Preventable illness creates roughly 80% of the burden of illnesses and 90% of health care costs. When a business establishes good health practices, employees partake in preventive and self-managed care. Corporate health promotion programs allow workers to identify and achieve health and wellness goals.
According to a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM), a health promotion program sponsored by AT&T:
- lowered health risks;
- improved employees’ attitudes toward work and health; and
- participants in structured portions of the program gained positive health behaviors.
Dr. Pawel Suwinski is the Senior Consultant for Health Management and Health Information Systems for Frost & Sullivan. Suwinski concurs that “many organizations have already recognized the importance of holistic approach to employees’ welfare and start using integrated health management that incorporates wellness elements.”
Research organizations continue to accumulate data that supports corporate health promotion and the resulting betterment of employee health.