Designed to motivate participants to improve both their health and their finances
Small Steps to Health and Wealth™ (SSHW) is a MSU Extension program designed to motivate participants to improve both their health and their finances. The program was developed by faculty with Rutgers Cooperative Extension and has been adapted for Montanans by the MSU Extension faculty. Since January 2008, Teton, Deer Lodge, Cascade, Blaine, Fergus, and Richland County have offered the class in their counties to over 100 people. The program consists of three sessions featuring: Discussions of similarities between health and personal finance issues, suggested behavior change strategies that can be applied to both areas of life, and the impact of health on finances and finances on health. The program concludes with a discussion of key health and wealth success factors: Attitude, automation, awareness, knowledge, control, environment, goals, and time. Participants set health and wealth goals and take action to achieve their goals by identifying small progress steps. Follow-up check lists at periodic intervals help participants track progress toward their health and wealth goals.
Montana’s SSHW program has received national publicity, and the main SSHW Website on the Rutgers University server recommends interested states follow the Montana SSHW template as a guide to developing a state-specific program.
Visit the national website at: http://njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/
Note: MSU Extension does not currently offer Small Steps to Health and Wealth. A Revised version of the program may be available this fall. Updates to follow.