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Obesity Is One of the Toughest Workplace Health Challenges that Employers Face

TMCnews Featured Article


November 08, 2013

Obesity Is One of the Toughest Workplace Health Challenges that Employers Face

By Calvin Azuri, TMCnet Contributor


The Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) has released a detailed report examining the health issues employers are forced to deal with in the workplace and the possible solutions they can use to address these issues. NEBGH is an independent coalition of both large national employers as well as other organizations that are focused on improving healthcare value and reducing costs.


The report entitled "Weight Control and the Workplace" highlights two critical factors in dealing with obesity and helping employees battle the same. The first key criteria defined by the report states that employers need to move from generic weight loss programs to customized individual weight loss programs that help the individual specifically address their challenges. The second point is that before designing such program, it is vital to get the views and feedback of the employees, as the success of each program will be determined by their input. The report was based on a group examination of obesity's impact on the workplace by 15 executives from large employers and health plans.

In a statement, Laurel Pickering, president and CEO of NEBGH, said, "Overweight employees cost employers more than $73 billion each year and put themselves at risk for diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and other chronic illnesses” She said "Employers, health plans and healthcare providers need to come up with coordinated, compelling approaches that engage employees in managing their weight in order to stem skyrocketing healthcare costs and improve public health."

A large percentage of employers stated that their employees’ health was usually a reflection of their poor health habits and that it definitely had an effect on their performance. To address these issues, employers have rolled out plans to ensure that their cafeterias offer a well balanced meal, as well as exercise and wellness programs that are open to employees to stay fit and healthy.

Jeremy Nobel (News - Alert), MD, MPH, executive director of the Solutions Center, NEBGH's said, "One of the challenges employers face in engaging people in weight control efforts is the stigma attached to being overweight or obese”. Nobel said “Official recognition of obesity as a disease by the American Medical Association could increase physician engagement in identifying overweight and obese individuals for intervention, as well as help reduce the stigma and pave the way for increased participation in employer-sponsored efforts."

The NEBGH report also explained that employees could further improve their health if top executives in the organization stressed the importance of wellness as an organizational priority. For example, incentives and discounts could be granted to those employees who actively participated in these programs, and companies could roll out strong branding and marketing campaigns to make employees aware of the different programs available to them, as well as to give them confidence that these programs could change their health for the better. 




Edited by Blaise McNamee







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