Employees with Greater Health Risks liklier to enroll for Health Programs

Research (of nearly 1.3 million employees, from more than 125 employers) conducted by Gordian Health Solutions, a leading national personal health coaching company, and Memphis-based Health and Performance Resources (HPR) reveals that the common belief that healthier employees are the ones to use employee wellness programs  may not be accurate.

This will reassure employers who are questioning whether their programs are targeting and reaching the right individuals.

The result gave the same result even if health status was measured in terms of life stressors, behavioral health problems, acute health conditions, or chronic health conditions. For example, compared to the total study population, Gordian’s health coaching program enrollees had profiles that showed:

• a 5 percent higher rate of acute conditions
• an 11 percent higher rate of behavioral health problems
• a 12 percent higher rate of chronic health conditions

More Employers Offer Incentives for Health

A recent survey (of 225 major U.S. companies employing 7.6 million employees) by the ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and IncentOne shows that the number of major U.S. employers using incentives to promote employer-sponsored health and wellness programs rose from 62 percent to 71 percent between 2007 and 2008.

The average value of incentives per person per year ranged between $100 and $300, with an overall average of $192 per person per year.

Employers are experimenting with the types of incentives they offer, sometimes offering different incentives and amounts for different types of programs.

The survey also delved into employer expectation for ROI for health and wellness programs, finding that 83 percent of those who have measured are seeing program returns of better than break-even. Employers are using other measures to evaluate program success, such as completion of health risk assessments and program participation. When it comes to incentives, employers are much more likely to reward program participation and completion than to reward employees for meeting specific program goals, such as smoking cessation or losing weight.

This survey shows that employers are serious about understanding the business case for incentives for employee engagement and participation.

Gaming for Health

An interesting development has seen the videogame industry come up with games that are helping people quit smoking and lose weight.

With Nintendo’s ‘Wii Fit’ becoming a phenomenal success, other game makers have followed suit introducing new titles with a healthy focus, such as Ubisoft’s “Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking” expected in November.

Allen Carr’s Easyway books, clinics or DVD have helped over 10 million users but people can now quit by playing 14 mini-games.

The games, designed by Ubisoft’s Quebec studio and Allen Carr’s team, focus on why people smoke rather than why they shouldn’t. “Each game has been designed to be very accessible, using only the stylus on the Nintendo DS, so a non-gamer can have fun instantly,” said Denis Dore, producer of the game.

Robin Hayley, CEO of Allen Carr’s Easyway International, said research has shown that people absorb information better when they are actively and enjoyably engaged in a learning process.

In addition, the game could attract younger smokers who are less inclined to visit a clinic or read books to quit the habit and being played on Nintendo DS makes the games portable.

“Some games explain and illustrate the points better than is possible in a book as, using the senses of touch and vision,” said Hayley.

Ubisoft is also putting weight loss in your palm this summer with ‘My Weight Loss Coach’.

This game comes with a pedometer that gamers can wear all day then plug into their DS to feed that data into a game.

If a player walks enough, the game will let them know when they’ve navigated the equivalent of the Great Wall of China.

In addition to mini-games and quizzes on fitness, the virtual weight loss coach makes suggestions like taking the stairs rather than the elevator and parking farther away from the store.

“‘My Weight Loss Coach’ is designed to help players develop healthy lifestyle habits like eating well and staying active,” said Ubisoft spokesman Tony Key.

Health Works

An interesting news item in the Economic Times, reports that in what is a global first across all PepsiCo markets, doctors will soon begin endorsing Tropicana pure juices and Quaker Oats in India. PepsiCo’s snack foods arm FritoLay, India has tied up with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to promote both products. It’s a shift of sorts as it comes from a company that’s synonymous with celebrity endorsements.

Lining up a product portfolio that fit the health and wellness trend now goes a long way in improving the image of the company in the eyes of both consumers and investors.
In addition, the IMA will be involved in another PepsiCo programme called Get Active, which involves associating with 80 schools in Delhi and Mumbai and promoting physical activity among school children.