Source: Lancet Public Health

What is this about?

The document highlighted in this edition of the Connections newsletter is a newly published study from the British Journal Lancet Public Health.  The article reports on an extensive modifiable health risk analysis of U.S.health care costs using a cross-comparison technique on two very extensive claims databases.  The objective of this study was to quantify health care spending attributable to modifiable risk factors in the USA for 2016. 

In 2016, US health care spending attributable to modifiable risk factors was $730.4 billion corresponding to 27·0% of total health-care spending.  This “attributable” spending was largely due to five risk factors: high body-mass index, high systolic blood pressure, high fasting plasma glucose, dietary risks, and tobacco smoke.  Spending attributable to risk factor varied by age and sex, with the fraction of attributable spending largest for those aged 65 years and older.  The significance of this is that the cost of governmental health programs like Medicare and Medicaid can be significantly reduced by reducing key health risks among program beneficiaries.  Attributable health care spending was also identified for the top 16 health risk factors.

Why is this important?

The issue in this edition of the Connections newsletter is important for 3 major reasons.  First, reducing the cost burden associated with major modifiable health risks is one of the most important goals of virtually all employee wellness programs.  Second, this study found that fully 27% of all health care costs are considered potentially preventable, which is a huge economic incentive for prevention and wellness among American employers and governmental health programs.  Third, this study provides very valid estimates of the potentially preventable conditions, diseases and costs that can be used by Wellness program managers to make a stronger economic case for funding employee wellness programs.

What can you do with this document?

• First, read the document to get a sense of the methodology and results of the study.
• Next, determine where in your current communications efforts this information can be used.
• Then, determine which of your program interventions should include this information.
• Finally, decide how else to use the information to plan and justify your annual program budget.
• In summary, this document describes a study that found that fully 27% of U.S. health care costs were preventable in 2016.  Employee wellness programs play a major role in reducing these health risks and costs for employers and for governmental health programs like Medicaid and Medicare.

In summary, this document describes a study that found that fully 27% of U.S. health care costs were preventable in 2016.  Employee wellness programs play a major role in reducing these health risks and costs for employers and for governmental health programs like Medicaid and Medicare.

(Everyone can now download this document)

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If you have any problem downloading the document go to our website and submit a comment.

I hope this tool helps you reach your wellness programming goals!  Drop me a note and let me know if you found it to be helpful.

What is this about?

The document in this edition of Connections is a recent article from the British Medical Journal that uses 2 major American long-term epidemiological studies (The Nurses’ Health Study – N= 73,196 and the Health Professions Follow-up Study – N= 33, 366).  These 2 landmark prospective cohort studies are used in this study to document the healthy years gained from a healthy lifestyle.  A healthy lifestyle was defined as five low-risk lifestyle factors: never smoking, body mass index 18.5-24.9, moderate to vigorous physical activity (≥30 minutes/day), moderate alcohol intake (women: 5-15 g/day; men 5-30 g/day), and a higher diet quality score (upper 40%). The summary findings are highlighted below:

“The life expectancy free of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer at age 50 was 23.7 years (95% confidence interval 22.6 to 24.7) for women who adopted no low-risk lifestyle factors, in contrast to 34.4 years (33.1 to 35.5) for women who adopted four or five low-risk factors. At age 50, the life expectancy free of any of these chronic diseases was 23.5 (22.3 to 24.7) years among men who adopted no low-risk lifestyle factors and 31.1 (29.5 to 32.5) years in men who adopted four or five low-risk lifestyle factors.”

This amounts to 10.7 more years on average for women who live a healthy lifestyle versus those that don’t (45.7% more life-years without chronic conditions) and 12.4 more years on average for men who live a healthy lifestyle versus those that don’t (54.0% more life-years without chronic conditions).  That’s a big difference in chronic conditions and morbidity, especially as we consider the risk of COVID-19 infections!

Why is this important?

This document represents one of the largest population studies on the healthy life years gained from healthy lifestyle choices. The five low-risk lifestyle factors are at the core of virtually all employee wellness programs and are also at the heart of risk factors associated with COVID-19. This study documents the quality of life advantages of a wellness-oriented lifestyle along with the reduced health care use and improvements in life expectancy or likely length of life.  You gain years of life and years of life without major chronic diseases: A pretty good trade-off for the pursuit of wellness.

