Welcome to HealthWire
A new quarterly newsletter for our clients, keeping you informed of timely health and industry trends
CEO Letter to Clients
Do Your Needs for Health Improvement Extend Beyond the U.S.?
Today's constant blitz of news reports on the rise of obesity in the U.S. has made everyone aware that this country is immersed in a health crisis. However, a recent study shows obesity is no longer an issue reserved for Americans alone.
Associated Press reports more than half of adults in European Union nations are obese or overweight, and more than 21 million children are overweight. Even more worrying, the story reports the 27-nation bloc adds more than 400,000 overweight children each year.
This news highlights a trend that many of our clients with international offices already know: the need to invest in health improvement solutions extends beyond U.S. borders. This is why, as part of our partnership with clients, Health Fitness Corporation (HFC) remains committed to pioneering ways that improve the health of individuals, located domestically and abroad.
HFC currently provides health improvement services to clients in Puerto Rico and parts of South America, and we continue to expand the reach of our personalized, results-driven solutions.
Using our services and programs, our clients reap the benefits of employees who reduce their risks for conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity.
As evidence of the results our services deliver, many HFC clients, including Cisco, Pfizer and Texas Instruments, have received awards from National Business Group on Health and other notable organizations for their successful corporate health programs.
Moving forward, our strategy includes a continued expansion of the targeted health improvement solutions we offer-both domestically and internationally. As we do so, we look forward to further cultivating the dynamic partnerships we have with our clients to produce healthy, highly productive workforces, where ever they may be located.
For more information about our comprehensive portfolio of services and the strategy we use to engage diverse populations in healthy lifestyle choices, please visit our Website at www.hfit.com.
Yours in good health,
Gregg Lehman
Industry News
Pending Legislation Offers Healthy Benefits to Employers, Employees
New health improvement legislation on the horizon could offer significant tax benefits to employers and employees.
More than 150 health industry leaders, including HFC Vice Chairman Jerry Noyce, gathered in Washington, D.C., to lobby for two bills, the Healthy Workforce Act and the Personal Health Improvement Today (PHIT) Bill. The group met as part of the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association Legislative Summit in May.
Here's a brief look at how the pending legislation could benefit you and your associates:
- The Healthy Workforce Act would allow a tax credit for 50 percent of the cost of a qualified employer health promotion program, up to $200/employee for the first 200 employees and $100/employee for remaining employees.
- The PHIT Bill would amend the Internal Revenue Code to treat up to $1,000 of amounts paid annually for exercise equipment and physical exercise programs as tax deductible medical expenses. With the PHIT Bill, activities such as health club memberships, youth sports programs, Pilates and yoga classes, home exercise equipment, and other fees associated with programs of physical activity could be paid with pre-tax dollars.
For more information about pending health improvement legislation, visit Health Promotion Advocates Website, www.healthpromotionadvocates.org.
Get Immersed in Effective Employee Health Management Solutions
Learn best practices for the design, rollout and measurement of effective employee health management programs from experienced leaders at the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) fall forum.
From Oct. 1-4, HERO will host its second annual forum for employee health management in New Orleans, inviting thought leaders, corporate executives and other stakeholders to immerse themselves in a three-day intensive workshop filled with industry expertise.
The forum will feature interactive "how to" workshops. Four HFC clients, USAA, Eastman Chemical Company, Entergy and Johnson & Johnson, will be among the presenters for these workshops, sharing the keys to their program success. Members of the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports will also present, discussing the impact of the President's Challenge, a Web-based program centered on exercise and fitness.
To date, the President's Challenge has more than 500,000 people enrolled and engaged in living a more active lifestyle. Jerry Noyce, HFC vice chairman and President's Council member, will be one of the presenters at the forum, addressing how the program delivers results.
The forum will also include panel discussions with industry experts and a keynote address from John Burke, CEO of Trek Bicycle Corporation and chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
To find out more about the forum, visit HERO's Website, www.the-hero.org. To learn more about how to enroll your company as a partner in the President's Challenge, contact Jerry Noyce, Jerry.Noyce@hfit.com, 952-897-5195.
