Health Promotion Strategies

Preventing injuries is a high priority for companys, specifically in factory establishings such as Honda. That’s why the corporation offers several programs-including line-site process evaluations -to identify potential hazards and help reduce the chance of injury.

As part of an early intervention program, Honda staff members who are feeling pain can receive a massage of the affected area during work time.

Stretching programs are another effective tool in injury prevention. According to the Best Practices in Manufacturing Web site, Dayton Parts, Inc. (DPI) in Harrisburg, Pa., conducted research that revealed approximately 80% of all manufacturing injuries occurred within the first two hours of each shift.

After beginning a program that required production workers to stretch for 10 to 15 minutes at the starting of their shifts, they saw a dramatic reduction in injuries.

While the DPI program costs about $75,000 a year to operate, combined with other corporation programs, it’s assisted bring the annual cost of workers’ compensation from $700,000 to $200,000 per year.6

To help prevent lengthy absences and reduce workers’ compensation claims, Honda instituted a work recovery program. Through the program, employees who have had an injury can work in a modified job-getting better.

Employees in the program spend their work days receiving physical conditioning to raise overall fitness, physical therapy to restore functionality, health education and nutrition counseling. the program is based on data that shows fewer work days are lost when an staff member stays connected to the work environment.

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, www.ohiobwc.com, provides a “10-Step Business Plan” as a guide for companies in providing wellness programs that aim to reduce injuries. the plan includes information on safety and health programs to prevent occurrences of on-the-job accidents, including –

Worker involvement – to ensure the success of any business wellness program, employees must participate in the safety and health-management process.

This could be done through safety and health audits, accident evaluations, or by forming safety and health involvement teams, focus groups or committees.

Orientation and training plan – Conduct orientation and training sessions to educate employees on the corporation’s safety policies.

These sessions ought to include procedures for the safe use of machinery and tools, chemical hazards and how to prevent contact or exposure, specific job/task safe practices, and hazard recognition and prevention.

Communication – Open communication keeps employees informed and provides suggestions and feedback on the effectiveness of the corporation’s wellness program.

Through memos, bulletin boards and staff meetings, important health and safety information could be conveyed throughout the organization, keeping all management staff and employees knowledgeable about the corporation’s safe practices.

The business plan also outlines incentives for post-injury procedures, including –

Medical treatment and return-to-work practices – arly return-to-work strategies help injured or ill workers return to work in a timely manner.

Companies should establish a disability management policy to help injured or ill staff members obtain quality medical treatment, making their transition back to work quick and effortless.

Timely notification of claims – Corporations should document workplace injuries immediately after they occur and promptly send that documentation to a claims handler.

Rapidly providing claim information demonstrates care and concern for the injured worker, prevents delays and confusion with the claim process, and lowers the potential for abuse or needless litigation.

Record keeping – Internal documents must be kept to record work-time injuries and to assess the success of the corporation’s safety efforts.

Corporation audits, surveys and injury or disease reports can all be used to analyze which safety practices and policies have proven successful, and what areas of wellness need improvement.

Dr. Moore of Nationwide maintains that immunization is the most cost-effective treatment in medicine. for example, vaccinating kids against the influenza virus averages a savings (including healthcare costs, parents’ missed work, etc.) of up to $35 per vaccine recipient.

And specialists predict that estimate is low, because it does not take into account the rapid spread of the flu.

The American Association of Family Doctors’ Web site, www.aafp.org, offers a advised adult immunization schedule developed by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

This schedule, tiered by age and chances of exposure, recommends diphtheria, tetanus, influenza, pneumonococcal, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, measles, mumps and rubella, varicella and meningococcal vaccinations.

Ideas to incorporate avoidance and early detection –  

• Hold a wellness fair and invite organizations that provide screening services for such conditions as blood pressure, blood iron, cholesterol, Body Mass Index  and diabetes.

• Offer educational materials about well-baby care and immunizations.

• Pick health care coverage plans that include wellness check-ups and immunizations.

• Offer on-site mammograms for workers.

• Sponsor on-site flu shots to coincide with flu season.

Advantages of Stress Reduction Programs

While stress cannot be eliminated from life, or even from the workplace, coping skills could be created with relative ease. Stress management skills lead to decreased absenteeism and more effective, more productive employees.

Because stress has been proven to contribute to such physical conditions as ulcers, high blood pressure and stroke, stress reduction has a direct impact on bettering physical health.

Studies have shown that heart patients who attend stress management programs have 42% lower healthcare costs. Other studies have documented a 50% reduction in medical services use when stress management programs are employed.

Furthermore, Staff Member Assistance Program (EAP) specialists estimate that 20 percent of any workforce is affected by personal problems that can influence work performance.

Stress reduction tactics to consider –  

• Offer on-site yoga or meditation classes.

• Organize support groups among staff members.

