Benefits of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are crucial to improving the health of our nations. The majority of adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a excellent venue for promoting healthful habits. The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a means of assisting workers to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Benefits to Corporate Health Promotion Programs include:
• Weight reduction
• Enhanced physical fitness
• Increased stamina
• Lower levels of stress
• Increased well-being, self-image and self-esteem

Employers can also benefit from Corporate Health Promotion Programs. According to recently published research, employers’ benefits are:

• Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy workers
• Decreased health care costs
• Decreased rates of illness and injuries
• Decreased employee rates of absence
• Enhanced employee relations and morale
• Enhanced productivity

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report revealed that at worksites with physical activity programs as components of their Corporate Health Promotion Programs have:

• Decreased health care costs by 20 to 55 percent
• Decreased short-term sick leave by six to 32 percent
• Increased productivity by two to 52 percent

Thanks to modern medicine, life expectancy for Americans has continually increased. How much we enjoy these additional years, however, depends greatly on how we have lived our lives. If our quality of life is to remain high so that we can fully enjoy these extra years, we must practice good eating habits, be active and refrain from using tobacco products.