New Tools to Help Promote Your Successes
Looking for ways to jumpstart promotion of your health improvement program? Want to highlight the positive impact an individual has on your employees located nationwide? Apply for the newly launched President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Community Leadership Award or Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Community Leadership Award is given out annually to no more than 50 individuals who improve the lives of individuals within his/her community by providing or enhancing opportunities to engage in sports, physical activities, or fitness-related programs. The word "community" can refer to a state, organization, sports league or team, business, city, or community-based group.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is given out annually to five or fewer individuals whose careers have greatly contributed to the advancement or promotion of physical activity, fitness, or sports nationwide. Factors considered in the selection process include: span and scope of career; estimated number of lives that the individual has touched through his or her work; and legacy of the individual's work.
Visit the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Website, www.fitness.gov, for details about how to apply.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Launches 'Healthier US' Bus Tour
"A Healthier US Starts Here" bus tour launched in Washington, D.C., in May to promote the pillars of health and wellness and focus on prevention at the federal, state and local level. The bus tour, organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will travel to the state capitals and communities across the 48 continental states. HFC Vice Chairman Jerry Noyce will join the big blue bus for stops in Minneapolis (June 28) and Rochester, Minn. (June 29).
Inside HFC
HFC Strengthens Research, Development and Outcomes Team to Provide Clients with Improved Program Offerings
To best serve clients' needs, HFC has reorganized to combine research, development and outcomes (RDO) into one group. This move strategically aligns product development with science, research and outcomes, allowing HFC to provide clients with stronger evidenced-based program offerings.
Chief Science Officer Peter Egan, Ph.D., leads the newly defined RDO group, which will focus on strengthening ROI methodology and developing market-leading solutions based on science policy/behavioral trends and service outcomes. Ed Framer, Ph.D., continues to serve as director of behavioral and health sciences within the group.
As part of the reorganization, Tanja Madsen, former director of program services, was promoted to director of program development. In this role, Tanja directs the resources that develop HFC programs, products and services, including the management of development priorities. Tanja brings 20 years of experience in health promotion and program delivery experience and has been a lead contributor to the development of HFC's EMPOWERED™ Health Coaching, a lifestyle improvement program.
HFC also is pleased to announce the additions of Yosuke Chikamato, Ph.D., and Earl Thompson to the RDO team. Yosuke joined HFC as director of research in late May. His background includes positions with the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention, California State University-Fullerton, and American University.
Given Yosuke's professional expertise in effective delivery strategies for comprehensive health programs, he recently was appointed to two health panels:
- The Centers for Disease Control expert panel on worksite obesity prevention and control, and
- The judge panel for the "Best Practices in Consumer Empowerment and Protection," URAC's national awards program that recognizes outstanding organizations in the health care industry. URAC is a nonprofit that promotes health care quality through its accreditation and certification programs.
Earl joins HFC as director of outcomes reporting July 2. He brings more than 21 years' experience in the Blue Cross Blue Shield network holding positions in corporate and marketing research, and management over actuarial and information systems. He also spent seven years at Harris Health Trends as an outcomes consultant for major corporations. He has developed new methodologies for the assessment of health management program effects, and has presented his work for organizations such as General Motors, Xerox, PepsiCo, Experian and Morgan Stanley.
HFC's Science Advisory Board Member Chairs HHS Committee to Create New Federal Guidelines for Physical Activity
A member of HFC's Science Advisory Board, William L. Haskell, Ph.D., has been appointed as chair of the new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. HHS assembled the committee with the nation's top experts on physical activity to advise the federal government and write the first national guidelines focusing on physical activity.
Haskell is a professor of medicine (active emeritus) in the Center for Prevention Research and the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, School of Medicine at Stanford University. He has been a member of the Stanford University faculty for the past 35 years, with primary interests in the prevention of chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular disease.
According to HHS, the report will provide science-based recommendations on the latest knowledge about activity and health, with depth and flexibility to target specific population subgroups, such as seniors, children, and persons with disabilities. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans will be issued in late 2008.
More Companies Actively Invest in Employees with Screenings
A growing number of clients are realizing the benefits of investing in worksite health screenings, as HFC has seen demand for screenings increase 60 percent year to date, up from 150 percent growth in 2006.
Worksite health screenings provide a snapshot of an employee's current health and insight on the impact of his/her current lifestyle choices. By participating in health screenings, employees take an important step towards better understanding their personal health and making informed choices about how to proactively reduce their health risks.
Screenings offered by HFC include: lipid profile, glucose, blood pressure, body mass index and bone density. HFC provides our own staff for the screenings, ensuring professional personnel and supplies are in place for the scheduled screening event. HFC has also developed technical applications for online scheduling and automatic upload of screening data to the participant's health assessment.
