Posts from — January 2009

Benefits of smoking Cessation Programs

Instances of respiratory diseases, cancer and other illnesses can be decreased through smoking cessation efforts. smoking cessation programs can provide huge opportunities for enhanced health.

The American Cancer Society reports that smoking workers cost organizations an average of $1,429 per smoker per year in raised health care costs over non-smoking workers. Implementing a smoking cessation program costs an average of $45 per employee per year, saving organizations an average of $1,383 per year for each employee who quits smoking. Additionally, the American Cancer Society reports that smokers are absent from work 50 percent more often than nonsmokers. They are also 50 percent more likely to be hospitalized and have 15 percent higher disability rates. smoking decreases onthe- job productivity as well. Employees who take four 10- minute smoking breaks a day work more than a month less per year than workers who don’t take smoke breaks.

Places to start with smoking cessation programs:

1.    Create a organization policy prohibiting tobacco use anywhere on the property.
2.    Offer prompts/posters to support no tobacco use policy.
3.    Policy supporting participation in smoking cessation activities during duty time (flex-time).
4.    Offer counseling through an individual, group, or telephone counseling program onsite.
5.    Offer counseling through a health plan sponsored individual, group, or telephone counseling program.
6.    Offer cessation medications through medical insurance.

Benefits of Nutrition Programs

Nutrition directly impacts nearly every aspect of physical and mental health. A healthy diet can help protect against such conditions as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, certain cancers and depression. Obesity, which is among the most common conditions linked to diet, affects a record number of Americans.

The American Journal of Health Promotion estimates the cost of obesity to U.S. organization to exceed $12.5 billion in health care, sick leave, and life and disability insurance. Further, one research study reports that obesity raises health care costs by 36 percent and medication costs by 77 percent. To offset the health risks of obesity and poor diet, many organizations have committed to helping workers ensure proper nutrition and undertake weight control programs.

Popular nutrition programs:

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

1.    Offer healthy eating reminders and prompts to workers via multiple means (i.e. e-mail, posters, payroll stuffers, etc.).
2.    Offer appealing, low-cost fruits and vegetables in snack machines and in the cafeteria.
3.    Offer cookbooks, food preparation, and cooking classes for workers’ families.
4.    Ensure onsite cafeterias follow healthy cooking practices and set nutritional standards for foods served that align with the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
5.    Offer healthy foods at meetings, conferences, and catered events.
6.    Use point-of-decision prompts as a marketing technique to promote healthier choices.
7.    Offer healthy cooking demonstrations that teach skills (i.e. fruit and vegetable selection and preparation).
8.    Offer taste-testing opportunities at the workplace.
9.    Offer employee-led campaigns, demonstrations or programs.
10.    Offer local fruits and vegetables at the workplace (i.e. workplace farmer’s market or community-supported agriculture drop-off point).
11.    Use competitive pricing (price non-nutritious foods in snack machines and cafeterias at higher prices).
12.    Offer protected time and dedicated space away from the work area for breaks and lunch.
13.    Make kitchen equipment available to workers.
14.    Offer an opportunity for onsite gardening if possible.

Sweetened Beverage Consumption

1.    Make water available throughout the day.
2.    Offer appealing, low-cost healthful drink options in snack machines and the cafeteria.
3.    Modify worksite snack contracts to increase the number of healthy options.

4.    Price non-nutritious beverages at a higher cost.
5.    Use point-of-decision prompts to promote healthier choices.

Portion Control

1.    Label foods to show serving size and/or nutritional content.
2.    Offer food models, food scales for weighing and pictures to help workers assess portion size.
3.    Offer appropriate portion sizes at meetings, workplace events and in the cafeteria.

Nutrition programs in action

While many organizations address weight management through fitness programs, organizations are increasingly focusing on nutrition through separate programming. Recognizing the productivity boost and lowered medical expenditures that come with maintaining a healthy weight, many organizations may help pay for obesity treatments for workers. For example, to improve the health of dangerously obese workers, drug maker Wyeth reportedly pays for stomach-shrinking surgeries that carry price tags of up to $40,000.

