Miami Herald: State of health of America’s workforce
Sep 23, 2009
This article was published in the Miami Herald on September 23, 2009
Two-thirds of American adults are either obese or overweight.
21% are receiving treatment for high blood pressure and 14% are being treated for high cholesterol.
Employees’ physical and mental health, stress levels, sleep quality and energy levels all significantly impact important work outcomes of interest to employers, such as engagement, turnover intent and job satisfaction.
Thirty-five percent of employees who rate their current overall health as excellent are highly engaged in their jobs, compared with only 25%, 22% and 23% of employees who rate their overall health as good, fair or poor, respectively.
Nearly half of U.S. employees (49%) have not engaged in regular physical exercise in the last 30 days, including 22% not engaging in any rigorous physical exercise. And despite a push to stop smoking at the workplace, one in four smokes.