| NEW YORK, N.Y. — U.S. corporations are doing more to promote wellness among employees, according to American Management Association’s (AMA) 2004 survey on Corporate Health and Wellness Programs.
The number of companies offering educational programs on self-care topics is up in seven categories surveyed, including smoking cessation, exercise and fitness, and cholesterol management.
AMA recently surveyed its members and customers at 211 companies about the wellness programs they offer to their employees. According to the results, 80{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of executives fell that corporate America has a responsibility to promote wellness, up 71{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} from last year. And companies are taking action; 27{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of those surveyed say they are offering more programs this year than in 2003.
Breaking down the numbers, they are up across the board: The number of corporations offering exercise and fitness increased from 47{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} in 2003 to 55{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} in 2004. For smoking cessation, the numbers were 41{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} and 49{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5}, respectively; blood pressure management, 36{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} and 49{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5}; weight management, 34{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} and 47{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5}; stress management, 33{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} and 46{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5}; cholesterol management, 27{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} and 43{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5}; and nutrition, 25{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} and 39{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5}.
Nearly three out of four (72{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5}) of respondents say they attend the wellness programs when their company sponsors them, up from 63{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} in 2003. But only 35{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of those companies that offer the programs extend some incentive for employees to participate. |
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