HEALTH IN AMERICA AND THE WORLD

John GrantUniversity of the Rockies

Running head: HEALTH IN AMERICA 1

AbstractThe purpose of this presentation was to provide detailed information about health promotion and wellness programs for leaders who are considering creating wellness programs for their employees, but are unfamiliar with health and wellness issues as well as the benefits that such programs can have on employee functioning.

Keywords: Health promotion, wellness, employee functioning

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VALUE OF WELLNESS PROGRAMS Helps people make healthier choices (Koelen & Lindstrom, 2005).

Prevent the onset of disabling conditions, promote opportunity, and improve quality of life (McKenzie, Neiger, & Thackeray, 2013).

Employee well-being is vital to business, and satisfying “basic human needs in the workplace” tends to enhance organizational success (Harter, Schmidt, & Keyes, 2003, p. 17).

Physical wellness increases business success, and healthy productive employees have a positive impact on the organizational bottom line (Magee, 2006).

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ANALYSIS OF THE ISSUES

Lifestyle practices

Environmental issues

The cost of healthcare

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The determinants of health consist of the social, economic, and physical environments as well as individual features and behaviors (World Health Organization [WHO], 2015).

IMPACT OF LIFESTYLE PRACTICES

Health promotion improves an individual’s capabilities as well as social, economic, and physical conditions where they live (Koelen & Lindstrom, 2005).

Community-based health programs help to improve the quality of life and reduce the risk of suffering a life crisis (RAND Corporation, 2015).

A healthy work environment helps to promote health, safety, morale, and the wellbeing of everyone involved (WHO, 2005).

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CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AND LIFESTYLE PRACTICES

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Poor health practices, social, economic, and physical status impacts overall health (McKenzie, et al., 2013).

Chronic diseases (such as stroke, arthritis, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity) are the most common, costly, and preventable health issues (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015).

Health disparities are linked to poor health outcomes (Ritter and Hoffman (2010).

INTERVENTION STRATEGIESHEALTH IN AMERICA 7

Understanding the significant impact of wellness on overall employee health and organizational success, a health promotion program can improve the workplace environment and employee wellbeing (McKenzie, et al., 2013)

Examples of Workplace Interventions:

Smoking Cessation Program Obesity Awareness ProgramPhysical Activity Intervention Workplace Health InitiativeStress Management Initiative Nutrition and Health Promotion

HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF POPULATIONSHEALTH IN AMERICA 8

Needs Assessment (NA) - a systematic method of assessing health issues facing a population that leads to agreed priorities and resource allocation to help improve health and decrease inequalities (McKenzie, 2013).

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) - evaluates the health impacts of programs, policies, and projects using participatory, qualitative, and quantitative methods (WHO, 2015).

WELLNESS AND PREVENTION: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

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Global health issues can have a social, economical, political, and environmental impact (Global Issues, 2015).

The United States (US) health care system is considered inequitable, unpopular, inefficient, and extremely expensive, (Morone, Litman, & Robins, 2008).

The WHO (2015) is committed in helping to improve global health, health disparities, and health information.

REFERENCESHEALTH IN AMERICA 10

Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2015). Minority health. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/overview/index.htm

Global Issues. (2015). Global health overview. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/article/588/global-health-overview#Summary

Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Keyes, C. M. (2003). Well-being in the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes: A review of the Gallup studies. In C. M. Keyes, J. Haidt (Eds.), Flourishing: Positive psychology and the life well-lived, (pp. 205-224). Washington, DC US: American Psychological Association.

Koelen, M. A. & Lindstrom, B. (2005). Making healthy choices easy choices: The role of empowerment. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 59(1)(Suppl.), S10-S16.

Magee, M. (2006). Rethinking Health in the Workplace. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL9_BWzz060

McKenzie, J. F., Neiger, B. L., & Thackeray, R. (2013). Planning, implementing, and evaluating health promotion programs: A primer (6th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson.

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Morone, J. A., Litman, T. J., & Robins, L. S. (2008). Health politics and policy (4th ed.). Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.

RAND Corporation. (2015). Community-based Health Care. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/topics/community-based-health-care.html

Ritter, L. A. & Hoffman, N. A. (2010). Multicultural health. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

World Health Organization [WHO]. (2005). Mental health policies and programs in the workplace. In Mental health policy and service guidance package series.

World Health Organization [WHO]. (2015). The determinants of health. Retrieved from

http://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/