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The Workplace Health Insights series brings you the latest healthcare trends, interviews with medical experts and specialist insight from Bupa: all designed to keep you and your organisation one step ahead.
For the latest insights on supporting mental health in the workplace, take a look here.
Powering healthier workplaces through prevention
Most disease is preventable yet the focus is often on innovative therapies to treat ill-health rather than clinically proven lifestyle interventions which could head off these conditions.
The World Health Organisation estimates the vast majority of preventable chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, cancers and diabetes account for 71% of deaths globally.
In the United Kingdom, the figure is 89% and cardiovascular disease alone is responsible for 25% of deaths – a potentially worrying signal for what may lay ahead.
Taking four lifestyle habits will dramatically reduce these risks:
- Eating a healthy diet
- Being more physically active
- Avoiding harmful use of alcohol
- Not smoking
Why aren’t more of people taking these simple steps?
The reasons are complex and multifactorial, include psychological and emotional drivers along with external factors such as education, social networks, where we live, where and when we work.
Shift work, for example, is associated with an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and studies show shift-workers are more likely to snack or make poor food choices.
Bupa analysis of more than 58,000 Health Assessments in 2021 identified some clear areas for action:
Weight management – 41% of those who were assessed were overweight and 21% were obese.
Physical activity – 65% were inactive and only 35% were active.
Insomnia severity – 32% reported mild or significant insomnia.
Musculoskeletal health – 81% reported reduced range or pain.
Anxiety and depression – 24% experienced some form of anxiety and 26% reported some level of depression.
Interconnected issues
Dr Petra Simic, Medical Director, Bupa Health Clinics emphasised all of these issues are interconnected – for example a scientific study published last year found 90% of people who are obese suffer from musculoskeletal pain.
“Pain disrupts sleep and can make exercise difficult. Impaired sleep contributes to depression and weight gain. And being physically active improves sleep duration and quality and reduces the risk of obesity and depression,” Dr Simic said.
The benefits of focusing on prevention are huge. In 2020, 20.4 million days were lost to musculoskeletal (MSK) problems alone.
Bupa’s Behavioural Insights team has developed a wealth of resources such as manager guides and self-help articles which employers can deploy to support their people to be more in control of their health.
This article has been abbreviated by Health & Protection. The full article on preventing disease through health in the workplace can be found as part of the Workplace Health Insights series from Bupa, take a look here.