Health 180 - Helping people live longer, fuller lives

Picture of Denise and Dale Kuhn

Chronic conditions are the leading cause of death and disability in the United States and affect 6 in 10 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Recognizing that most chronic conditions are caused or exacerbated by certain risk behaviors, Loma Linda University Center for Health Promotion launched Health 180 — a multidisciplinary program aimed to stop the progression and even reverse certain chronic conditions — the only one of its kind in the entire region.

What is Health 180?

Silvia Caswell, DO, MPH, DipABLM, director of the Health 180 program, says the program is an intensive therapeutic lifestyle change program that focuses on the six pillars of lifestyle medicine.

The eight-week, 10-session program educates adults on the six pillars of lifestyle medicine — nutrition, physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, social connections, and avoidance of toxic substances — providing participants with the necessary tools to reverse their chronic condition(s) and/or prevent the development of preventable conditions. “Lifestyle behaviors and even mood disorders like depression and anxiety improve as a result of the program,” Caswell said.

Candidates for Health 180

According to Caswell, the program’s average participants are middle to older aged and are dealing with a chronic condition such as heart disease, elevated cholesterol, family history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pre-diabetes, while others have multiple chronic conditions. Risk behaviors like poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking increase the risk of developing chronic conditions such as heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Health 180 helps participants address these risk behaviors and shows them how to make needed lifestyle changes.

Dale and Denise Kuhn

Health 180 serves adults dealing with or at risk for developing chronic conditions, but it is also a great option for anyone looking to improve their health and overall wellbeing. Denise, 66, and her husband, Dale Kuhn, 71, graduated from Health 180 in May this year. While they don’t have any chronic conditions, they were eager to learn as many tips as possible for living a healthy, active life. They say that Health 180 gave them the tools to make a big difference in their lives.

“There are health changes that we have no control over, but it’s surprising how much of our health is in our control,” Denise said. “Health 180 gave me tools I can use to be as healthy as possible.”

How Health 180 Works

Since the launch of Health 180, over 100 participants have received clinical and personalized care to bring them one step closer to living a longer and fuller life.

Participants receive:

Pre- and post-program assessments, including lab testing, body composition measurements, and one-on-one clinician visits to create a personalized lifestyle medicine plan and a plan for next steps following the conclusion of the program.

Weekly live virtual sessions: An hour and a half group session led by the expert Health 180 team, including physicians, fitness specialists, and health coaches.