What a Waist: Employees Want Help Losing Weight

Waistline Worries and More: Nearly half of employees cite weight management as their No. 1 health concern, according to an unscientific poll by LifeCare Inc. of Westport, Connecticut. General health worries are a distant second, with only 18 percent citing them as a key concern, followed by heart health (11 percent), diabetes (4 percent), blood pressure (3 percent) and quitting smoking (1 percent). About 15 percent, however, specified anxiety about a range of other issues that include mental health, healthy aging and cancer, with each representing less than 1 percent. In another LifeCare poll, only about 1 percent of workers said they would be unlikely to take advantage of special health and wellness initiatives  offered by their company. About 83 percent “definitely” would participate, while another 16 percent of employees say they might use the services.