A 2003 Society of Human Resource Management research study shows that 24 percent of organizations offer weight loss programs. In Ohio, Honda offers an onsite, registered dietitian who provides individual or group consultations on weight management. Body fat analysis and body mass index (BMI) measurements are available to workers at any time.

At Grange Insurance’s Columbus headquarters, the cafeteria chef analyzes meals and provides workers basic nutrition information, including Weight Watchers points. Many organizations partner with the American Cancer Society to offer nutrition information through the ”5-ADay” program, which provides organizations free signage and educational materials about the importance of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. The program also offers a fruit and vegetable ”frequency card” that gives workers a free portion of fruit or vegetables after he or she has purchased a preset number.

Benefits of Physical Fitness Programs

Exercise reduces weight, lowers risks of heart attack and stroke, helps to control blood pressure and diabetes, and improves mood. Studies increasingly show that physical fitness may also help reduce the occurrence of certain types of cancer. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently documented another major advantage: physical fitness improves the health of the nation’s medical care expenditures.3 According to the CDC, physically active individuals incur $865 less per year in medical costs than inactive people.

Dr. Michael Moore, vice president and chief medical director at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, maintains that physical fitness is the most effective tool in health maintenance. “If you could prescribe exercise in a pill, it would be the number-one prescribed treatment in the world,” he said. In step with Dr. Moore’s prescription, nearly one-third of U.S. organizations help workers pay for gym memberships, according to an Associated Press report. Subsidizing gym memberships is just one way organizations promote active lifestyles.

Popular Physical Fitness Initiatives:

1.    Allow access to on- and off- worksite gyms and recreational activities before, during, and after work hours.
2.    Offer and promote participation in after work recreation or leagues.
3.    Offer cash incentives or decreased insurance costs for participation in physical activity and/or weight management or maintenance activities.
4.    Offer shower and/or changing facilities onsite.
5.    Offer outdoor physical fitness areas such as fields and trails for employee use.
6.    Offer bicycle racks in safe, convenient, and accessible locations.
7.    Offer onsite fitness opportunities, such as group classes or personal training.
8.    Offer an onsite physical fitness facility.
9.    Start programs that have strong social support systems and incentives, such as:
• Buddy or team physical activity goals
• Programs that involve workers and family
• Programs to promote physical activity, such as pedometer walking challenges
• Consider discounted or subsidized memberships at local health clubs, recreation centers, or YMCAs
10.     Offer flexible work hours to allow for physical activity during the day.
11.    Support physical activity breaks during the workday, such as stretching or walking.
12.    Host walk-and-talk meetings.
13. Map out onsite trails or nearby walking routes and destinations.
14. Have workers map out their own biking or walking route to and from work.
15. Post motivational signs at elevators and escalators to promote stair usage.
16. Offer exercise/physical fitness messages and information to workers.
17. Offer or support recreation leagues and other physical activity events onsite or in the community.
18. Start employee activity clubs such as walking or bicycling clubs.
19. Offer onsite child care facilities to facilitate physical activity.
20. Sponsor a bike to work day and reward workers who participate.
21. Start a box and solicit fitness and health tips.

Wellness programming means different things to different organizations. Effective wellness initiatives can be as simple as bringing bushel baskets of fresh fruit into break rooms to encourage better eating. They can be as extensive as building fitness facilities onsite or paying for obesity treatments.

A driving factor behind the push toward wellness spans organizations of all types, sizes and cultures: that is, health care expenses are spilling over the company belt buckle. The annual cost of medical services in the U.S. is increasing at seven times the rate of inflation. And the rise in medical costs is one boom pundits expect our economy to sustain.1

This trend makes it increasingly challenging for organizations to maintain current levels of insurance coverage. In 2003, health care inflation forced 65 percent of organizations to increase workers’ share of health costs.

