A new study from the US has demonstrated how employers have a unique opportunity to improve AmericansÂ’ health. Led by Dr. Katherine Tryon and Dr. Derek Yach from the Vitality Institute, the research has been published in the November issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
The study involved a first-of-its-kind comprehensive review of existing research into workplace health programmes and noted that even though the United States spends more on health care than any other country, the life expectancy and disease-specific survival rates of Americans has not improved at a rate similar to other developed countries. The study traces the problem to the fragmented spending on public health and disease prevention programmes in United States, and finds the workplace is a common central setting where evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion programs could be easily implemented. These programmes could positively influence the health of 155 million working-age Americans while financially benefiting their employers by reducing healthcare costs, reducing sick time and improving productivity.
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