BUTLER TWP — By using educational and exercise programs as well as food sampling, VA Butler Healthcare last week gave veterans, volunteers and staff an opportunity to chew the fat about how to drop pounds and improve their health.

The health expo on Jan. 11 was an effort from MOVE!, a national weight management program designed by the VHA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, a part of the Office of Patient Care Services, to help veterans lose weight and keep it off.

“Nationwide, 77 percent of the veteran population is overweight or obese,” said Lauri Conti, a physical therapist at the VA and its MOVE! manager.

“The obesity rate in the general public is around 70 percent. This has reached epidemic proportions, and obesity is related to numerous health problems.”

Those conditions include heart disease, gallbladder and fatty liver disease and type II diabetes.

Conti said the MOVE! program, based on healthy lifestyle changes, did not become more effective until it was made mandatory at all veteran facilities in 2005.

“We started to add to the program with individual and group classes, as well as support groups and in-home programs,” she said.

“It all starts at their doctor.”

Doctors can administer a body mass index (BMI) test, and a rating at 24.9 or above is considered obese. BMI is a measure of weight compared to height.

Veterans found to be at risk are recommended to use the MOVE! program, which focuses, primarily, on improving diet and encouraging exercise.

At the forefront of the VA's plan to promote healthy diet is the Nutrition Kitchen program.According to Conti, VA Butler Healthcare is one of just six facilities nationwide to receive grant funding for the program.About $61,000 was used to buy two such kitchens and a trailer to move them to facilities.“We wanted to invest in a portable kitchen we could use for both inpatient and outpatient services,” said Tim Evanoff, chief dietitian at the VA.“We bought two of these kitchens, specifically designed for portability, and one of them is going on the road.”The kitchens will visit the VA's five outpatient facilities in Mercer, Clarion, Armstrong and Lawrence counties, as well as Cranberry Township. All VA dieticians will be trained in food preparation, although one already is a certified chef.“A lot of these guys may be spending their income on fast food. We show them how to economically purchase food, and the best ways to prepare it,” Evanoff said of the veterans.“The aromas of the food create the interest. Plus, you can get mutual feedback.”He said the demonstration also teaches proper food handling, sanitation, recipes and cooking styles“Eating healthy doesn't mean giving up the good things,” Conti said.Another important part of the diet program is medication, said Beth DeSanzo, a clinical pharmacist at the VA.“We review some of the medications that can contribute to weight gain, as well as those that contribute to weight loss, of which there are not many,” she said.“We also try to dispel some of the myths regarding over-the-counter and herbal type products.”She said people's New Years' resolutions can lead to rash weight-loss decisions.

Like many gyms and senior care facilities, the VA is embracing video game technology to encourage better health.Both the VA's recreation therapy and physical therapy programs use the Nintendo Wii, which has a motion-sensitive, hand-held controller, and the Xbox Kinect, which uses a motion-capture camera to capture users' movements.“We are trying to teach people how things can be fun. There are all sorts of different ways to exercise,” Conti said.At the heart of the video game revolution is Kevin Dougherty, an exercise science student at Slippery Rock University and an intern at the VA Butler Healthcare Wellness Center.He said, “(Video games) are something interesting and different with unique activities. They can help build more interest (in exercise).”The games also can help a person's concentration, range of motion and balance, he said.Dougherty recently was awarded a grant through SRU to buy an Xbox Kinect for the Wellness Center's programs.Dougherty on Jan. 11 also worked to promote Walk Across America.The program encourages those who sign up to track the number of steps they take each day using a pedometer. Those steps are added up by Dougherty who, at the end of his internship this spring, will have tracked the group's progress on a map of the United States, seeing how far their combined footsteps have traveled.“We don't have a (distance) expectation. The goal is just to see more steps each week,” he said.“This is about participants taking steps to better their daily lives. That's ultimately what you want to improve.”Butler Health and Fitness of Butler Township, represented at the expo by fitness director Cheryl Hildebrand, also promoted exercise both in and out of the home.“We offer all sorts of classes. There is something for everybody. We have orientation on all the types of equipment as soon as you walk in the door,” Hildebrand said.“Our personal trainers work with all levels of fitness, whether there is good general health, a handicap or a medical issue.”Hildebrand also demonstrated an exercise ball, weights and resistance bands, showing ways a person can to exercise at home.“We tried to give (veterans) some ideas. It's hard for some of them to get to the gym because they don't have time or cannot drive,” she said.