February is a month when hearts take center stage. That’s especially true at Star Wellness, where we like to take this time to remind employers that medical conditions related to heart disease and stroke cost businesses nearly $300 billion dollars each year in absenteeism and increased healthcare costs.
More than one million Americans suffer a heart attack each year, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every four deaths is related to stroke or heart disease.
Sadly, much of this could be prevented and as an employer, you can play an important role in improving the heart health of your workforce.
There are simple steps employers can take to help employees decrease their chance of heart disease:
1. Encourage healthy eating habits. Obesity remains a problem among American workers and health problems such as diabetes that are the result of excessive weight gain can contribute significantly to increased risk of heart disease. Incorporating healthy eating tips and incentives into a wellness program is an effective way to promote weight management and decrease the risk of heart disease. One effective way to do this is to eliminate or increase pricing on unhealthy food while subsidizing the cost for healthier options.
2. Promote regular exercise. Weekly routines that include at least 60 minutes of activity three days a week can have a significant impact on your employees’ heart health. Organize group activities such as 20 minute walks around the office so employees are able to hold each other accountable and maintain staying active on a regular basis.
3. Say “No” to cigarettes. Smoking is the most preventable cause of coronary artery disease. The CDC reports that smoking cigarettes causes almost 20 percent of heart disease deaths. Employees that smoke have two to four times higher chance of heart disease, and the longer a person smokes the greater the risk. Incentives and programs that help employees quit smoking will pay off for both your employee and your company.
The key to controlling heart disease is early detection through screening.
Many employees often do not realize they are at risk until they start experiencing symptoms and by then the damage may have been done. Screening has become much more sophisticated thanks to advances in imaging technology and blood testing that offers more accurate assessments than methods of even a few years ago.
We recommend that every wellness program include regular screenings such as advanced cholesterol testing, blood pressure, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and hemoglobin A1c.
For more information on how we can help you improve the heart health of your workforce, contact us at 800-685-5572.
