Corporate Fitness Programs are Paying Off
The goal is to do something about the cost of obesity, which U.S. employers pay for to the tune of about $13 billion annually.
July 1, 2004
Corporate Fitness Programs are Paying Off
Corporate America’s extensive efforts get their employees to eat better and
exercise more are paying off, according to a study by the National Business
Group on Health.
More than half--56 percent--of the companies surveyed said that morale among
their workforces has gone up as a result of their fitness initiatives. Another
27 percent said they have saved money on the cost of health
care. About two out of 10 experienced increased worker productivity and
decreased absenteeism.
LuAnn Heinen, director of the Institute on the
Costs and Health Effects of Obesity, says that obesity
costs U.S. employers more than $13 billion annually. On-site company fitness
centers and other fat-fighting initiatives are designed to stem those costs.
Not all employees are enthused. The Business Group study found that in about
two-thirds of companies, fewer than 25 percent of employees participate in their
fitness programs.
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