Employee Health Screening

The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”

The report calls for Employee Health and Wellness Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Employee Health and Wellness Programs

The report states that Non-Communicable Disease related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of Non-Communicable Disease’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.

Diet, caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of Non-Communicable Disease’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.

Employee Health and Wellness Programs are Effective Tools

The report states that Employee Health and Wellness Programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that Employee Health and Wellness Programs will improve the health of staff members, improve the corporate image, improve employee morale, reduce employee absences and sick leave, increase employee productivity, and reduce corporate healthcare expenses.

Employee Health and Wellness Programs Monitoring

Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Employee Health and Wellness Program, monitoring and evaluation through Health Risk Appraisals and health outcomes are essential and should be included in the Employee Health and Wellness Program implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Employee Health and Wellness Program developed meets the proper needs of the staff members. Staff Members should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Employee Health and Wellness Program is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.