Health Screenings: Majority of Employees Overweight
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Kronos Optimal Health Company, February 2008
A nationwide analysis of workplace health screenings conducted by Kronos Optimal Health Company in 2007 indicates that 65 percent of employees are overweight or obese. Kronos screened more than 9,900 participants and tested for health indicators like body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The company's findings revealed that 77 percent of men and 65 percent of women ages 40 and older are overweight or obese. For employees younger than 40, almost 68 percent of men and 52 percent of women are in the overweight or obese range, resulting in higher than normal health risks that can lead to heart attacks, strokes and diabetes, among other diseases.
Obesity costs U.S. companies an estimated $13 billion per year, which may be minimized by workplace wellness programs. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, companies that implement wellness programs save from $1.49 to $4.91 for every dollar spent.
Kronos health screenings also revealed that 67 percent of employees had blood pressure in the pre-hypertensive or hypertensive range, indicating they may be at risk for high blood pressure.
Cholesterol screenings revealed that almost 40 percent of employees had LDL (low-densitylipoprotein) or "lousy" cholesterol levels in the borderline high to very high range.
Kronos Optimal Health Company conducted nearly 60,000 workplace health screenings in 2007, an increase of more than 210 percent from 2006.