New IHRSA Economic Benefits of Regular Exercise Helps Improve Employee Health and Bottom-Line
BOSTON – The International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) announces the launch of the 2009 IHRSA Economic Benefits of Regular Exercise, a publication that highlights how exercise can help companies improve employee health.
Why Wellness at Work?
With the prevalence of chronic disease in the U.S. population, employers are feeling the impact of health care costs and lost productivity due to absenteeism, disability and presenteeism (being sick at work). Many conditions that affect a company’s workforce are preventable and can be improved with regular physical activity.
Most working adults spend a substantial portion of their work in the workplace. On days they work, Americans are on the job an average of 7.56 hours, or about one-half of their waking hours.
This makes the workplace a useful and practical setting for introducing health and wellness-related initiatives that will benefit employees and their families, as well as employers.
Researchers at Brigham Young University studying employee health promotion programs have found that fitness programs are associated with reduced health care costs
On Average for Every 100 Employees
44 suffer from stress
38 are overweight
31 use alcohol excessively
30 have high cholesterol
26 have high blood pressure
25 have cardiovascular disease
24 don’t exercise
21 smoke
20 don’t wear seatbelts
12 have asthma
6 are diabetic
Source - Dept of Health and Human Services, 2007
Being overweight increases yearly health care costs by $125, and obesity is associated with an average increase of $395 per year.
In the state of Michigan, physical inactivity results in the loss of 20 days per worker, costing the state $8.6 billion annually.
Employees who exercise one or more times per week, regardless of their weight, have lower health care costs than their sedentary co-workers.
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