The Mississippi State Department of Health’s (MSDH) Healthiest Loser competition began in October 2011 with over 700 participants and over 30 teams. The goal of the competition is to encourage MSDH employees and other participating groups (teachers, University of Mississippi Medical Center employees) to regain their health one pound at a time through improving nutrition and increasing physical activity.

Participants formed teams of 10-20 people and a team leader was selected for each team. Team leaders are responsible for relaying information to their team participants. Participants received monthly toolkits that included nutritional information, recipes and exercise tips.

To build upon the momentum of the last competition, Healthiest Loser 2013 is now open to all state employees. Participants are required to weigh-in once a month and the monthly weight data will be collected by assigned District Health Educators. The winners will be announced during the 2013 Mississippi Public Health Association Annual Conference on September 4-6, 2013. The MSDH Healthiest Loser competition is sponsored by the Mississippi State Department of Health, the State Employee Wellness Program and the Mississippi Public Health Association.