Seventy-nine percent of large firms said they will increase workers’ share of health costs in 2004.2 But with lost benefits and increased financial burdens come lost morale and productivity.

Employers are searching for another way. While organizations cannot control many of the supply-side elements contributing to increasing health care costs—malpractice insurance rates, the nursing shortage—they can help curb demand. That’s why efforts are being redirected from illness to wellness.

The case for Corporate Health Promotion Programs is supported by an ever growing body of evidence demonstrating the high costs associated with controllable health risks:

• One research study reports that obesity raises health care costs by 36 percent and medication costs by 77 percent.
• Michigan officials estimate physical inactivity cost the state nearly $8.9 billion in 2002, a cost estimated to be largely borne by organizations through insurance premiums and lost productivity.
• The not-for-profit National Committee for Quality Assurance reports that the estimated average cost for postnatal care for women who did not receive prenatal care was $2,341 more than for women who had. And the indirect costs of unhealthful behavior can be just as high.

Data shows that healthier workers are more productive, spending more time at work and showing increased “presenteeism,” or productivity, while there. Further, healthier workers use fewer medical services. The five leading causes of death in the U.S. — heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes —  are directly linked to unhealthy lifestyles. Clearly, encouraging healthful habits presents an opportunity to improve workers’ well being, reduce the need for health care services and help control costs.

Offering employee wellness benefits — large or small — represents an intersection between company social responsibility and responsibility to stakeholders. Between employee health and corporate health. It’s often the right thing to do for workers and organizations.

Research by Traveler’s Corp. shows a $3.40 return for every dollar invested in Corporate Health Promotion Programs. For many organizations, the choice to offer employee wellness benefits is easy—one where conscience and pragmatism align.

The challenge arises in selecting the programs that will deliver the most impact based on trends in your workers’ health risks and medical claims costs. From large organizations to the corner deli, organization owners welcome ways to boost productivity, reduce rates of absence and cut costs. Likewise, Corporate Health Promotion Programs can range from modest to elaborate.

In determining where to focus a organization’s limited resources, looking at benefits, costs and best practices is a good starting point. This section profiles six aspects of wellness and explores their benefits to workers and organizations.

When it comes to working wellness into your workforce, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of health promotion, and who can counsel workers and provide primary care - all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.

AAOHN’s survey found that more than 50% of workers (61 percent) want to receive health and wellness information from a health care professional, such as a consultant or an onsite occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to pamphlets or brochures (18 percent) or human resources staff (15 percent).

OHNs can develop, implement and evaluate components of work site Corporate Health Promotion Programs such as testing programs, exercise/fitness courses, Stress management, smoking cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, as well as chronic illness management programs. Plus, OHNs can help workers navigate through complicated health plans and may even serve as a triage point between workers and their personal health care providers.

Employees might refrain from seeing their health care provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays. In situations where workers are under treatment for chronic diseases like heart disease, onsite nurses can routinely monitor risk factors such as blood pressure or cholesterol on a regular basis.

It’s often easier for an employee to ask an onsite nurse for information about symptoms or prescription medication than it is to schedule a follow-up visit to a personal health care provider. Benefits realized by organizations include enhanced employee morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, raised productivity and decreased time away from work.

In organizations with a safety department, the OHN can evaluate and address work-related health issues, including participation in workstation evaluations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching programs and involving workers in leading stretches.

Good for waistlines & your bottom line

By Sandra Simpson, APRN, BC, COHN-S, manager in Occupational Health Services at a Fortune 500 organization in Memphis, Tenn., and a member of the board of directors of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN). For a copy of the AAOHN wellness survey, visit www.aaohn.org, or call (800) 241-8014, x0.

In today’s hectic world, the majority of of us are spending more time at work, and have increasingly less time to look after our health. For a long time, organizations have understood the benefits associated with keeping workers well - raised productivity from decreased rates of absence and lowered disability claims. For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many organizations realized double-digit health care costs last year, organizations should consider Corporate Health Promotion Programs as a way to keep workers healthy.