For information about HFC's screenings, call your HFC client contact or visit www.hfit.com for more information.
EMPOWERED™ Health Coaching Engages Total Population in Healthy Choices
"Total population health management" is a hot topic in our industry lately, and for good reason. Research shows that costs for an employee who moves into a high-risk category for disease increase by $350 per year, while costs for an employee who moves into a low-risk category fall by $150 per year.*
As a tool to help clients engage their total population in healthy choices, HFC offers EMPOWERED Health Coaching, a personal health improvement program that addresses behaviors people are ready to improve, rather than dwelling solely on health risks.
With EMPOWERED, participants choose Focus Areas they want to address, within the topics of healthy eating, physical activity, stress management and smoking cessation. If they are interested in reducing health risks, EMPOWERED is designed to help them select which Focus Areas directly relate to reducing the identified risk. Participants also select how they collaborate with their health coach-whether it's through a secure Web-based message board, the phone or face to face (if available).
Interested in learning more about how EMPOWERED can help manage the health of your entire population? Call your HFC client contact or visit www.hfit.com for more information.
*Source: Dee Edington, "Emerging Research: A View From One Research Center," American Journal of Health Promotion, (May/June 2001), p. 346.
HFC Clients Win NBGH Award
Congratulations to HFC clients who received a Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles Award from the National Business Group on Health, a national nonprofit organization. NBGH presented the award to 41 employers for their continuing efforts to promote healthy work environments and encourage workers to live healthier lifestyles.
- HFC clients who received the award include:
- Platinum Award—IBM, Texas Instruments, Motorola, FPL Group
- Gold Award—Cisco, Intel, Medtronic
- Silver Award—Pfizer, Verizon Wireless
For more information about their award-winning programs, visit NBGH's Website at www.businessgrouphealth.org.
What It's All About
"Thank you for helping me to realize that it is okay to make 'the big' changes if they were negatively impacting my health...and they were. Over the past month I have made some dramatic changes in my life, and I have never been happier. All of the other lifestyle issues are now falling into place. I now am making time to exercise and since I am not as stressed, I am not eating as much. I have lost 10 pounds! Thank you so much for offering it! Allstate is so lucky to have you!"
—Allstate Insurance Company participant in Your Weigh.Together!, HFC's weight management program
New Research
The Buzz from Recent Research
>>New guidelines for breast cancer screening. The American Cancer Society now recommends adding a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) screening to mammography for women with a lifetime breast cancer risk of 20 percent or higher. The new guidelines were published in March 2007. According to the study, adding a contrast-enhanced MRI helps high risk women find breast cancers earlier.
Saslow, D. et. al. American Cancer Society Guidelines for Breast Screening with MRI as an Adjunct to Mammography. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2007; 57:75-89.
>>Fruit and vegetable consumption lowers risk for chronic disease among adults. Diets rich in fruits and vegetables seem to go along with a lower risk of chronic disease. Data collected from people in all 50 states and the District of Columbia showed that those who were not overweight or obese were the most likely to eat fruit two or more times per day, while obese persons (BMI >30) were the least likely to eat fruit two or more times per day. Overall, however, very few people eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. Approximately 32 percent of the U.S. adult population consumed fruit two or more times per day, and only 27 percent ate vegetables three or more times per day.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Adults-United States, 2005. March 16, 2007/56(10); 213-217
>>Calcium and vitamin D appear to reduce postmenopausal cancer risks. Many observational studies have reported that supplemental calcium and vitamin D are associated with a reduced risk of a number of common cancers. A four-year, population-based, randomized placebo-controlled trial examined the impact of calcium and vitamin D on fracture incidence and cancer incidence. It followed 1179 postmenopausal women from a nine-county rural area of Nebraska. The study concluded that "improving calcium and vitamin D nutritional status substantially reduces all-cancer risk in postmenopausal women."
Lappe, J.M., et. al. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation reduces cancer risk: results of a randomized trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007; 85:1586-91.
>>For older adults, a healthy body follows a healthy mind. According to a report presented at the American Geriatrics Society meeting, it appears that emotional well-being protects physical health for older adults. Among patients age 70-79, those with the fewest depressive symptoms were 37 percent less likely to develop any physical health problem during the next five years than those with more depressive symptoms.
Brenes GA, et al "Emotional, cognitive and physical reserve and incident functional limitations: Results from the Health ABC Study" American Geriatrics Society meeting 2007; Abstract A34.
