促进健康和福祉：雇主鼓励健康体重和代谢健康的策略（英）

Promoting Health and Well-Being: Employer Strategies for Encouraging Healthy Weight and Metabolic Wellness

Foreword

The urgency to address obesity is paramount. Currently, over 1 billion people worldwide live with obesity, which is linked to numerous health conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and musculoskeletal disorders. If current trends continue, obesity rates are projected to nearly double to 1.9 billion by 2035. Additionally, obesity in children has increased tenfold between 1975 and 2016. Addressing this issue requires a comprehensive, multifaceted response involving public-private collaboration.

Employers play a crucial role in promoting healthy weight and metabolic wellness. They can influence a large portion of the adult population and contribute significantly to public health. Investing in employee health initiatives not only enhances individual well-being but also improves organizational productivity, reduces medical costs, and fosters a healthier society.

Executive Summary

The prevalence of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases has surged globally, affecting individuals, public health, workforces, and societies. Key threats include health consequences, rising costs, and stigma. Public systems alone cannot address this issue, necessitating collaborative, whole-of-society efforts.

Employers can foster preventative health at work by engaging with a large portion of the adult population. Workplace interventions targeting physical health can support better health outcomes, enhance employee engagement, productivity, morale, and retention, and reduce medical costs and absenteeism. Such investments have a positive ripple effect, promoting equity and inclusion and contributing to societal resilience.

Employers worldwide are increasingly engaging in overall health and well-being initiatives, but more can be done. A strategic shift requires leadership commitment, identifying workplace risks and workforce needs, designing tailored and holistic interventions, effective communication, and enabling healthy behavior through cultural and process adjustments. Success stories from leading organizations highlight the use of innovative technology and data to enhance the employee experience.

Systemic conditions like healthcare financing models, legal requirements, cultural norms, and industry-specific factors can enable or hinder these efforts. Challenges arise when implementing weight and cardiometabolic health initiatives on a global scale due to local diversity and complexity. A whole-of-society approach involving public health experts, patient groups, insurers, service providers, academic institutions, and governments is necessary. Increased collaboration across academia and public health institutions is essential to generate evidence and strengthen implementation research.

Introduction

The global burden of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases has reached unprecedented levels, affecting public health, societies, and economies worldwide. Over 1 billion people live with obesity, and 3 billion live with overweight. Overweight and obesity are associated with deaths related to numerous non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Employers have a unique opportunity to support the prevention and management of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases among their workforce. This report explores strategies and benefits of investing in the holistic health of employees, focusing on emerging approaches, main challenges, guiding principles, and a step-by-step approach to investing in employee health.

By integrating well-being into every aspect of the employee experience, employers can build a culture that prioritizes both physical and mental health. Successful implementation approaches involve the use of innovative technology, data, behavioral science, gamification, and social support. Systemic conditions such as healthcare financing models, legal requirements, and cultural norms can either enable or hinder these efforts. Challenges are observed when implementing these initiatives on a global scale, considering the diversity and complexity of local contexts and needs.

Overall, employers play a critical role in supporting the prevention and management of obesity and cardiometabolic diseases, and their efforts must be substantiated through a whole-of-society approach involving various stakeholders.