Box 5.1 The private sector and NCDs
The concept of employers playing a larger role in improving employee fitness and health is not new. The U.S. government is encouraging employers to invest in workplace health promotion, and about 95 percent of its large employers and one third of its smaller ones offer wellness programs. A growing awareness of the costs linked to risk factors provides the grounds for government promotion of workplace-based initiatives.
Johnson & Johnson launched a frequently cited model of employer-based health promotion in the 1970s and reports having saved US$38 million in health care costs between 1995 and 1999 by promoting healthy lifestyles (Zeidner 2004).
During the 1990s, the firm attributed annual savings of US$225 per employee to intervention programs aimed at exercise, smoking, fiber,cholesterol, and blood pressure.
Citibank offered employees modest financial compensation for completing a health risk appraisal.
Participants with risk factors were selected to receive educational materials and were
monitored by a health counselor. The program saved US$5 for each one spent. PacifiCare recently offered US$390 a year to employees to encourage them to eat better, exercise, and reduce smoking or drinking. Participants record their daily food intake and exercise routine. The company expects the program, not yet evaluated, to return more than it costs within two years.
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