Waist Size Really Does Matter

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Waist Size Really Does Matter! The Epidemic of
Abdominal Obesity A significant health threat
and economic burden for employers July 11, 2007
- 800 am to 1230 pm Offices of
DrinkerBiddleGardnerCarton This program is made
possible by through the educational support of
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For those present

• Please silence your
• Pagers
• Cell phones
• Blackberries
• IPods IPhone ITunes
• Other noise making devices or colleagues

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And for those on the web phone

• Be aware your telephone is an open microphone and
  we want to allow all to hear the program, not
  office music, so
• Please place your phone or speakerphone on MUTE,
  not HOLD, during the program
• Let us know if you cant hear the speakers
• Questions can be emailed to us or you can speak
  up during the Q A sessions at end of the formal
  talks
• When asking a question, please identify yourself

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Special Thanks

• Sanofi-Aventis
• DrinkerBiddleGardnerCarton
• MBGH Staff
• Lori Hurtt
• Cheryl Larson
• Jessica Westhoff

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Waist Size Really Does Matter! The Epidemic of
Abdominal Obesity A significant health threat
and economic burden for employers July 11, 2007
- 800 am to 1230 pm Offices of
DrinkerBiddleGardnerCarton This program is made
possible by through the educational support of
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Why Employers Should be Concerned About Obesity
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Why Employers Should be Concerned About Obesity

• In the workplace, obesity can
• Increase a persons medical costs by 36 and
  increase drug costs by 77
• Cause longer hospitals stays and more frequent
  doctor visits
• Result in billions of dollars in low
  productivity, lost work days, sick pay, medical
  costs and higher insurance premiums
• Cause workers to be absent 14 or more times a
  year, and tend to under-perform

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Results of 2006 MBGH Benchmarking Survey on
Management of Obesity

• Wellness programs offered to workers
• 95 offer educational programs
• 76 offer disease management/health coaching
• 66 offer health fairs
• 61 offer Weight Watchers
• 52 offer onsite fitness facility
• 47 offer bariatric surgery
• 28 offer weight loss medications
• 23 offer health club membership/medical weight
  management

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How Employers Are Managing Obesity

• Tracking BMI
• 71 No
• 19 Yes
• If tracked, what of workers are clinically
  obese?
• 6-28
• Main entities that drive education/compliance
  with weight management programs
• Employee self motivation
• Physician direction
• Peers
• Incentives
• Spouse

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Employers can decide to let workers do it
themselves
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Low Cost Ways to Address Obesity

• Incentivize employees to complete health risk
  appraisals to obtain baseline data
• Create competitions among departments, locations,
  sales teams for TOTAL weight loss using peer
  pressure as primary tool
• Make weight loss of a job site a part of plant
  managers bonus formula
• Offer onsite Weight-Watchers or other education
  programs related to nutrition and exercise
• Focus on fitness to try help people from gaining
  more weight, rather than losing weight
• Create safe walking paths, encourage the use of
  stairs
• Slow down elevators
• Distribute health education materials

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You can help them eat healthier food
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Low Cost Weight Management Approaches

• Offer free nutritional lunch for attending lunch
  learn programs
• Require vendors to include healthy food choices
  in cafeterias and vending machines
• Charge LESS for fruits, vegetables, salads and
  fish than sandwiches and other fast food meals
• Offer nutritional counseling for cafeteria
  selections
• Offer discounts or incentives for joining fitness
  centers
• Support and disseminate information on community
  programs that focus on nutrition and fitness
• Tailor weight reduction (and other wellness)
  programs to the participants individual
  condition (based on HRA or other data) and
  readiness to change

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Waist Size Really Does Matter! The Epidemic of
Abdominal Obesity A significant health threat
and economic burden for employers July 11, 2007
- 800 am to 1230 pm Offices of
DrinkerBiddleGardnerCarton This program is made
possible by through the educational support of