Obesity as an Opportunity
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported this morning that Cleveland is on the list of the worst 10 heart healthy cities for women. Further reading points out that our community is overweight and this has lead to high rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and deaths from heart disease. Earlier this year The Columbus Dispatch wrote about a study by the Milken Institute that estimated chronic disease is costing Ohio’s economy $57 billion per year(March 21, 2008). It listed public enemy No. 1 as the rising rates of obesity which have more than doubled in the last 20 years. The major cost is lost productivity, not healthcare treatment expenses.
As Ross DeVol of the Milken Institute points out in the Dispatch article, “The good news is that with moderate improvements in prevention and early intervention such as reducing the rate of obesity, the savings to the economy would be enormous.” Can we do this? Can we reduce the rate of obesity among our employees? I believe the answer is definitely “yes.” We have already seen progress through some particularly creative programs. Is this a sensitive issue to touch? Again, I believe the answer is definitely “yes.” Is it too sensitive to address? “No” and it isn’t in anyone’s best interest to skirt this issue. Employers have the resources and the “position power” to make weight management a bigger issue and to help employees succeed. It is hard work, but well worth it in many ways.