Letter From The Director
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Employers and employees don't always see eye to eye - but they do agree on workplace obesity programs. Last week, the STOP Obesity Alliance in partnership with the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), released national survey findings showing that both employers and employees say that the workplace is an appropriate setting for responding to weight management issues.
While employers are interested in seeing their employees control their weight and workers are interested in getting more help from their employers, the research findings also demonstrate that there is currently a lack of reliable, proven workplace strategies that can be implemented to help manage and overcome overweight and obesity. Members of the Alliance are working to bridge this gap and develop innovative programs that provide new direction and solutions.
Overall, the Alliance is working to promote policy recommendations that focus on areas where both the public and private sectors can make an impact, including by encouraging innovations. One Alliance Steering Committee Member, DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance, for example, has designed an innovative workplace solution. This prototype obesity benefit design, which may be piloted by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) employees, offers a customizable template for employers looking for effective workplace obesity benefit solutions.
New innovations - in both the public and private sectors - will be key to helping the country take a step toward overcoming obesity. And we hope this is only the beginning.
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Sincerely,
Christine C. Ferguson, JD
Director, The STOP Obesity Alliance
Associate Research Professor
School of Public Health and Health Services
Department of Health Policy
The George Washington University |
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New Workplace Research
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STOP Obesity Alliance, NORC Reveal Findings of Survey Showing Employers and Employees Want to Address Obesity in the Workplace, Need More Guidance
At a May 22 briefing, the STOP Obesity Alliance and NORC unveiled national survey findings that found that both employees and employers agree that the workplace is an appropriate setting to address weight management issues.
Lead NORC researcher Jon Gabel told a roomful of attendees, including representatives from health advocacy groups, health care companies and media, that the survey findings demonstrate employers' willingness and desire to help. Across the board, all employees - including people who are of average weight, overweight or obese - exhibited a strong support for weight management help from their employers. They also indicated a willingness to pay more for various workplace weight-loss options, including exercise programs, nutritional counseling and other means. Employers also acknowledged their role in providing obesity prevention and management options for their employees.
Key Employer & Employee Survey Findings
· 71% of employers view offering obesity-related services as appropriate
· 80% of employees, regardless of weight, agree healthy lifestyles/weight management programs belong in the workplace
· 73% of employers view offering obesity-related services as effective
· 67% of employers are concerned about the effects of obesity on medical claims expenses
· 93% of employers see obesity as a preventable condition and the result of poor lifestyle choices
· Less than half of employers believe their company has given enough attention to the problem of obesity
Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, 17th Surgeon General of the United States (2002-2006), Vice Chairman of Canyon Ranch, President of the non-profit Canyon Ranch Institute, Distinguished Professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, and Health and Wellness Chairperson for the Alliance Steering Committee told attendees, "Effective obesity prevention interventions can help save millions of American lives and reduce health care costs in our nation. The workplace is where adults spend the bulk of their time and employers can play an important role in promoting healthy lifestyles and providing options to overcome overweight and obesity. With its diverse collaboration of organizations, the STOP Obesity Alliance is uniquely positioned to help employers identify new, effective solutions that address the nation's obesity epidemic."
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Policy Actions
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In response to efforts in the U.S. Senate to develop legislation that would make needed Medicare improvements, STOP Obesity Alliance Health and Wellness Chair Dr. Carmona and Director Christine Ferguson sent a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairs, Sens. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), strongly encouraging these Senate leaders to include in the Medicare package a demonstration program that would provide coverage for interventions that address overweight and obesity among Medicare beneficiaries. View full letter here.
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STOP Obesity Alliance in the News
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STOP Obesity Alliance Director Christine Ferguson was featured in the The Washington Post's five-part series examining the causes of childhood obesity, its impact and possible remedies. Ferguson provides commentary on the progress of federal and local governments toward meeting the Institute of Medicine's 2004 recommendations for combating childhood obesity and highlights the Alliance's key policy recommendations.
In the article, "Making Headway or Headed Nowhere?" Ferguson comments, "There are four specific areas where state and local action has been insufficient to date: Establishing a definition of successful weight loss based on health outcomes; encouraging innovations in treatment; addressing and reducing the impact of stigma; and broadening obesity research." |
About the STOP Obesity Alliance
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The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance brings together a diverse and powerful group of consumer, provider, government, labor, business, health insurers and quality-of-care organizations to stop, think and change how we perceive and approach the problem of obesity, overweight, and weight-related health risks, including heart disease and diabetes.
The goal of the STOP Obesity Alliance is to go beyond awareness and consumer education efforts to identify and address systemic and cultural barriers that are failing to adequately support individual successes.
To learn more visit www.stopobesityalliance.org.
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