Treating the problem, not the symptom, of an unhealthy lifestyle

Follow @willclower

Just got my copy of the Am J of Health Promotion, in which there is a great article on “The association between employee obesity and employer costs: Evidence from a panel of US employers.”  

The results are exactly as bad as you might imagine. 

RESULTS:
Normal weight employees cost ~$3830/yr (medical, sick day, short-term disability, and workers’ comp claims). Obese employees cost > 2X that amount, ~$8067. These numbers are stark and, for self-insured companies who are paying all their own bills, this is a heavy burden to bear. This is why wellness has moved from a “feel good” item to a “strategic imperative” to build a strong workplace culture of health.

But what to do about it? 
It’s important to distinguish between symptoms and problems. Overweight/obesity (the symptoms) are physiological expressions of an unhealthy lifestyle (which is the problem that creates the symptoms you see). Sure, companies can DO some manner of “biggest loser” weight loss challenge … and that’s fine. But these initiatives must also accompany lifestyle coaching or the problem will just recur.
 
As any clinician will tell you, it’s indeed important to treat the symptoms that present themselves to you. However, as any dieter who has “yo-yoed” up and down will tell you, short term improvements won’t stick unless the root of the issue is addressed. 

When thinking about driving solutions, we must educate on healthy lifestyle behaviors that ultimately lead to low weight, healthy hearts, and longer lives. 

For more information: Click here to visit Will Clower’s website.