Amplifying Health Results

I was just on a zoom call with a friend and the connection became poor...my face frozen in awkward poses and static that silenced our sentences.???

You must have a good connection before effective communication can occur.??Connecting with another person can be a deeply meaningful and enriching experience. It goes beyond mere communication and encompasses a sense of understanding, empathy, and shared experiences. When you connect with someone, you establish a genuine and authentic bond that transcends surface-level interactions.

As we launch into this final part of the three part series I begin with connection to highlight an essential element to create sustainable change.??

Here is a critical question...if individuals are prescribed a drug, why do so few actually take the drug as prescribed???Studies suggest that 20-30% of patients never pick up the prescription given by their doctor in the USA and another 50% do not adhere to the doctor's orders.??That means only about 20%- 30% actually follow through with what they have been told by their doctor.??Here is a?link.??Now let's break this down.??You CHOOSE to go see the doctor.??Yet you also CHOOSE to ignore the advice.??Why???The answers will follow if we understand the reasons.??One of the biggest...there never was a true connection established.?

Just like the zoom call example...if the connection is poor...all else does not matter.??If the provider, sales rep, supervisor, partner, is not aware of and cultivate a robust connection then it does not matter the value of their information/insights/analysis/etc.??

But connection is not measured in all of the studies that are done when it comes to various programs that look at endpoints like weight loss, wellness programs, customer retention, employee retention.??

Connection is paramount and it is unfortunately missing in many who are in positions of power...meaning a position to influence the destiny of others.??

I have seen studies looking at various programs to impact health - specifically to reduce a particular marker of diabetes - hemoglobin A1C and to help individuals reduce weight.??Again, these studies wanted to isolate the variable being studied, which is laudable.??In the case of the Diabetes Prevention Program they found that a program of content specific to some core concepts around behavior change, nutrition, and exercise resulted in SUSTAINABLE change for participants.??This has been replicated outside of a medical supervised setting to include non-healthcare workers who were lifestyle coaches.??It was also effective with online learning.??There was, however, great variability between coaches.??We look at average outcomes for these type of programs and look specifically on the "intervention" - in this case the content and frequency of the content.??What if the real "secret sauce" was the connecting ability of the "coach".??

Once we have established a genuine connection then tremendous potential for change is unlocked.??This is true with all forms of connection - to a brand, celebrity, influencer, and a coach.??No degree is required for this form of influence...only the developed skills of connecting and in the case of health behavior an understanding of behavior change and an evidence based approach that understand the importance of small wins, nudges, and celebration to build confidence and ultimately to achieve the objective.??These developed skills enhance the missing ingredient of adherence to achieve the objective by following the approach.

The second significant influencer is community.??A term being used is also social connectedness.??So we need to establish a connection, at an individual level and we need to be connected to a community.??We are realizing the significant impact of loneliness on health and the importance of social connectedness.??The research that highlights the tremendous health impacting power of social connectedness is found at this?link here.??This feeling of belonging and support by a community is another powerful influencer that is not measured when we assess the effectiveness of various programs to lose weight but are extremely important in adherence to the plan.

As we analyze the discreet intervention through a clinical study we understandably want to isolate the single variable....Rx, education plan, diet plan, etc.??But we all know the significance of the combined elements and the quality of those elements that impact the final result.??Ask any chef and they will vouch for the importance of quality in product and ingredient combination.

So, yes, a Rx approach to weight loss can be effective as well as other approaches that are non-pharmacologic.??But any of these approaches will fall short of the ultimate objective of improved health if they ignore the combined approach of a high quality intervention that incorporates the intervention (meal replacement plan, dietary change, Rx) along with the amplifying power of connection and connectedness.

An approach via a healthy active lifestyle that focuses on meeting our nutrient and wellbeing needs through genuine connection and connectedness is by far the most promising to improve health for all.