Achieving a Culture of Employee Health and Wellness - Mauret Brinser Executive Director, New Hampshire American Heart Association ...

Achieving a Culture of
Employee Health and Wellness

             Mauret Brinser
   Executive Director, New Hampshire
      American Heart Association
       Mauret.brinser@heart.org

Key Accomplishments
of the Last Decade
• Established Get With The Guidelines
• Developed a Primary Stroke Center
  Certification Program
• Second only to the Federal Government in
  funding research for CVD

Key Accomplishments
of the Last Decade
• Grew our Emergency Cardiovascular
  Care program
• Led the way with legislative and regulatory
  changes at local, state and federal levels
• Raised $4.5 billion to bring our mission
  to life

AHA 2010 Impact Goal
Achievements

= 25% reduction goal met

                           4

2010 AHA Goals:
     Room for Improvement
•   Reduced Prevalence of Smoking by 19.8%
•   Reduced Physical Inactivity by only 2.5%
•   Obesity increased by 1.9%
•   Diabetes increased by 1.8%
    o Projected to increase 102% by 2030

Prevalence for CV Health Factors in
                 U.S. Adults
                                                      0.3

                                             Copyright - AHA
* Age standardized; >20yrs; NHANES 2005-06

CV Consumer Health Survey
 National study among adults 18+
 asked about own heart health. Study
 fielded online in late Nov. 2009
   – 39% of adults rate their heart health
      as ideal.
   – 67% of adults say they are overweight
     or obese.
   – Most people know their blood pressure
     numbers, but fewer than half of adults
     know their cholesterol, BMI or glucose
     numbers.

Cost to Society
   • By 2030, 40 percent of all adult
    Americans will have some form of
    CVD
   • By 2030, direct medical costs will
    triple from $273 billion to $818 billion
   • Direct and indirect costs combined
    total $1.3 trillion in 2030 – nearly as
    large as the projected federal deficit
    for 2011
                                               8

9

Impact over the last decade
                              10

Our 2020
     Impact Goal
“By 2020, to improve the
cardiovascular health of
 all Americans by 20 %
 while reducing deaths
  from cardiovascular
 diseases and stroke by
         20 %.”

What Is Ideal Cardiovascular
Health?
1. Absence of disease
2. Favorable levels of health factors
3. Favorable health behaviors

Life’s Simple 7
1. Never smoked or quit more than one
   year ago
2. Body mass index less than 25 kg/m2
3. Physical activity of at least 150 mins
   (moderate intensity) or 75 mins (vigorous
   intensity) each week
4. Four to five key components of a healthy
   diet consistent with current AHA guidelines
5. Total cholesterol of less than 200 mg/dL
6. Blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg
7. Fasting blood glucose less than 100 mg/dL

Healthy Diet
               (4-5 Dietary Goals Met)
1. Fruits and vegetables: ≥4.5 cups per day
2. Fish (preferably oily): ≥2 3.5-oz servings per week
3. Fiber-rich whole grains (1.1 grams fiber per 10 grams
   carbohydrate): ≥3 1-oz-equivalent servings per day
4. Sodium:

CV Health Metric Definitions*
  Poor           Intermediate    Ideal

         Goal: 20% overall improvement

   * The average net percentage of people
       who move up one level of health

Employment in America, 2010

                             Most common shared
                             occupational health
                             risk is sedentary
                             behavior

         Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Department of Labor March 2010
                            www.bls.gov.nnews.release/empsit.t17.htm

Employer Healthcare Expenses
• Heart diseases and stroke costs
  employers $304.6 billion
  – $24 billion - lost productivity from morbidity
  – ~25-30% of companies’ annual medical costs
    are spent on employees with major CVD risk
    factors but without clinical CHD
  – Major losses due to losses in productivity

• Employees and their families share the
  financial burden through higher
  insurance co-payments

• Published on‐line in September 2009 and in print on October 27, 2009
• Initiated by the Advocacy Coordinating Committee and sponsored by
  multiple scientific councils
• Integral part of the AHA Strategic Plan to reach as many Americans as
  possible to prevent heart disease and stroke
  Copyright - AHA

Comprehensive Program for
   Improving Employee Health
                      Recommended Components

CVD Education                    Nutrition

Tobacco Cessation/Education      Physical Activity

Screening/Early Detection        Stress Management

Weight Management                Occupational Safety and Health

Environmental Modification

                               Carnethon M. Circulation 2009; 120: 1725
  Copyright - AHA

Summary: Components and
Delivery of Wellness Programs
  • Wellness programs should be integrated into
    the company structure
     – To achieve employee “buy-in”, employees
       should be engaged in developing the
       programs and deciding what they should be
  • Pre-implementation appraisals and screenings
    to determine content and delivery of
    programming
  • A combination of individual and organizational
    changes are the most effective
  • Maximum effectiveness is achieved with a
    combination of policy and individual behavior
    modification strategies

Return on Investment

What is a Policy?
   Any plan or course of action
    designed to influence and
       determine decisions.

  Examples include healthy food and
  beverage procurement policies,
  vending machine policies, policies
  that support access to safe spaces
  for physical activity, and policies
  that support nursing mothers.

Policy Strategies to Encourage
Participation: Incentives

AHA Recommendation re:
Incentives
• Wellness credits should be available to
  employers who provide healthy lifestyle
  behavior incentives

  – Financial incentives should be paid directly
    to the employee

  – Financial incentives should not be tied to
    healthcare premiums or health status

AHA Resources
• Fit Friendly Recognition Program
   http://mystartonline.org/start_workplace_fit_fri
     endly.jsp

• Walking Paths, Walking Clubs, and resources
  for the Workplace
   www.startwalkingnow.org

• Policy Statements regarding Effective Worksite
  Wellness Programs and Financial Incentives

• My Heart, My Life Campaign
  www.myheartmylife.org