Worksite Wellness/Health Economics
Overcoming Barriers to Get Desired Results
Most companies report that they provide wellness activities at their workplace. According to Healthy People 2010, 95% of companies with 50 or more employees report offering at least one health promotion activity yearly. Yet the majority of employees are overweight and sedentary and healthcare costs continue to climb at high rates. How can you get the desired results you really want - healthier employees and controlled healthcare expenses?
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Research Highlights
Oral Cancer and Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Oral cancer is a major cause of cancer both in the United States (29,000 cases yearly) and worldwide (400,000 new cases yearly). It also has a high mortality rate. Prevention is always the best strategy. A new meta-analysis combining 16 studies on mouth cancer shows that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables protects against the development of mouth cancer.
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Sleep and Risk of High Blood Pressure
If you are not getting adequate sleep, you may be increasing your risk of developing high blood pressure. Columbia University studied the sleep habits of 4,810 middle-aged people (32-59). At the start of the study, no one had high blood pressure. During the next 10 years, 647 people developed high blood pressure. They found that those getting only 5 hours or less daily were twice as likely to develop high blood pressure during the 10 year study as those getting 7-8 hours of sleep daily.
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Assessing Anxiety
Anxiety is a common condition affecting everyone at times, but when excessive and prolonged can be debilitating and interfere with normal functioning. It is characterized by excessive feeling of nervousness, fear, and worry that interferes with normal functioning at work or home. It is one of the most common mental health complaints seen in medical and psychiatric care. It is estimated that 3-9% of patients in medical care may be suffering from anxiety. Prevalence in the general population runs as high as 2-5%, or as many as one out of every 20 persons.
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Diet and Risk of Alzheimer's Disease
Maintaining good mental acuity throughout one's life is an important public health goal. The cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is poorly understood and treatment once it occurs is not very effective. Anything that can help prevent or delay the onset of AD would be a significant help in dealing with this major health problem.
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Portion Size and Calorie Intake
The bigger the portion sizes served the more the average person eats. With obesity out of control and restaurants serving ever-larger portions, it's critical that we develop a self-defense.
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Quick Facts
TV and Overweight in Preschoolers
The relationship between TV viewing and excess body weight begins early in life. The National Institute of Child Health did a study of 1,016 preschoolers in 10 U.S. cities. They found that preschoolers (ages 3-5) who watched 2+ hours of television per day (being in the room with the TV on) were twice (2.6 times) as likely to be overweight compared to children who watched less than 2 hours daily. Children need less television and more active playtime to develop healthy bodies.
Reference: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:417-422. April 2006.
TV Watching and Calorie Intake in Children
In a study of 548 students, mean age of 11, the amount of TV watched daily was linked to the number of calories children ate. For every extra hour of TV watching daily, children ate 167 more calories. Increased TV watching is linked to increased caloric intake, especially of calorie-dense, low-nutrient foods frequently advertised on TV.
Reference: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:417-422. April 2006.
TV Watching and Age of Sexual Activity
Another study looked at TV viewing in 4,808 adolescents (age 15) and initiation of sexual activity within a one-year period. About half (49%) watched TV two or more hours daily. Within one year, 791 adolescents initiated sexual activity (15.6%). Those adolescents watching 2+ hours daily were a third more likely (35%) to initiate sexual activity then adolescents who watched less than 2 hours of TV daily. Lack of parental supervision regarding what the adolescents watched was also linked to higher rates of initiated sexual activity. Limiting time in TV viewing and providing parental supervision of what is watched are two important factors that can help decrease early sexual activity among teens.
Reference: Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:417-422. April 2006.
More Quick Facts...
Health Links
The World Health Organization features health heroes from around the world. Enjoy this brief story about Saadat who works in a rural health clinic in Krygystan.
This excellent guide prepared by the National Mental Health Institute will help you learn about the various kinds of anxiety and treatment options.
Read about GAD - what it is, how to identify it, and treatment options - from the National Mental Health Institute.
Review this site for ways to improve safety at the worksite.
Learn how portion sizes have changed over the last few years and how you can recognize healthy portion sizes more easily. This site is prepared by the National Institutes of Health.
Healthy Recipes
Picnic Food and Fruit Salad
Keep your picnic salad cold and fresh all day by placing it on a bed of ice. To keep melting water out of the salad, you need two bowls with tight lids that will nest with their lids on-and freezer space to freeze water in the larger bowl. A day or so before you need the ice:
Place the smaller bowl with its lid on inside the larger bowl. Fill the larger bowl with enough water to float the smaller bowl with its lid on inside the larger bowl with its lid on. Take no chances of the lid popping off while the water freezes-put one or more packages of frozen food in the smaller bowl to hold the bowl down yet let it float as high as possible and keep its lid on. Freeze solid. Before leaving for your picnic put the packages of frozen food back in the freezer and place your chilled salad in the now-empty small bowl. Put the lid on tightly. Put the lid on the larger bowl to cover the sealed salad bowl nestled against the ice. On a hot day, remove both lids and serve from its nest of ice. When the meal is over, cover both bowls tightly, place in a shady place, and the remaining ice and water should keep everything cold until evening when hungry children come back for leftovers.
Boston Baked Beans
2 cups dry Great Northern beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup oil
½ cup molasses
Remove anything other than beans from the beans. Wash, place in large sauce pan, and cover with water twice the depth of the beans. Bring to a boil, then turn off, and leave the lid on for an hour. Add a bit more water if necessary, and cook beans until almost soft, about an hour. Either place in casserole without a lid and bake at 350 degrees about an hour, or add remaining ingredients and simmer on the stove with the lid off about an hour. Don't let get too dry.
Fruit Salad
Chop fruit as available into similar sizes and in proportions as desired-or get fancy with a melon baller. Mix all together and serve. Ideas for fruit:
Watermelon
Peaches
Nectarines
Mango
Cherries
Grapes
Kiwi
Blueberries
Pineapple
Honeydew and Cantaloupe
Red and Green Grapes
Serving suggestions:
Serve as is-"dry" fruit salad. Serve drizzled with orange juice concentrate or lemonade concentrate. Mix to create a bit of sauce-"juicy" fruit salad. Serve with a dollop of yogurt-"snow on the mountain" fruit salad.
Leftover suggestions:
Freeze in a container or plastic bag and use later in Smoothies with or without a base of grape juice, apple juice, or coconut milk. Fresh mint would look pretty, and if whizzed finely would be enjoyed by some people. Alternatively, puree half the leftover fruit salad in a blender. Add to the other half in a saucepan. Slowly bring the mixture to a simmer, and simmer slowly until it starts to thicken. Freeze and use on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, or cakes.
Resources
PowerPoint® Slides
Handouts
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Self-Test — Everyone gets anxious at one time or another. GAD is chronic, excessive anxiety that can be disabling. Take this self-assessment to see how you compare with norms, and learn more about anxiety. Food Safety — Summer is a time for picnics and fresh produce. Learn how to select, store, preserve, and prepare foods safely.
What's New at Wellsource?
Portland Wellness Marketing Seminar
 The Successful Health Management Systems™ Seminar by Wellsource, Inc., the leader in population health management applications, will teach health professionals and others how to develop and market wellness programs or improve an existing program. The next seminar will be held July 17-18, 2006 at the 5th Avenue Suites Hotel in Portland, Oregon.
The seminar provides professionals in the healthcare and wellness industry with the opportunity to network with peers and share successes and challenges. The learning experience is facilitated with interactive workshops that encourage participation.
Information and Registration Form
For further information on the Wellness Marketing Seminars, visit our website or call a Director of Business Development at 1-800-533-9355, or email well@wellsource.com.
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