AAOHN: Employers Can Hold The Key To Employees' Healthy New Year's Resolutions' Success
Atlanta — Americans who have resolved to lose weight or kick the tobacco habit in 2007 may consider turning to an unexpected, but useful resource to help them stay on track — their employer.
According to the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. (AAOHN), worksite wellness programs, including weight management and tobacco cessation initiatives, have proved successful in helping U.S. employees stay healthy while also benefiting employers' bottom lines.
Obesity is a serious health condition affecting more than 60 million Americans. The price tag to U.S. businesses for obesity-attributable healthcare costs and lost productivity is $13 billion annually (Source: The National Business Group on Health). According to a survey commissioned by the AAOHN in 2004, workplace weight-management programs play a tremendous role in helping employees achieve weight loss. In fact, nearly half of all respondents who claimed to participate in workplace weight-management programs reported success in reaching and maintaining their long-term goals.
Among factors employees contributed to their weight management success were workplace support groups, guidance from onsite professionals such as occupational and environmental health nurses, accessibility of onsite physical activity classes, healthier food selections in company cafeterias, and employer incentives for reaching weight loss goals.
"These findings are significant, indicating the value of workplace weight-management programs and representing a call-to-action for more businesses to provide employees with the types of onsite wellness programs that address obesity, and for more employees to take advantage of these programs," said AAOHN President Susan A. Randolph.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also supports the implementation of worksite tobacco cessation programs. Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Each day, smoking claims the lives of about 1,100 people, and for every employee who smokes, U.S. businesses will pay an average of $1,300 per year per smoker, the CDC reports. The CDC also reports that companies pay a whopping $47.2 billion in indirect costs from smoking-attributable illness and death, as well as absenteeism, workers' compensation payments, accidents and fires, property damage, and secondhand smoke exposure.
A survey issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed that 59 percent of private employers had either smokefree facility policies or permitted smoking only in separately ventilated smoking areas. In addition to implementing worksite smokefree policies, employers also can facilitate tobacco cessation programs.
"The worksite is an ideal environment in which to encourage smokers to quit," Ms. Randolph said. "Employees spend so much time at work that smokefree policies can provide the incentive they need to succeed."
"Smoking cessation support at worksites ideally includes a variety of methods and materials to meet the diverse needs of employees who smoke," said Ms. Randolph. "Employers may provide support by paying for employees to participate in smoking cessation programs, partnering with healthcare providers including insurance companies, offering referral support and providing self-help materials. Each employer must decide what type of cessation support best fits the work situation. "
SOURCE: AAOHN