A "Healthy Weight" Can Be Achieved By Many

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) "Healthy Weight" initiative challenges Americans to make life-long changes to lose or maintain a healthy weight. Balancing proper nutrition and physical activity to achieve or maintain a healthy weight can seem daunting. CDC has developed a website with tools and strategies to help people lead a healthier lifestyle. The "Healthy Weight" website recommends balancing calories consumed (food and beverage) with calories expended through normal body functions, daily activities, and physical activity. To do so, they encourage people to keep a food diary and engage in at least 30 minutes of physical activity, 5 or more times a week (60 minutes a day to prevent or lose weight).¹ Even modest weight loss (5 to 10 percent of body fat) improves blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar.¹

Economic Costs of Obesity:

• Obesity is associated with 39 million lost workdays per year.²
• Employees with weight problems incur 36% higher annual health care costs, 39% higher costs for primary care visits, and 105% higher pharmacy costs for managing chronic conditions caused by their weight (i.e., high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease).²
• As compared to a healthy-weight employee, employers spend 13.8% more on health care for overweight and 37.7% more for an obese employees.²

What can employers do?

• Foster a weight-healthy corporate culture though year-round programs that encourage lifetime health behavior change.
• Regularly communicate healthy-lifestyle messages (healthy diets, exercise, and screenings) throughout your organization.
• Provide incentives for employees to start or continue to work towards maintaining a healthy weight.
• Low on health education materials? Use existing materials, programs, and literature developed by CDC and advocacy organizations. Link to these resources on your intranet.

Additional Resources:

• Healthy Weight — CDC
• Healthy Weight Tools Page — CDC
• Healthy Lifestyle — American Heart Association
• MyPyramid — USDA
• Obesity and Overweight Index Page — NBGH

Resources:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health Weight. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/healthyweight/index.htm. Accessed August 12, 2008.
2. National Business Group on Health, Weight Watchers. Weigh Your Options — Guide to Starting a Weight Management Program in Your Company. Available at: http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/benefitstopics/et_weighoptions.cfm.