The EIGHT at STATE campaign was recently launched to strengthen health and wellness across the Illinois State community. This campaign brings emphasis to the addition of an eighth dimension, financial wellness. Aligning with this exciting initiative, Health Promotion and Wellness revitalized their wellness incentive program with the launch of LIVE WELL with EIGHT at STATE.
Financial Wellness is a state of healthy living through the active pursuit of financial knowledge, planning, and goal setting. Growing one’s understanding of financial literacy is vital, and evidence supports how concerns around economic security can negatively impact health and wellness. Data from the 2017 American College Health Association (ACHA) National Faculty Staff Health Assessment indicated approximately 32 percent of respondents—staff and faculty members of Illinois State University—reported financial concerns negatively impacting their work performance and/or productivity levels at some time in the past 12 months. According to a decade of ACHA National College Health Assessment data, students report financial concerns as one of the top three issues that are most difficult for them to handle. Optimal financial wellness is not about being wealthy. Rather, it consists of making sound financial decisions that allow you to live within your means and plan for your economic future.
A first step toward improving your financial literacy is to access credible resources. Illinois State students, staff, and faculty can access CashCourse, an online tool for college campuses from the National Endowment for Financial Education. This non-profit organization offers reliable and easily accessible resources that help to educate users about personal financial decisions. Learn more about CashCourse by selecting Illinois State University from the drop-down menu when signing up for a free account.
Support your well-being by participating in Live Well with EIGHT at STATE, a free incentive-based program supporting Illinois State University students, staff, and faculty. The EIGHT at STATE initiative emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to well-being by intentionally focusing on eight dimensions of wellness: emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual, and vocational.
Engaging with Live Well is simple—participants will record day to day activities that align with one or more of the eight dimensions over the course of the program as a way to track progress. Activities recorded accrue points and participants become eligible to win prizes.
