AAOHN Survey Reveals Workplace could be Optimum Setting for Battling the Bulge
ATLANTA, July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- While obesity remains a serious health condition affecting millions of Americans and costing U.S. businesses $13 billion annually in health care costs and productivity(1), a recent study commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN) sheds new light on ways businesses can help employees shed pounds.
According to the survey, workplace weight-management programs play a tremendous role in helping employees achieve weight loss. In fact, nearly half of all respondents who claimed to participate in workplace weight-management programs reported success in reaching and maintaining their long-term goals.
"AAOHN's study found that only 2 percent of the working population claims to have participated in an employer-sponsored weight-management program. However, of those who have participated, nearly 50 percent reached and maintained their weight-loss goals," said AAOHN President Susan A. Randolph.
"These findings are significant, indicating the value of workplace weight-management programs, and representing a call to action for more businesses to provide employees with the types of onsite wellness programs that speak directly to obesity, and for more employees to take advantage of these
programs."
The AAOHN survey was designed to explore public participation in employer-sponsored weight-management programs. Respondents were asked about their level of participation in these programs, the types of programs that were offered at their workplace, whether or not they actually achieved and
maintained their weight-loss goals, and the factors they attributed to their success. The key findings from those questions follow.
Factors for Success
Respondents stated that there were a number of reasons for their workplace weight-loss success, all of which seem to be directly tied to motivators found within a work environment. Some of the factors included:
* Built in support groups - Created through peer/co-worker motivation
* Trained professional guidance - Onsite professionals such as occupational and environmental health nurses that implement and provide guidance during the program
* Convenience - Accessibility of onsite exercise classes, dieticians, healthier food in cafeterias and workout facilities.
* Encouragement - Employer incentives and encouragement by other employees to help them reach their weight goals
Types of Programs
Respondents cited numerous weight management programs offered by employers, however, the activities used most often by employees, include:
* On-site visits by trained health and wellness professionals (38%)
* Gym memberships (23%)
* Educational opportunities, such as a health series or seminar (16%)
* Diets with outlined goals (14%)
* On-site exercise classes (13%)
AAOHN Tips for Implementing Workplace Weight-Management Programs
In response to findings such as those outlined in the AAOHN survey and the overarching prevalence of obesity among the U.S. workforce, AAOHN offers the following guidelines to help companies develop and implement workplace weight-management programs.
* Management involvement is a must - management support contributes to the success of the program. Management should promote the program at meetings and take an interest in success and outcomes. This will indicate that management is directly interested in employee health.
* Recruit employees - Getting employees involved at the very beginning is crucial to making the program successful. Setting up a committee and having representation from a diverse group of individuals is key (diverse: fit employees, overweight employees and obese employees).
* Promote often - Promote the programs as often as possible. Visibility and repeated communications help ensure consistent participation.
* Enlist trained professionals - Enlisting a trained health and wellness professional, like an occupational and environmental health nurse or health consultant, to help implement and lead the program. This brings credibility to the program and helps to ensure that all employees are participating in a healthy manner.
* Encourage a team atmosphere - Encourage employees to participate in the programs together and to check in on each other's progress to help with overall encouragement and support.
* Share successes - Nothing motivates employees like seeing results. Proving the program works keeps employees and management excited and participation levels high.
About the Survey
At the request of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN), International Communications Research (ICR) was commissioned to conduct a study to explore participation in and perception of employer sponsored weight-management programs among the working population. The study included 10,000 telephone interviews among full-time employees ages 18 years and older. The margin of error is plus or minus 6.01 percent. For more information about AAOHN's workplace weight-management study, call (800) 241-8014 x0 or visit http://www.aaohn.org .
Established in 1942, AAOHN is a 10,000 member professional association dedicated to advancing the health, safety and productivity of domestic and global workforces by providing education, research, public policy and practice resources for occupational and environmental health nurses. These professionals are the largest group of health care providers serving the worksite.
(1) The National Business Group on Health ( http://www.wbgh.com )
SOURCE American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc.
Web Site: http://www.aaohn.org http://www.wbgh.com