• Sponsor stress management courses during the workday.

• Offer an worker assistance program that includes both counseling and referral.

• Offer on-site counseling for employees in a work-related trauma, such as the death of a colleague.

Advantages of Prenatal Care and Breastfeeding

The old proverb “an ounce of avoidance is worth a pound of cure” is in particular relevant to when applied to preventive measures taken during pregnancy, when several extra ounces of birth weight can save a child’s life.

During pregnancy, simple precautions can help avoid catastrophic results; giving up use of tobacco, for example, drastically lowers the risk of miscarriage and pre-term labor.

The March of Dimes reports that when all women took adequate folic acid before conception and during pregnancy, the number of babies born with a neural tube defect could drop by as much as 70 percent.

The physical and emotional benefits of proper prenatal care to a mother and child are underscored by a strong corporation case for offering prenatal wellness benefits. Nationwide’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Michael Moore, estimates costs to care for one baby delivered prematurely could approach $500,000.

First steps in fostering a prenatal program –  

• Invite the March of Dimes to present information about prenatal health at an staff member brownbag lunch or breakfast meeting.

• Hold prenatal care information classes for interested staff members at lunchtime.

• Provide educational materials about the effects of alcohol, drugs and use of tobacco on an unborn child.

• Offer incentives for adopting healthy lifestyles during pregnancy.

• Offer prenatal programs and education as part of the business healthcare package.

Advantages of Use of tobacco Cessation Programs

Instances of respiratory illnesses, cancer and other illnesses could be reduced through use of tobacco cessation efforts. Use of tobacco cessation programs can provide immense opportunities for improved health.

The American Cancer Society reports that use of tobacco employees cost businesses an average of $1,429 per smoker per year in increased health care costs over non-use of tobacco employees.

Beginning a smoking cessation program costs an typical of $45 per worker per year, saving companies an typical of $1,383 per year for each worker who quits smoking. Also, the American Cancer Society reports that smokers are absent from work 50% more often than nonsmokers.

They’re also 50% more likely to be hospitalized and have 15% higher disability rates. Tobacco use lowers onthe- job productivity as well. Staff Members who take four 10- minute use of tobacco breaks a day work more than a month less per year than staff members who don’t take smoke breaks.

Places to start with smoking cessation programs –  

• Create a “buddy” program to provide encouragement for those who commit to stop tobacco use.

• Offer lung capacity tests at company health fairs.

• Consider reimbursement for smoking cessation tools –  nicotine gum, patches and inhalers.

• Limit smoking areas in the workplace.

• Present onsite tobacco use cessation sessions.

Advantages of Nutrition Programs

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

The American Journal of Wellness estimates the cost of obesity to United States  business to exceed $12.5 billion in health care, sick time, and life and disability insurance.

Furthermore, one 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 businesses have committed to helping staff members ensure proper nutrition and undertake weight control programs.

Popular nutrition programs –  

• Provide employees with educational materials or courses on proper nutrition provided by a registered dietitian.

• Offer onsite Weight Watchers meetings or other weight management programs.

• Provide nutritious and health conscience meal options in the cafeteria and vending machines.

• Obviously post nutrition information for all cafeteria and vending machine items.

• Offer low cost, healthy, take-home dinner choices for staff members and their families.

• Draw attention to healthful eating habits by providing token incentives, such as pencils or ID holders, for achieving five fruits or vegetable servings a day for a week.

Nutrition programs in action

While many corporations address weight control through fitness initiatives, corporations are increasingly focusing on nutrition through separate programming. Recognizing the productivity improve and decreased medical expenditures that come with maintaining a healthy weight, many corporations may help pay for obesity treatments for workers.

For example, to improve the health of dangerously obese employees, drug maker Wyeth reportedly compensates for stomach-shrinking surgeries that carry price tags of up to $40,000.

A 2003 Society of Human Resource Management study shows that 24% of employers 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  measurements are available to staff members at any time.

At Grange Insurance’s Columbus headquarters, the cafeteria chef investigates meals and provides workers basic nutrition information, including Weight Watchers points.

Many companies partner with the American Cancer Society to offer nutrition information through the “5-ADay” program, which provides companys 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 employees a free portion of fruit or vegetables after he or she’s purchased a preset number.

Benefits of Exercise Plans

Exercise reduces weight, reduces risks of heart attack and stroke, assists to control blood pressure (BP) and diabetes, and improves mood. Studies increasingly show that exercise may also help reduce the occurrence of certain types of cancer.

Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lately documented another major advantage –  exercise improves the health of the nation’s medical care expenditures.3 According to the CDC, physically active individuals incur $865 less per year in health costs than inactive individuals .

Dr. Michael Moore, vice president and chief medical director at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, maintains that exercise is the most effective tool in health maintenance. “If you could prescribe exercise in a pill, it’d be the number-one prescribed treatment in the world,” he said.

