Worksite Wellness/Health Economics
 Overcoming
Barriers to Get Desired Results
Most
companies report that they provide wellness activities
at their workplace. According to Healthy People 2010,
95% of companies with 50 or more employees report
offering at least one health promotion activity yearly.
Yet the majority of employees are overweight and
sedentary and healthcare costs continue to climb at high
rates. How can you get the desired results you really
want healthier employees and controlled healthcare
expenses?
More...
Research Highlights
Oral
Cancer and Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Oral
cancer is a major cause of cancer both in the United
States (29,000 cases yearly) and worldwide (400,000 new
cases yearly). It also has a high mortality rate.
Prevention is always the best strategy. A new
meta-analysis combining 16 studies on mouth cancer shows
that a higher intake of fruits and vegetables protects
against the development of mouth cancer.
More...
Sleep
and Risk of High Blood Pressure
If you
are not getting adequate sleep, you may be increasing
your risk of developing high blood pressure. Columbia
University studied the sleep habits of 4,810 middle-aged
people (32-59). At the start of the study, no one had
high blood pressure. During the next 10 years, 647
people developed high blood pressure. They found that
those getting only 5 hours or less daily were twice as
likely to develop high blood pressure during the 10 year
study as those getting 7-8 hours of sleep daily.
More...
Assessing
Anxiety
Anxiety is a common condition affecting everyone at
times, but when excessive and prolonged can be
debilitating and interfere with normal functioning. It
is characterized by excessive feeling of nervousness,
fear, and worry that interferes with normal functioning
at work or home. It is one of the most common mental
health complaints seen in medical and psychiatric care.
It is estimated that 3-9% of patients in medical care
may be suffering from anxiety. Prevalence in the general
population runs as high as 2-5%, or as many as one out
of every 20 persons.
More...
Diet
and Risk of Alzheimers Disease
Maintaining good mental acuity throughout ones life is
an important public health goal. The cause of Alzheimers
disease (AD) is poorly understood and treatment once it
occurs is not very effective. Anything that can help
prevent or delay the onset of AD would be a significant
help in dealing with this major health problem.
More...
Portion
Size and Calorie Intake
The
bigger the portion sizes served the more the average
person eats. With obesity out of control and restaurants
serving ever-larger portions, its critical that we
develop a self-defense.
More...
Quick
Facts
TV
and Overweight in Preschoolers
The
relationship between TV viewing and excess body weight
begins early in life. The National Institute of Child
Health did a study of 1,016 preschoolers in 10 U.S.
cities. They found that preschoolers (ages 3-5) who
watched 2+ hours of television per day (being in the
room with the TV on) were twice (2.6 times) as likely to
be overweight compared to children who watched less than
2 hours daily. Children need less television and more
active playtime to develop healthy bodies.
Reference:
Arch Pediatr
Adolesc Med.
2006;160:417-422. April 2006.
TV
Watching and Calorie Intake in Children
In a
study of 548 students, mean age of 11, the amount of TV
watched daily was linked to the number of calories
children ate. For every extra hour of TV watching daily,
children ate 167 more calories. Increased TV watching is
linked to increased caloric intake, especially of
calorie-dense, low-nutrient foods frequently advertised
on TV.
Reference:
Arch Pediatr
Adolesc Med.
2006;160:417-422. April 2006.
TV
Watching and Age of Sexual Activity
Another study looked at TV viewing in 4,808 adolescents
(age 15) and initiation of sexual activity within a
one-year period. About half (49%) watched TV two or more
hours daily. Within one year, 791 adolescents initiated
sexual activity (15.6%). Those adolescents watching 2+
hours daily were a third more likely (35%) to initiate
sexual activity then adolescents who watched less than 2
hours of TV daily. Lack of parental supervision
regarding what the adolescents watched was also linked
to higher rates of initiated sexual activity. Limiting
time in TV viewing and providing parental supervision of
what is watched are two important factors that can help
decrease early sexual activity among teens.
Reference:
Arch Pediatr
Adolesc Med.
2006;160:417-422. April 2006.
More Quick Facts...
Health
Links
The
World Health Organization features health heroes from
around the world. Enjoy this brief story about Saadat
who works in a rural health clinic in Krygystan.