What can you do with this document?

• First, skim through the research article to get a sense of what findings and evidence it is presenting.
• Next, determine if this information can be used in educating employees about the long-term implications of adopting a wellness-oriented lifestyle.
• Next, determine where the findings should be used in your program.
• Next, share with staff, volunteers and management, the major highlights of the study and how this information can be used with those that may be concerned about COVID-19 infection.
• Next, as you put your work plan and budget together for the next year of programming consider how this information should shape your choice of targets and the corresponding interventions.

In summary, this study provides a quantitative estimate of the healthy years that can be gained from pursuing a wellness-oriented lifestyle.  The article provides recent and significant science-based proof of the value of adopting a healthy lifestyle.

(Everyone can now download this document)

Click here to download this document

If you have any problem downloading the document go to our website and submit a comment.

I hope this tool helps you reach your wellness programming goals!  Drop me a note and let me know if you found it to be helpful.

Source: JAMA

What is this about?

This just-published 2-page opinion piece from JAMA identifies in a pithy and no-nonsense way the basic lifestyle characteristics that are associated with long (and seemingly worthwhile) lifestyles for the 21st Century. This piece reflects an interesting view of relevant literature and studies and identifies the “sweet spot” for employee wellness efforts from the physician’s perspective. Recognizing that genetic predisposition constitutes only about 30% of the risk for early death while the lion’s share is associated with social circumstances, environmental exposures, behavioral choices and lifestyle choices. Not surprisingly, behavioral and lifestyle choices can also ameliorate a significant amount of the major chronic condition risks that are associated with genetic predisposition. It should then be very clear that Wellness and Well-being interventions can play a very large potential role in the prescription for longevity in the 21st Century.

The major elements recommended for long life in the 21st Century are;

• Participate in interventions to reduce your genetic predisposition for early death(chronic disease prevention)
• Seek higher education levels
• Avoid poverty and low-income status
• Avoid illegal drugs and abuse of alcohol
• Avoid suicidal ideation
• Avoid high-risk environments and situations
• Seek social engagement and maintain meaningful social relationships
• Adopt a purposeful life that transcends self-interest (Be interested in and/or serve others)
• Pursue meaningful activities and seek personal growth
• Adopt healthy eating practices, regular exercise, maintain healthy body weight, avoid harmful substances like tobacco, practice stress reduction techniques and secure healthy sleep patterns

Why is this important?

This pithy set of recommendations for long life that physicians are now encouraged to give their own patients is very useful as a summary blueprint for our own approach to employee wellness and well-being. It is important because it is short, persuasive and unusually prescient for a physician’s perspective on prevention and well-being. It is also important because it brings our wellness/well-being work into direct alignment with what the Nation’s physicians are being urged to recommend. This article is important also because it gives legitimacy to our more holistic and social determinants-oriented approach to human health and a broader well-being oriented perspective on health. Repetition and consistency are key to helping employees choose a wellness-oriented lifestyle and that will happen faster if our messages are aligned better with the messages employees receive from their doctors.

What can you do with this document?

• First, read the 2-page document and familiarize yourself with its content.
• Next, put a list together of who you want to send it to including: wellness advisor committee members, wellness ambassadors, HR and benefits staff, wellness vendors and your executive team.
• Consider whether you want to offer a Healthy Aging or Secrets of Long Life oriented educational session or series using the document’s content.
• Consider modifying and using the bullet points above as a way to provide a “short-hand” approach to the information.
• Consider setting up a contest with a very desirable prize for submission of a set of “secrets to long life” and use these bullet points as your ideal or winning answer. You could also have a prize for the most humorous submission.
• Consider using this document to introduce how to get more “quantity of life” then move into “quality of life” considerations by emphasizing well-being issues.

In summary, this document contains a very useful and pithy perspective on a lifestyle that is likely to result in long life. Each of the summary bullet points can be explored in more depth if there is enough general interest in the topic. This information can also help to create a more holistic approach to employee wellness and well-being.

(Everyone can now download these documents regardless of membership status.)

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