The Heartbeat Challenge programme: promoting healthy changes in New Zealand workplaces

The Heartbeat Challenge programme of the National Heart Foundation of New Z ealand develops the commitment of workplaces to creating an environment tha t reduces barriers and increases opportunities to improve and maintain heal th. Workplaces choose to make healthy lifestyle changes from a broad range of strategies encompassing elements of healthy food choices, promoting regu lar physical activity and being smoke free. An award is achieved on meeting the necessary criteria. Results of programme monitoring from 159 workplace s indicate that Heartbeat Challenge has created a supportive health environ ment in workplaces. Changes were made by 99% of workplaces to meet the awar d criteria. In the areas of healthy food, physical activity and smoke free, 92, 86 and 94% of workplaces met more than the required five criteria, res pectively, and met an average of 3.5, 3.5 and 3.0 more criteria, respective ly, when achieving a Heartbeat Challenge compared to initial participation. Heartbeat Challenge has been successful in a wide variety of types and siz es of workplaces with the added benefit of improving staffs' attitudes abou t the workplace, the company and themselves. Structural changes have occurr ed which are sustainable, and have created an environment which has the pot ential to improve the health of a large segment of the working population.