Archive for December, 2008
Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Focus on Early Detection and Prevention:
Dr. Moore of Nationwide maintains that immunization is the most cost-effective treatment in medicine. By way of example, vaccinating children against the influenza virus averages a savings (including medical costs, parents’ missed work, etc.) of up to $35 per vaccine recipient. And experts predict that estimate is low, because it doesn’t take into account the [...]
Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Focus on Stress Reduction
Advantages of Stress Reduction Programs
While stress cannot be eliminated from life, or even from the worksite, coping skills can be developed with relative ease. Stress management skills lead to reduced absenteeism and more effective, more productive employees. Because stress has been shown to contribute to such physical conditions as ulcers, high blood pressure and stroke, [...]
Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Focus on Prenatal Care and Breastfeeding
Advantages of Prenatal Care and Breastfeeding
The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is particularly relevant to when applied to preventive measures taken during pregnancy, when a few extra ounces of birth weight can save a child’s life. During pregnancy, simple precautions can help avoid catastrophic results; giving up tobacco [...]
Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Focus on tobacco use Cessation Programs
Advantages of tobacco use Cessation Programs
Instances of respiratory diseases, cancer and other illnesses can be reduced through tobacco use cessation efforts. tobacco use cessation initiatives can provide huge opportunities for improved health.
The American Cancer Society reports that tobacco use employees cost corporations an average of $1,429 per smoker per year in increased medical costs over [...]
Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Focus on Nutrition Programs
Advantages of Nutrition Programs
Nutrition directly impacts nearly every aspect of physical and mental health. A healthy diet can help protect against such conditions as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke, certain cancers and depression. Obesity, which is among the most common conditions linked to diet, affects a record number of Americans.
The American Journal of Health Promotion [...]
Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Focus on Physical Fitness Initiatives
Advantages of Physical Fitness Initiatives
Exercise reduces weight, lowers risks of heart attack and stroke, helps to control blood pressure and diabetes, and improves mood. Studies increasingly show that physical fitness may also help reduce the occurrence of certain types of cancer. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently documented another major [...]
The Case for Workplace Health Promotion Programs
Wellness programming means different things to different corporations. Effective wellness initiatives can be as simple as bringing bushel baskets of fresh fruit into break rooms to encourage better eating. They can be as extensive as building fitness facilities onsite or paying for obesity treatments.
A driving factor behind the push toward wellness spans corporations of all [...]
Wellness in the Workplace: Who has the expertise?
When it comes to working wellness into your workforce, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of health promotion, and who can counsel employees and provide primary care – all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.
AAOHN’s survey found that more than half of employees (61%) want to receive health [...]
Wellness in the worksite
Good for waistlines & your bottom line
By Sandra Simpson, APRN, BC, COHN-S, manager in Occupational Health Services at a Fortune 500 employer in Memphis, Tenn., and a member of the board of directors of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN). For a copy of the AAOHN wellness survey, visit www.aaohn.org, or call (800) [...]
Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Stress Management
Stress continues to drive employees’ work-related health concerns, which is probably why most respondents (78%) in a recent survey claim they would participate in a Workplace Health Promotion Program to help their overall health and wellness.
In a recent study commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. (AAOHN), 500 full-time employees nationwide [...]