Worksite health promotion, Mar. 2009

"The bottom line is that there is a lot more that could and should be done to help people with nutrition and exercise."
- Parris Glendening, former Governor of Maryland

Worksite Health Promotion

Vol. 2, Issue 3 March 2009

Nutrition Economics for Employers

It is often said that you are what you eat. Simply put: the foods we eat directly affect our bodies, and our health. It is this understanding that has significant implications for employers, particularly those interested in reducing health care costs.
The Cost of Poor Nutrition With only 1 in 4 adults in Georgia consuming the daily recommended 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, there is serious cause for concern. Poor nutrition is a health behavior that contributes to the increasing number of obese adults and children. Obesity in turn puts one at increased risk for developing a number of chronic diseases diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. The annual cost of obesity in Georgia is estimated at $2.1 billion, which includes direct health care costs and indirect costs related to lost productivity, disability, and death.
Poor nutrition can also be directly linked to diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Diabetes itself is estimated to cost more than $5.1 billion per year, including direct medical costs and lost productivity. Cardiovascular

disease amounts to about $10.5 billion, which includes direct health care costs and indirect costs.
With so many adults spending the majority of their waking hours at work-many eating two meals during their workday--it is important to understand that the worksite is an ideal setting for promoting healthy eating. However, the 2002 Georgia Worksite Survey showed that only 10% of worksites offered healthy eating, weight management classes, or counseling for employees. In addition to nutrition education, there are some other opportunities at the worksite for encouraging and supporting employees to Eat Healthy.
Nutrition Education There are a number of ways to provide nutrition education to employees at the worksite. A key to success is to use multiple "touches." This means using different methods or avenues to provide information. Some things you can do at your worksite are: Share healthy recipes with
employees in break rooms and cafeterias. Offer on-site nutrition education

classes. Consider local partners like cooperative extension services. Identify and direct employees to nutritional counseling resources available through your employersponsored health plans. Schedule cooking demonstrations to help employees lean how to prepare healthy meals. Include nutrition and other health tips on paystub messages.
Healthy Cafeteria and Vending The cafeteria and vending machines in your worksite offer opportunities to support healthy eating. Almost threefourths (74%) of Georgia worksites surveyed in 2002 had vending machines onsite. Changes to these environments

WELLNESS WATCH

It is no surprise that rising health care costs continue to be a major concern for employers and employees alike, particularly in the current economy. However, more employees are changing their views and actions as a way to curb the increasing cost burden. In a 2008 study, Watson Wyatt found the following: fewer employees are willing to pay higher premiums to keep deductibles and copays lower (19% vs. 38% in 2007); though only 16% enrolled in company-run wellness programs, more are trying to improve their health (66% vs. 4% in 2007); more employees are saving money by buying lower-cost drugs (35% vs. 28% in 2007); more visited the doctor only for serious conditions or symptoms (40% vs. 35% in 2007). While these behaviors reflect immediate reduction healthcare utilization, it is important to keep in mind that they may prove more costly in the long run, particularly as employees with chronic conditions like diabetes and heart
disease skip routine checkups and medication dosages to save money.

Worksite Health Promotion, March 2009

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Food Economics
Cont'd from page 1
can include: Replacing junk food in vending
machines with healthier options like nuts, granola, dried fruit, and pretzels. Offering a salad bar in the cafeteria so employees can make their own salad. Using a color-code system to mark bad, better, best options in vending machines. Using stickers/decals to indicate healthier entre options available in the cafeteria. Serving healthy options at meetings and company events.
Policies and Workplace Culture When it comes to food, the prevailing culture at many worksites is for employees to bring sweets and baked pastries. The items are often brought to staff celebrations or left in common gathering areas like break rooms. Encouraging employees to eat healthy will require a change in the workplace culture so that things like fruit bowls and water are accepted

and are as commonplace as donuts and soda. Consider the following: Adopting a healthy vending policy
and work with your snack vendor to include healthy options. Subsidizing the cost of nutritional counseling for employees, particularly those with nutritionalrelated conditions like obesity and diabetes. Installing water coolers or encourage employees to start a water cooler club. Working with a local produce vendor to provide fruits at low cost to employees.
Employers do not have to just accept the health care costs and productivity losses related to poor nutrition. Take steps to create a work environment
that fosters healthy eating.

A WORD ON THE ECONOMY
The current economic environment poses a big deterrent to employers for implementing wellness programs. Those who were considering offering wellness programs to their employees may think that this is not the right time for such investments. Those who have offered activities in the past may scale back and not offer anything at all. No matter where you fall, there is no better time than now to implement effective strategies for addressing rising health care costs and for increasing the productivity of a shrinking workforce.
It is important, however, to note that an effective wellness program must be properly planned, executed and evaluated. Some things to consider:
Identify areas of need and program components through surveys (employee interest
surveys, health risk assessments (HRAs), etc) and through analysis of claims and other health cost data.
As much as possible, link wellness program components to health benefits. Examples:
use HRA results to direct high-risk employees into disease management programs health premium discounts as incentives, use tools available through your health benefits provider (online health program, wellness coaching, and other incentives).
Identify staff (wellness coordinator, human resources, wellness committee) responsible
for program planning, promotion, and encouraging employee participation.
Identify program elements that can benefits dependents HRAs, health coaching, etc. Collect data on improvements in employee health, invested resources (fiscal, human,
equipment), and identify additional areas for programming.
A recent report released by Towers Perrin defined high-performing companies as those who "focus primarily on supporting and improving employee health." These companies will pay less in 2009 for health care premiums than low-performing companies, 12% on average (about $1,200 per employee). The survey also found that high-performing companies achieve these results by: building the link between workforce health and business results; engaging employees and promoting a culture of health; investing in a broad range of existing and emerging health management programs and approaches; and rigorously measuring program and vendor performance against goals.
Worksite Health Promotion, March 2009

