One
billion dollars in everyday terms could be related to spending
$100,000.00 every day for 25 years and at the end of that
25 year span, you would still have $87 million remaining.
According
to a report from, "Health Promotion in the Work Place"
by O'Donnell and Ainsworth, they state:
"Of
the total Health Care expenditures in this country, approximately
96% is spent on treatment of illness and only 4% on disease
prevention and health promotion."
Recently
organizations have taken an interest in the health practices
of their employees and the expenditures incurred as a result
of these behaviors. Employers are beginning to realize that
there are no "quick-fix" solutions to medical inflation
and are now considering long term solutions and they are focusing
attention on the consumer demand for health services.
From
the DIETARY GOALS for the UNITED STATES by the U.S. Senate
Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs states:
"The
Order of Killers in our Nation are all DIET RELATED."
- Heart
Disease
- Cancer
- Stroke
- Diabetes
- Obesity
According
to Dr. Charles Mayo of the Mayo Clinic states:
"Normal
Resistance to Disease is directly dependent upon Adequate
Food!"
Dr.
Bernandine Healy, director of the National Institute of Health
(which includes the National Cancer Institute) points out
that:
- "Two-thirds
of all the deaths in the U.S. are directly related to lifestyle
choices, including what we eat."
and
- "Eating
more fruits and vegetables is an astoundingly simple and
pleasant way of decreasing your risk of cancer and other
diseases."
And
from a study by Amier & Dull entitled "Closing the
Gap --The Burden of Unnecessary Illness", they state:
"Much
of the illness & premature death in the United States
can be prevented."
- Over
10,000 epidemiological studies support the relationship
between health risk factors and illness and injuries which
account for over 73% of the mortality in the United States.
These include heart disease, strokes, cancer, liver disease,
accidents, homicide and suicide.
- Available
literature supports that employees with deleterious lifestyles
and other health risks experience higher health benefit
costs. Analysis of health benefits claims identify 10-25%
of total claims as "excess" or preventable' lifestyle
related costs.
- Several
studies point to higher rates of absenteeism among the high
risk population. Heart disease alone is annually estimated
to cause 132 million lost work days and $27 Billion in lost
work output.
Introducing
health promotion at the worksite makes sense for a variety
of reasons....
- The
cost of delivering services to large numbers of people is
reduced since populations are often concentrated in one
location, where organizational structures for communications
and program coordination already exist.
- Long-term
intervention and change is possible given a stable population.
- Attempts
at behavior and attitude changes are enhanced in a supportive
environment where peers act as role models and coaches.
Reasons
for Employer Interest in Health Promotion:.
- Improvement
in Productivity:
- Reduced
absenteeism including a reduction in the number of sick
leaves and mental health days.
- Improved
company morale from a feeling by workers that the employer
is concerned about their health and well-being!
- Improved
ability to perform since employees are healthier both
physically and mentally.
- Reduction
in Benefit costs:
- Reduced
health benefit costs through reduced utilization of
health care services and more conscientious and intelligent
use of these services.
- Reduced
Life Insurance costs through premium discounts for nonsmokers
and those who practice healthy lifestyles.
- Reduced
workers' compensation costs through a reduction in claims
for accidents, back injuries and smoking related fires.
- Reduction
in Human Resources Development costs:
- This
can be realized through reduced recruiting, education
and training costs caused by employee turnover. Employees
who are drawn to the company because of the company's
progressive thinking and perceived caring for its employees
are less likely to resign.