But just how important are these programs to workers? How often are they willing to take part in programs designed to positively impact their health and wellness? Who do workers trust to provide them with important information about their health?

Answers to these questions and more were recently garnered from a research study commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN).

The AAOHN survey questioned 500 workers nationwide about their perceptions of Corporate Health Promotion Programs. More than three-quarters of all members indicated these programs are a good way to improve their overall health, and nearly 60 percent consider these offerings an incentive to remain with their current employer. employee retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building Corporate Health Promotion Programs into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented workers in addition to enhancing personal health and workplace productivity.

Health wish list

Employees appear to have their own agenda when it comes to their health. With new national security threats, new economic pressures and work/balance issues, it’s not surprising that 85 percent of survey respondents cited Stress management as a priority topic for work site wellness.

In addition to stress, other preferred topic areas include testing programs (84 percent), exercise/physical fitness programs (84 percent), medical insurance education (81 percent) and disease management lunch and learns (80 percent).

In addition to lifestyle and personal health issues, those asked expressed concern about work-related health issues, including strains and injuries resulting from lifting or task-oriented muscle repetition, exposure to harmful substances, personal injury, vision changes due to computer work and workplace violence.

What you should do

With such a broad range of health concerns, a primary goal for organizations is finding a way to proactively address the health and wellness needs of the largest number of workers, and effectively change unhealthy behaviors, promote wellness and ward off disease and illness.

Printed materials such as brochures, posters, fliers or pamphlets present an easy solution. But it’s important to remember that different people require different formats for learning. A good rule of thumb: provide information in a variety of learning formats such as videos, pamphlets, health-related quizzes, display boards, Lunch & Learn presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.

This assumes you’ve overcome the first hurdle - getting people to sign on to a Corporate Health Promotion Program. While survey respondents indicated health and Corporate Health Promotion Programs are important, just six out of 10 (60 percent) reported that they participated in the Corporate Health Promotion Programs at their organizations. The other 40 percent cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.

This points to the need for a broad-based, structured Wellness Program using a innovative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective program marketing.

By investing in an organized Wellness Program headed by a qualified health care professional such as an onsite nurse, organizations can give workers the access to the health information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.

The result: workers become savvier health care consumers who feel more in charge of their personal health. And healthier workers make for a healthier bottom line.

Stress continues to drive workers’ work-related health concerns, which is probably why the majority of respondents (78 percent) in a recently published survey claim they would take part in a Wellness Program to help their overall health and wellness.

In a recently published research study commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. (AAOHN), 500 full-time workers nationwide were interviewed telephonically.

“Today’s workers are clearly dealing with a lot of pressures such as the effects of 9/11, an unstable economy, national security threats and work/balance issues. There is a real opportunity for organizations to serve as an ally to their workers by offering them with resources to better manage their physical and emotional health - anything from stress management lunch and learns to nutrition and physical fitness counseling,” says Deborah V. DiBenedetto, president of AAOHN.

Nearly 80 percent of respondents believe their health would improve if they were offered the right information and tools through a viable Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Topping the list of most interesting Corporate Health Promotion Programs cited by workers is stress management (85 percent), closely followed by testing programs (84 percent), exercise/physical fitness programs (84 percent), medical insurance education (81 percent) and disease management lunch and learns (80 percent).

More than 50% of workers (61 percent) would rather receive health and wellness information from a health care consultant or onsite nurse, compared to pamphlets or brochures (18 percent) or human resources staff (15 percent).

Effective Corporate Health Promotion Programs include the use of data sources in support of Wellness Program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Data sources can be used to complete a community needs assessment, develop realistic Wellness Program goals and objectives, and gain Senior Management support.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Data and statistics
• http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/
• Data and statistics are available by topic (i.e., asthma, injuries, MRSA).
• Data access tools are available to customize information tables and query datasets (i.e., Healthy People DATA2010, smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs).
• Nationwide survey information is available (i.e., National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)).

CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
• http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.htm
• BRFSS is the world’s largest, ongoing telephone health survey system. BRFSS has been tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the US yearly since 1984.
• Chronic Disease Indicators are divided into seven categories: physical activity and nutrition, tobacco and alcohol use, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, overarching conditions, and other disease and risk factors.
• Prevalence information is also available (i.e., weight classification by Body Mass Index and age).

Wellness Program data collection and analysis is often avoided because of a perceived lack of resources for this very important Wellness Program component. Use the suggestions below to take advantage of a variety of resources available at your company or in the local community.

Medical Interns and Residents

• If your Onsite Healthcare Center has an internship Corporate Health Promotion Program, get to know the Internship Director.
• Take advantage of these resources – including having the Director and/or interns/residents implement the outcome information collection plan for your Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Local college and graduate students

• Where appropriate volunteer agreements are in place, use local college/graduate students to help collect, input, and analyze Wellness Program data.
• Take advantage of the fact that these students are often looking for projects.
• If there are no “health-related” students/interns in your area, consider using organization students. Let them calculate a cost avoidance or return on investment (ROI) for your Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Other Medical Personnel

• Partner with other Medical Personnel. Find out who is collecting information, what information they are collecting, and how they are collecting it.
• If they are using a survey and the survey administration process is already in place, ask if you can add a question or two.
• Be aware of other research going on at your facility. They may already be collecting information you need OR may have analysis resources that can be shared.
• Ensure that other departments in the Medical center know you can always use some extra help if they have personnel with any down time. Use these resources for information entry or other administrative tasks.
• Make use of the volunteers to help collect and input data.

Past Wellness Program members

• Past Wellness Program members are also a good resource.
• They may be willing to lead a class session, provide encouragement to current Wellness Program members, or help collect data.
You can improve data collection and analysis by taking advantage of local resources. Using these resources expands the reach and impact of your Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Keeping Wellness Program information organized is essential in order to be able to determine Wellness Program impact and member progress. Use the simple steps below to keep your information organized.

Manage Wellness Program information electronically.
• Storing Wellness Program outcomes information electronically is the best way to manage that information.
• An electronic system will enable you to review and analyze the information more efficiently.
• Scan old surveys and other Wellness Program information that exist only on paper into .pdf format for permanent storage.

Find the Wellness Program system that works best for you.

• Some people are more comfortable with spreadsheet applications; others rather work with database applications.
• You will be more likely to use a Wellness Program that you are familiar and/or comfortable with.
• Standardize information collection and organization. Keep information columns/fields in the same order for all Corporate Health Promotion Programs.

Keep the Wellness Program as simple as possible.

• You do not have to be a Wellness Programming wizard or use complicated data entry interfaces in order to manage Wellness Program outcomes information.
• A simple spreadsheet is an excellent way to keep your information organized.

Store all Wellness Program data numerically.

• Using numbers (instead of words) will make the information much easier to enter and analyze. For example: use “1” for yes; “0” for no OR “1” for male; “2” for female.
• Number survey responses that contain strings of words. For example: instead of entering the responses: “patient education videos”, “news,” or “no TV,” number the responses so you only have to enter “1,” “2,” or “3.”

Label all Wellness Program data clearly.

• Ensure that all the data columns, rows, or fields are labeled. The information is worthless if you don’t know what information is in which column.
• The spreadsheet/database should include an explanation for column, row, field, and data abbreviations and a key for numbered responses.

Use consistent Wellness Program data units.

• Ensure that all information entered into a given column is expressed with the same unit of measure. For example, enter all heights as total inches, not as a combination of feet and inches.
Putting your data in order by using a simple system that works for you will enable you to track member accomplishments. Keeping your information organized also makes it easier to communicate Wellness Program impact to leadership and make Wellness Program improvements as needed.