Worksite Wellness Programs for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention

PRIMA HEART offers several options to businesses or larger companies who want to incorporate cardiac wellness and cardiovascular Preventive programs for their employees or executives. This can range from screenings to limited cardiac risk assessments, to more comprehensive evaluation, diagnostic testing as needed, cholesterol diet and fitness counseling. These can be individual or groups, provided on site or off site.

Educational lectures can be provided in the areas of cardiac risk and health, cholesterol and lipids, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, smoking cessation, women's heart disease, diet, exercise, and cardiovascular testing.

Worksite Wellness

Experience has shown that workplace wellness programs are an important strategy to prevent the major shared risk factors for CVD and stroke, including cigarette smoking, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, physical inactivity, and diabetes. An estimated 25% to 30% of companies medical costs per year are spent on employees with the major risk factors listed above. Employees and their families share the financial burden through higher contributions to insurance, higher copayments and deductibles, reduction or elimination of coverage, and trade-offs of insurance benefits against wage or salary increases. When programs are successful, their influence extends beyond the individual workers to immediate family members, who are often exposed to their favorable lifestyle changes. Worksite wellness programs that can reduce these risk factors can ultimately decrease the physical and economic burden of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, stroke, and certain cancers.

 

Components of Wellness Programs

Recommendations

A comprehensive program aimed at improving employees cardiovascular and general health should include the following:

  • CVD education
  • Tobacco cessation and prevention
  • Early detection and screening
  • Weight management
  • Nutrition
  • Physical activity
  • Stress management
  • Environment
  • Occupational safety and health

 

 

Returns on Investment

The payback for investing in worksite wellness programs can be measured in various ways, including decreased direct healthcare costs, improved healthcare utilization, increased performance measures, lower rates of absenteeism, and a reduced prevalence of chronic disease.

 

Summary

Successful worksite wellness programs engage employees in activities that maximize their potential for health and well-being, grow rapidly in response to their perceived value, and prove sustainable as they establish the business case for their existence.

Offering health promotion services such as fitness centers, weight loss programs, and exercise classes on site and providing healthy vending and food choices throughout the workplace environment are small steps. More innovative and forward-thinking employers might consider providing a convenient time and location for exercise and wellness programs during the workday and offering employer-provided paid time off during the workday for exercise, health screenings, or prevention/wellness programs.

Reference: (AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION GUIDELINES FOR WORKSITE WELLNESS)