In step with Dr. Moore’s prescription, almost one-third of USA  businesses help employees pay for gym memberships, according to an Associated Press report. Subsidizing gym memberships is just one way businesses encourage active lifestyles.

Well-liked fitness-forward initiatives –  

• Begin a company softball or volleyball league.

• Compile and distribute information about opportunities to join athletic groups in your community.

• Offer partial or complete reimbursement for exercise facility memberships.

• Hold aerobics, karate, yoga or other kinds of fitness classes on-site.

• Give extended lunch hours for staff members who commit to lunchtime exercise programs.

• Introduce an onsite workout facility that is free, or available at a nominal cost, to staff members and their families.

• Conduct on-site wellness fairs that include fitness demonstrations and promote fitness activities and resources.

Wellness program means different things to different businesses. Effective wellness programs could be as simple as bringing bushel baskets of fresh fruit into break rooms to encourage better eating. They could be as comprehensive as building fitness facilities on-site or paying for obesity treatments.

A driving factor behind the push toward wellness spans organizations of all kinds, sizes and cultures –  that is, health care expenses are spilling over the corporate belt buckle.

The annual cost of medical services in the USA is rising 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 difficult for businesss to maintain current levels of insurance coverage. In 2003, healthcare inflation forced 65% of businesses to elevate employees’ share of health care costs.

Seventy-nine percent of large firms said they’ll 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 businesses can’t control many of the supply-side elements contributing to rising 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 wellness is supported by an ever growing body of evidence demonstrating the high costs associated with controllable health risks –

• One 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 companys through insurance premiums and lost productivity.

• the not-for-profit National Committee for Quality Assurance reports that the estimated typical 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 may 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. Furthermore, healthier workers use fewer medical services.

The five leading causes of death in the USA – heart illness, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary illness and diabetes –  are directly linked to unhealthful lifestyles. Obviously, encouraging healthful habits presents an opportunity to improve employees’ well being, reduce the need for health care services and help control costs.

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

Research by Traveler’s Corp. shows a $3.40 return for every dollar invested in Wellness Programs. for a lot of corporations, the option to offer worker wellness benefits is easy-one where conscience and pragmatism align.

The challenge arises in picking  the programs that’ll deliver the most impact based on trends in your employees’ health risks and medical claims costs.

From large companies to the corner deli, company owners welcome ways to improve productivity, reduce rates of absenteeism and cut costs. In like fashion, wellness programs can range from modest to elaborate.

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

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

AAOHN’s survey stated that more than half of staff members (61 percent) want to receive wellness information from a health care professional, such as a consultant or an on-site occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to  flyers or  flyers (18 percent) or human resources staff (15 percent).

OHNs can develop, implement and evaluate components of work site wellness programs like screening programs, exercise/fitness courses, stress management, tobacco use cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, as well as chronic condition 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 healthcare provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays.

In situations where staff members are under treatment for chronic diseases like heart illness, on-site 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 an individual healthcare provider.

Benefits realized by employers include enhanced employee morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, increased productivity and lowered time away from work.

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

Wellness Programs are good for waistlines and your bottom line

In today’s hectic world, most of us are spending more time at work, and have increasingly less time to look after our health. for a long time, companys have understood the benefits associated with keeping employees well – increased productivity from reduced absenteeism and reduced disability claims.

For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many companies realized double-digit healthcare costs last year, companies should consider Wellness Programs as a way to keep employees healthful.

But just how important are these programs to employees? How often are they willing to participate in programs designed to positively impact their 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 staff members nationwide about their perceptions of Wellness Programs. More than three-quarters of all participants 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 business.

Staff Member retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building wellness programs into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented workers also to enhancing personal health and workplace productivity.

Wellness wish list

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

In addition to stress, other preferred topic areas include screening programs (84 percent), exercise/physical fitness programs (84 percent), health insurance education (81 percent) and disease management (DM) workshops (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.

Beginning a Wellness Program

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

Printed materials like  pamphlets, posters, fliers or  pamphlets present an easy solution. But it’s important to remember that different individuals  require different formats for learning.

A good rule of thumb –  provide information in a variety of learning formats like videos,  brochures, health-related quizzes, display boards, lunch and learn presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.

This assumes you have overcome the first hurdle – getting individuals  to sign on to a wellness program. While survey respondents indicated wellness programs are important, just six out of 10 (60 percent) reported that they participated in the wellness programs at their businesses. the other 40% cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.

This points to the need for a comprehensive, structured wellness program using a creative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective program marketing and advertising.

By investing in an organized wellness program headed by a licensed healthcare professional such as an onsite nurse, companies can give staff members the access to the health information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.

The result –  staff members become savvier health care consumers who feel more in charge of their personal health. and healthier staff members make for a healthier bottom line.