’s just the right thing to do.
The biggest challenge in reducing the Body Mass Index (BMI) of the Prime fleet is not figuring out what to do or how to do it. The DHF 13 Week Program is so effective that it is winning awards, attracting interest from other industries and corporations, and being reported on by international fitness media such as Men’s Health magazine. We know how to help drivers lose weight. The biggest challenge is getting drivers to enroll in the program!
To date, we have had 336 drivers apply for the DHF program. That’s just 5.4% of the fleet. Given that 83% of drivers are overweight and 57% are obese, thereby putting them at risk for those 60 medical disorders and 12 cancers, the question is, how come more drivers are not enrolling in the DHF program. It can’t be because the program is ineffective. And it can’t be the cost – Prime reimburses the entire cost of the program $300 – upon completion of the 13 weeks. Everyone wants to be healthy and no one wants to be obese, so what explains the lack of participation?
I believe the main factor has something to do with a driver’s “readiness” for behavior change. According to one widely used theory (the trans-theoretical model of behavior change), change occurs in five stages. Each stage is necessary before you can successfully move to the next, and stages can’t be hurried or skipped. The entire process can take a long time and may involve cycling back through earlier stages before moving on. The five stages are:
Pre-contemplation: At this stage, you have no conscious intention of making a behavior change. You may even mock those who are making changes. Outside influences, such as public information campaigns or a family member’s concern may spark your interest or awareness.
Contemplation: At this stage, you know that the behavior is a problem and at odds with personal goals (you don’t want that trucker’s gut), but you’re not committed to taking any action. You may weigh and re-reweigh whether it’s worth it to you to make a change.
Preparation: You make plans to change, such as “eating better” and “watching what I eat”, buying exercise equipment or nicotine patches. You anticipate obstacles and plan ways around them. For example, you start buying healthy food items to stock in your truck instead of eating so much fast food.
Action: At this stage, you’ve changed — you are exercising every day for example — and are facing the challenges of life without the old behavior. You use the strategies you came up with in the preparation stage.
Maintenance: Once you’ve practiced your new behavior for six months, you’re in the maintenance stage. Here you work to prevent relapses, including avoiding situations or triggers associated with the old habit or behavior.
I believe the vast majority of drivers are in the pre-contemplation stage and a significant number are in the contemplation stage. Since stages can’t be skipped, my focus now has to become how to move drivers to the stages of preparation and action. But if you are overweight or obese, you can’t wait on me to figure out how to motivate you. You need to motivate yourself. Ask yourself: what stage are you in? Do you think your weight is not a problem? Have you made a commitment to take responsibility for your health while you are living in your truck? Do you think that exercising and learning to eat the right foods at the right time is either too hard or not worth doing?
What stage are you in?
