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Eat Healthy and Be Active: An Inspired Programme
The Eat Healthy and Be Active programme (EHBA) is spreading throughout the Church in the Pacific. Now, with diabetes as the key humanitarian focus, the Church has already donated a phenomenal amount of time, money and resources in the way of support and treatment for people with diabetes and associated complications arising from the disease. However, the extent of the effects of this disease in the Pacific and the tragedy of late interventions leading to amputations and deaths have inspired Hans Sorensen, Pacific Area welfare manager, to shift more of the emphasis to education and prevention.
“In 2014, no one in our strategy meeting came from a medical background, but still we settled on diabetes as our chief humanitarian focus,” Hans said. “The Area had not taken on a task of this magnitude before, and we had no history to follow. I believe it was inspiration that led us down this path.”
The humanitarian team had to learn all they could about diabetes and try to understand what was happening in the Pacific. Diabetes is a worldwide problem, but in poorer economies—and with Polynesians, Melanesians and Micronesians having a higher predisposition to the disease—it is more likely to be fatal.
After the team met with Ministers of Health, doctors, specialists, nurses and other nongovernmental organizations, it was clear to them that diabetes was getting out of hand. A prevention intervention was desperately needed.
In 2016 the Eat Healthy and Be Active programme was born. Extensive research was done.
Focus groups were held across the Church in the Pacific, and the findings were analysed by a professor at BYU. A prevention manual was written with a Pacific look and feel, which brought together the doctrine of the Word of Wisdom, words of Church leaders and medical science. The programme gives participants information necessary to make informed choices regarding food and physical activity to reduce the risk of diabetes, while tracking personal progress over the 12-week course.
With great success with the pilot programme and a few amendments to the manual, EHBA was officially launched in August 2018. Around 40 stakes across the area picked up the programme immediately and have seen amazing results.
Jessica Paea, from Titahi Bay in Porirua, was led to the programme after realising that getting healthy would continue to be a struggle until she included Heavenly Father in her journey.
“It seemed silly asking for the Lord’s help with eating habits,” she said, “but I knew that my diet would have serious long-term effects if I continued this way. As soon as I asked the Lord for help, doors began to open for me.”
At a workout class one day, Jessica happened to meet the Eat Healthy and Be Active facilitator, who told her about the course.
“That same week, my father-in-law happened to visit us on his way to a class, which he himself was attending,” she said. “He invited me to go along, so I did. The spirit I felt in that first meeting was undeniable. We met in a church building, began with a prayer and read quotes from Church leaders and the scriptures. The spiritual and doctrinal aspects of the manual enriched the practical and nutritional content, and really helps me have the strength I need to stay on this path.”
Satisfied this programme would indeed include the Lord in her journey, Jessica implemented the principles taught and experienced instant results.
“Before I started the programme, simple tasks had become difficult. I had low energy levels and was uncomfortable in my own skin. Faithfully following the programme, I saw results not only on the scales but also in the way I felt every day. I found that as I ate right, my body stopped craving that sugar fix,” said Jessica.
With support from the programme facilitator, the healthy recipe ideas shared on the EHBA Facebook group, and the understanding and insight gained from the manual, Jessica has also improved the eating habits in her home.
“The programme helped me put the health and well-being of my family and I first” she said. “I plan our meals and snacks and shop accordingly, so we have less temptation in the home. My children are learning from a young age there are better, healthier options, for example: instead of having sugar on their breakfast they have fruit and Greek yoghurt, which they have discovered they really like. This programme has been a great blessing for our family.”
This inspired programme has caught the attention of many health professionals both inside and outside of the Church.
Hans Sorenson said, “I had a GP [General Practitioner] ask if she could have the manuals for her waiting room; and every time I’ve shared the manual with Ministry of Health officials across the Pacific, they’ve all wanted a copy.
“One medical NGO has taken our manual, adapted it for a secular audience and is training other churches in Tonga to use it. A team of Seventh-day Adventist medical doctors in Fiji want to use the manual despite the fact they have their own health improvement programme that has been running for 30 years. The response has been nothing short of miraculous.”