CIGNA Develops New Coaching Techniques to Help Members Change Behavior and Improve Health

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., June 15, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Helping people understand how they can harness their own personal values, unique way of thinking, and work and personal situations to help them live healthier lives is the focus of a new approach to health coaching that CIGNA is implementing in its programs that help members better manage stress, achieve their ideal weight and quit smoking.

"Through these programs, we are proactively engaging individuals who are at risk of poor health in the future but who feel healthy today, so they can better understand and address risks that are likely to cause an illness tomorrow or a few years down the road," said Keith Dixon, president of CIGNA Behavioral Health and CareAllies. "And we think that a focus on wellness and prevention is a necessary and significant step to improving health in our communities and across the country."

U.S. statistics related to health effects of lifestyle behaviors are sobering. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adopting healthy lifestyle behaviors can prevent or control the effects of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes, which account for seven out of every 10 deaths and affect the quality of life of 90 million Americans. Yet an estimated one out of five adults is a tobacco user, and 66 percent of the U.S. population is overweight.(1) Additionally, an estimated 60 percent to 90 percent of primary care physician visits include a stress-related component.(2)

And, according to a recent national survey conducted by CIGNA HealthCare, while most Americans know the fundamentals of good health such as the importance of diet and exercise, many feel ill-equipped for success when it comes to managing stress or quitting smoking. In fact, only about half of those who said that managing stress or smoking cessation were the most important things they could do to improve their health this year believed they could successfully stop smoking (55%) or manage stress (51%).(3)

To help individuals reach their health goals, the new lifestyle management programs utilize a variety of behavioral modification techniques to help individuals make life-long changes in their health behaviors. This approach is also being incorporated more broadly into all of CIGNA's health and wellness coaching and outreach programs.

Participants in CIGNA's lifestyle management programs work with their own personal coach who can help them develop successful strategies to make healthy choices. "We know that people intellectually understand that they need to change unhealthy behaviors. But we also know that many people don't know how to get started and how to stay on track. Our 30 years of behavior change experience has led to the development of our coaching programs that will help individuals unlock their personal motivations to make lasting change," said Jodi Prohofsky, vice president of clinical development and operations for CIGNA Behavioral Health and CareAllies.

  CIGNA lifestyle management programs include:
  -- Weight Management:  A non-diet approach to weight loss based on a
     varied and tailored eating plan personalized to the individual that was
     developed by a team of registered dieticians, exercise physiologists,
     and behavioral health specialists.  Participants learn to be aware of
     their body's reactions to hunger and food by learning about the
     emotions and sensations related to hunger, eating, and fullness.

  -- Stress Management:  A program to improve vitality and health
     satisfaction by addressing physical activity, nutrition, sleep,
     relaxation techniques, and coping - all critical to successful
     management of negative stress.

  -- Tobacco Cessation:  A personalized plan, including individual and group
     coaching, to help tobacco users quit.  The program includes over-the-
     counter nicotine replacement therapy in the form of a patch or gum at
     no cost to the participant.

These new programs will go into effect September 1, 2007. Each program participant receives condition-specific educational materials. Coaches and resources are available in both English and Spanish.

About CIGNA

As a Business of Caring, CIGNA Corporation (NYSE: CI) through its operating subsidiaries provides employers with benefits, expertise and services that improve the health, well-being and productivity of their employees. With approximately 47 million covered lives in the United States and around the world, CIGNA's operating subsidiaries offer a full portfolio of medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision care benefits and group life, accident and disability insurance.

  (1) Centers for Disease Control
  (2) American Institute for Stress
  (3) Health and Well-being in America, a survey sponsored by CIGNA
      HealthCare, February, 2007

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