This
excellent guide prepared by the National Mental Health
Institute will help you learn about the various kinds of
anxiety and treatment options.
Read
about GAD - what it is, how to identify it, and
treatment options - from the National Mental Health
Institute.
Review
this site for ways to improve safety at the worksite.
Learn
how portion sizes have changed over the last few years
and how you can recognize healthy portion sizes more
easily. This site is prepared by the National Institutes
of Health.
Healthy Recipes
Picnic
Food and Fruit Salad
Keep
your picnic salad cold and fresh all day by placing it
on a bed of ice. To keep melting water out of the salad,
you need two bowls with tight lids that will nest with
their lids onand freezer space to freeze water in the
larger bowl. A day or so before you need the ice:
-
Place the smaller bowl with its lid on inside the
larger bowl.
-
Fill the larger bowl with enough water to float the
smaller bowl with its lid on inside the larger bowl
with its lid on. Take no chances of the lid popping
off while the water freezes put one or more packages
of frozen food in the smaller bowl to hold the bowl
down yet let it float as high as possible and keep
its lid on.
-
Freeze solid.
-
Before leaving for your picnic put the packages of
frozen food back in the freezer and place your
chilled salad in the now-empty small bowl. Put the
lid on tightly. Put the lid on the larger bowl to
cover the sealed salad bowl nestled against the ice.
-
On
a hot day, remove both lids and serve from its nest
of ice. When the meal is over, cover both bowls
tightly, place in a shady place, and the remaining
ice and water should keep everything cold until
evening when hungry children come back for
leftovers.
Boston
Baked Beans
2 cups
dry Great Northern beans
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup oil
½ cup molasses
Remove
anything other than beans from the beans. Wash, place in
large sauce pan, and cover with water twice the depth of
the beans. Bring to a boil, then turn off, and leave the
lid on for an hour. Add a bit more water if necessary,
and cook beans until almost soft, about an hour. Either
place in casserole without a lid and bake at 350 degrees
about an hour, or add remaining ingredients and simmer
on the stove with the lid off about an hour. Don't let
get too dry.
Fruit
Salad
Chop
fruit as available into similar sizes and in proportions
as desired or get fancy with a melon baller. Mix all
together and serve. Ideas for fruit:
Watermelon
Peaches
Nectarines
Mango
Cherries
Grapes
Kiwi
Blueberries
Pineapple
Honeydew and Cantaloupe
Red and Green Grapes
Serving suggestions:
-
Serve as is dry fruit salad.
-
Serve drizzled with orange juice concentrate or
lemonade concentrate. Mix to create a bit of sauce
juicy fruit salad.
-
Serve with a dollop of yogurt snow on the mountain
fruit salad.
Leftover suggestions:
-
Freeze in a container or plastic bag and use later
in Smoothies with or without a base of grape juice,
apple juice, or coconut milk. Fresh mint would look
pretty, and if whizzed finely would be enjoyed by
some people.
-
Alternatively, puree half the leftover fruit salad
in a blender. Add to the other half in a saucepan.
Slowly bring the mixture to a simmer, and simmer
slowly until it starts to thicken. Freeze and use on
pancakes, waffles, ice cream, or cakes.
Resources
PowerPoint®
Slides
Handouts
-
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Self-Test —
Everyone gets anxious at one time or another. GAD is
chronic, excessive anxiety that can be disabling.
Take this self-assessment to see how you compare
with norms, and learn more about anxiety.
-
Food Safety — Summer is a time for picnics and
fresh produce. Learn how to select, store, preserve,
and prepare foods safely.
What's
New at Wellsource?
Portland
Wellness Marketing Seminar
The
Successful Health Management Systems™ Seminar by
Wellsource, Inc., the leader in population health
management applications, will teach health professionals
and others how to develop and market wellness programs
or improve an existing program. The next seminar will be
held July 17-18, 2006 at the 5th Avenue Suites Hotel in
Portland, Oregon.
The
seminar provides professionals in the healthcare and
wellness industry with the opportunity to network with
peers and share successes and challenges. The learning
experience is facilitated with interactive workshops
that encourage participation.
Information and Registration Form
For
further information on the Wellness Marketing Seminars,
visit our
website or call a Director of Business Development
at 1-800-533-9355, or email
well@wellsource.com. |