Health Observances

March

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National Sleep Awareness Week (March 3-9)

National Sleep Foundation

www.sleepfoundation.org

World Kidney Day (March 12) National Kidney Foundation www.kidney.org/news/wkd/index.cfm

Diabetes Alert Day (March 24) American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org

National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation www.preventcancer.org/colorectal

National Kidney Month American Dietetic Association www.eatright.org

National Nutrition Month American Dietetic Association www.eatright.org

Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month Prevent Blindness America www.preventblindness.org

April Alcohol Awareness Month SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information ncadi.samhsa.gov

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Cancer Control Month American Cancer Society www.cancer.org

STD Awareness Month American Social Health Association www.ashastd.org

May

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North American Occupational Safety and

Health Week (May 3-9)

American Society of Safety Engineers

Canadian Society of Safety Engineering

U.S. Occupational Safety & Health

Administration

www.asse.org/naosh

National Women's Health Week (May 10-16) US DHHS - Office on Women's Health www.womenshealth.gov/whw

National Employee Health & Fitness Day (May 20) National Association for Health and Fitness www.physicalfitness.org

American Stroke Month American Heart Association www.americanheart.org

Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America www.aafa.org

Mental Health Month Mental Health America www.mentalhealthamerica.net

Natl High Blood Pressure Education Month National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/nhbpep_kit/

Better Sleep Month Better Sleep Council www.bettersleep.org

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RESOURCE CORNER

OTHER GEORGIA PROGRAMS
Cooperative Extension The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension's educational programs include Family & Consumer Sciences. The Extension provides information and services related to safe food handling, buying & preparing, and nutrition & health. For more information, call 1800-ASK-UGA1 or visit http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ext/food/ For your county Extension offices, go to http://www.caes.uga.edu/extension/st atewide.cfm
Georgia State Farmers Market There is a network of fifteen State Farmers' Markets, offering fruits and vegetables throughout Georgia and the Southeast. These facilities maintain a viable market for Georgia farmers and farm products in the communities where they are located. http://agr.georgia.gov/00/article/0,208 6,38902732_0_40928014,00.html

RESOURCE MATERIALS
Georgia Market Maker Georgia Market Maker is an interactive mapping system that one can use to locate farmers markets, retailers, wholesalers, and producers/farmers. http://ga.marketmaker.uiuc.edu/.
Guidelines for Offering Healthy Foods at Meetings, Seminars & Catered Events This resource guide from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health includes recommendations and options for company events. http://www.ahc.umn.edu/ahc_content /colleges/sph/sph_news/Nutrition.pdf
Farmers Market Resource Guide This guide describes farmers' market programs being implemented within Kaiser Permanente provides some lessons learned. http://xnet.kp.org/communitybenefit/c hi/tools/docs/farmers_market/KPFarme rsMarketResource4.pdf

UPCOMING EVENTS
IHPM 5th Annual Health Management Conf April 6-8, 2009 Orlando, FL http://www.ihpm.org
Chiropractic Cost Savings Opportunity & ROI April 15, 2009 Virtual Seminar http://www.ahip.org/conferenceandevent s/Registration.aspx?ConfId=95
2009 American Occupational Health Conf April 26-29, 2009 San Diego, CA https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/ Default.aspx?eventid=603114
MBGH 29th Annual Conference May 7-8, 2009 Chicago, IL. http://mbgh.org/index.php?t=eduprogram s/annual
Safety 2009 Conference & Exposition June 28-July 1, 2009 San Antonio, TX http://www.asse.org/education/pdc09/
2009 SHRM Annual Conference & Exhibition June 28-July 1, 2009, New Orleans, LA http://www.shrm.org/CONFERENCES/ann ual/

Georgia's Worksite Health Initiative Georgia DHR Div. of Public Health www.health.state.ga.us/programs/
worksitehealth WorksiteHealth@dhr.state.ga.us

WORKSITE WELLNESS IN THE NEWS
Survey says work really is hazardous to your health Reuters, December 5, 2008 When Job Disappears, So Does Health Care NY Times, December 7, 2008 More Companies Cut Labor Costs Without Layoffs NY Times, December 22, 2008 Rising health costs a conflict for companies, workers AJC, January 7, 2009 COUNTY LINES|OSSINING; Caught in the Middle, Without Health Insurance NY Times, January 11, 2009 Walgreen offers health program for businesses Reuters, January 14, 2009 Unemployment Leaves WellPoint Unwell Reuters, January 16, 2009 A Corporate Perk For a Stressful Time NY Times, January 18, 2009 Health care: The hidden business killer CNN Money, January 28, 2009 PATIENT MONEY; Making the Most of Flexible Spending Accounts NY Times, January 30, 2009 Health Insurance: What You Need to Know NY Times, February 3, 2009 Small Payroll, But Big Woes On Insurance NY Times, February 3, 2009 Small businesses under pressure to cut health coverage AJC, February 3, 2009 Losing the Glint of the Golden Years NY Times, February 8, 2009 Working out from Nine to Five Reuters, February 9, 2009 Kennesaw to city employees: Be healthy or pay more AJC, February 15, 2009 US employers expect steady rise in health costs Reuter, February 19, 2009 Is The Economy Making You Fat? Forbes, February 20, 2009 Gov't Says 'Mass Layoffs' Soared in January BusinessWeek, February 25, 2009 Unfunded Health Costs for Calif. Workers Tops $48B BusinessWeek, February 25, 2009

Worksite Health Promotion, March 2009

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