[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "Walking 10,000 Steps for 100 Days Resulted in 14kg Weight Loss... I Got a 'Line'"

POSCO Humans Launches 'Escape Obesity' Program as Obese Employees Increase Over 3 Years of COVID-19
7,000 Steps a Day Walking Campaign... Customized Programs for Employees with Physical Discomfort
Participants Lose an Average of Over 3kg... Improvements in Obesity, Hypertension, and Diabetes Indicators

Park, who works at POSCO Humans in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, experienced significant health deterioration and obesity after undergoing major surgeries and treatments in 2015 and 2018. His motivation declined, and his personality became more timid. After being encouraged by colleagues to join the company's ‘BMI Achievement Project,’ Park began taking action. He walked more than 10,000 steps daily and stopped eating late-night snacks. After about 100 days, he lost 14 kg. Park said, "As my body became lighter, I was able to work passionately, and I now play the role of a mood maker in my department. My colleagues tell me I seem more energetic than before."

Kim, a bride-to-be, also set a monthly average goal of 7,000 steps with her fianc? and family ahead of their wedding. They regularly checked and encouraged each other's step counts, gradually increasing their walking. Everyone lost weight close to their goals. Kim said, "My fianc? experienced the greatest weight loss of his life," adding, "The company's health management activities felt like an event just for us as a couple, which motivated us to participate."

Posco Humans employees are walking during their lunch break.

Kim's transformation was dramatic. While handling a low-activity job, she gained 5 kg in a year and found it difficult to even walk 7,000 steps a day, despite previously walking over 20,000 steps daily. Determined, Kim set three goals: ▲walking to and from work ▲walking during lunch breaks ▲avoiding elevator use. The distance between her home and office is about 3 km. To walk, she started waking up an hour earlier and preparing accordingly, which led to a healthier lifestyle pattern. She invested 40 minutes daily during lunch breaks for walking. Reducing meal portions to accommodate walking naturally improved her eating habits. She also frequently used stairs. As a result, she lost 7 kg and returned to walking over 20,000 steps daily on average. Kim said, "Walking to and from work saved me over 100,000 won monthly in fuel costs and contributed to carbon reduction."

POSCO Humans is Korea's first subsidiary-type standard workplace for the disabled, established by POSCO to provide quality jobs for people with disabilities. The so-called 'Obesity Escape Project' was created as a health promotion program for employees in response to rising obesity rates that can cause diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

A representative activity is the ‘With Walk On’ campaign, a daily 7,000-step walking exercise. Using a mobile app that automatically tracks steps, employees voluntarily participated in walking exercises. To motivate them, the company awarded social contribution mileage points based on the monthly average step count. Additional souvenirs were provided when families achieved goals together. Health management programs were tailored for employees with walking disabilities (lower limb and visual impairments), and support funds for health-related clubs were increased by 50%. Mileage points were accumulated based on monthly average step counts (up to 1 point bonus upon promotion), and congratulatory bonuses of up to 300,000 won were given for achieving BMI goals.

The results were remarkable. Over six months last year, 126 obese employees lost an average of 3.43 kg. Obesity-related diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia decreased by 4.9 percentage points compared to the previous year (84.2% → 79.3%). In 2021, 29 obese employees (20%) succeeded in escaping obesity. Metabolic syndrome, which carries a high risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, also decreased by 18% compared to the previous year (66 to 54 cases). Notably, among 145 obese employees, those who participated in Walk On saw a 19% reduction in obesity-related diseases, while non-participants experienced a 2% increase, showing a clear improvement gap.

POSCO Humans' 'One Family Volunteer Group' is conducting blanket washing volunteer activities at a facility for people with severe disabilities.

A total of 464 employees and 135 family members participated in the Walk On activity (walking 7,000 steps daily), achieving an average of 8,355 steps per day over the six-month campaign period (April to September). This year, to enhance obesity improvement effects, the daily step goal was raised from 7,000 to 10,000 steps, and the compensation period for those who missed last year's goal was extended by one year. The average BMI of obese employees was lowered to 27.50 kg/m², down from 29.50 in 2021 and 28.35 in 2022. The rate of obesity-related diseases also dropped to 71.4%, compared to 84.2% and 79.3% in the past two years.

Kim Gyu-hong, CEO of POSCO Humans, said, "As COVID-19 lasted about three years, the number of obese employees, the root cause of many diseases, increased significantly. We decided to actively promote health activities and implemented a health promotion program that includes not only employees but also their families." He added, "Since POSCO Humans is a company centered on people with disabilities, we have emphasized health and safety more than other companies and created a pleasant work environment. Our unchanging goal and the reason this company was established is to make it a place where all employees can work meaningfully."