Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 26-10-2008
The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”
The report calls for Corporate Health Promotion Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.
Importance of Corporate Health Promotion Programs
The report notes that Non-Communicable Disease related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of Non-Communicable Disease’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.
Diet, caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of Non-Communicable Disease’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.
Corporate Health Promotion Programs are Effective Tools
The report notes that Corporate Health Promotion Programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also notes that Corporate Health Promotion Programs will enhance the health of staff members, enhance the company image, enhance employee morale, reduce employee absences and sick leave, increase employee productivity, and reduce company medical care expenses.
Corporate Health Promotion Programs Monitoring
Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Corporate Health Promotion Program, monitoring and evaluation through Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals and health outcomes are critical and should be included in the Company Wellness Program implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Company Wellness Program developed meets the proper needs of the staff members. Workers should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Company Wellness Program is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.