Abstract
Wellness is generally defined as the quality and state of being healthy in body and mind. In the late 20th century, the wellness movement began to gain real momentum, and in the meantime began to be taken more seriously by the medical, academic and corporate worlds.
Recently, wellness programs, the fitness industry, celebrity wellness and self-help experts have brought wellness into the mainstream. The traditional medical establishment has begun shifting the focus to wellness and prevention. In 2013, First Lady, Michelle Obama who is an advocate for youth health and wellness started ‘Let’s Move’, a campaign that promotes physical activity for children. “Wellness," is now embedded in our modern vocabulary. Although company wellness programs have often been viewed as a nice perk, it was certainly not viewed as imperative to the business of a company. Today, smart companies realize there is much to be gained by recognizing the part wellness plays to the bottom line. With the help of new tax incentives and grants provided under the new health care legislation, organizations can reduce skyrocketing health care costs by investing in wellness programs that address the physical and mental health of their employees.
U.S Health
It is no secret that we have an obesity epidemic in this country. Obesity, along with chronic disease
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The effects of poor health reach far beyond disease. A study by Gallup and Healthways shows that obese adults are 29 percent more likely to say they lack purpose in life and nearly 34 percent more likely to suffer financially than non-obese adults. While there is a physical toll for obesity there is also financial toll as well. According to the American Heart association, obesity and diseases now tally $190 billion a year in weight-related medical
Wellness is the health of a person as a whole. It encompasses the person’s physical, as well as mental and emotional health. Over time, therapist came to the realization that clients needed to be well in every aspect of their lives in order to be healthy ("Wellness in Mental
The United States has never seen such levels of obesity before, this epidemic is getting worse
The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, with the intent of ensuring that most people in the United States have medical insurance. With this new healthcare system came the responsibility that individuals would have to take initiatives in an effort to stay healthy or at the least, increase their level of activity and health awareness, making them more responsible for their own wellness. The preventative care portion included in the Affordable Care Act is one of the fundamental items of the law and is a particularly meaningful, very positive attribute in health care reform for the American people. Wellness in the workplace has become an essential issue to help reduce companies’ medical cost, and to help employees get on track to know their numbers, get healthy, and have a positive healthy mental attitude. Many employees do not understand or know how to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. With the rising cost of healthcare, especially relating to people not taking care of their bodies, wellness in the workplace has become even more critical. Author Lori Breiner (2007) “believes wellness in the workplace has economic benefits for organizations, because if workers are healthy, they miss less time from work.” Breiner’s theory would suggest that better health increases productivity and profits in the workplace.
The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention claims that “obesity related medical care cost in the United States are at an all time high, and in 2008 dollars, these cost were estimated to be 147 billion. The annual nationwide productive costs of obesity-related absenteeism range between $3.38 billion ($79 per obese individual) and $6.38 billion ($132 per obese individual),” according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. An analysis conducted by Emory University own healthcare economist Ken Thorpe, Ph.D. C, titled “The Future Cost of Obesity” estimates that the annual of cost of health care will sky rock by an estimated 344 billion dollars by 2018 or about $20.00 per every healthcare dollar spent in the U.S, providing a financial imperative for obesity prevention initiatives.
The United States of America is the fattest country in the world. Obesity in America has reach epidemic proportions. Obesity and weight gain has become major concern of public health in the United States. In every state, at least twenty percent of adults are obese, and in twelve of these states the obesity rate is above thirty percent. Mississippi currently holds the highest rate of obesity with 34.9 percent of its residents being obese. On the contrary, Colorado has the lowest rate of obesity with 20.7 percent. CNN estimated that annual medical care costs due to obesity reached $147 billion, but the Institute of Medicine estimates it is closer to $190 billion.
the most common form of malnutrition in the Western world, it also affects sixty-four percent of
Obesity in the United States has been a serious problem affecting Americans and has been continually growing higher in numbers each year. American obesity has nearly doubled within the last 40 years and is now considered to be an epidemic that is affecting millions of people around the nation. According to the National institute of Diabetes and digestive and kidney Diseases, 31% of men and 35% of women are considered seriously overweight, along with 15% of children between the ages of six and nineteen are also overweight. The lack of physical inactivity and extreme poor dieting are catching up to almost the same threat as cigarettes and tobacco smoking. We as a nation are considered to be the fattest country in the world.
A lot of people wonder why we are so concerned about the obesity rate in America. Being obese causes terrible diseases and sometimes can lead to death. 18% of the deaths in the United States happened from 1986 to 2006 and were caused by the symptoms that came from being obese, these occurred mostly
Obesity is defined as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduce life expectancy and/or increased health problems. “The problem of obesity is increasing in the United States. Understanding the impact of social inequalities on health has become a public health priority in the new millennium. Social, political, and economic factors now are acknowledged to be "fundamental" causes of disease that affect behavior, beliefs, and biology.” (Goodman, 2003) In the United States today, obesity has become an enormous problem. In the last 3 decades, the number of people overweight has increased dramatically. Obesity has not always been seen as a medical
Obesity in the United States has really become an economic problem as well. People are spending the little money that they have and spending it on food that they shouldn’t be eating in the first place, which they should be spending their money on healthier and nutritious food, for themselves and their family. New England Medical Center, Michael Dansinger of the Tufts says:
Obesity is an expensive and extremely common public health issue that affects more than one-third of the United States population including 17 percent
Wellness in the workplace needs to be taken seriously by all employers, and employees. There has been evidence that making sure employees eat healthier leads to lower call out rates and more savings on health plans. In an article in Employee Benefits magazine it states that “Wellness management does not need to be complicated, or costly. A few simple steps could help to mitigate long-term problems, such as introducing early intervention activities that red flag cases identified via an absence reporting mechanism, the proactive management of musculo-skeletal conditions and stress, introducing a smoking cessation program or running regular health wellbeing days. “Workplace wellness as a concept has been used extensively in recent years by management in business and industry, health professionals, fitness experts, and others. This is a policy that should be implanted in all jobs. Wellness may not
Overweight and obesity are serious problems in America today. Over 37 percent of adults are considered to be
What is wellness? “Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy life. Wellness is also a process for change and growth” (Health Topic – What is wellness?). To have acceptable wellness you should have an equal amount of social, emotional/mental, and physical health. I, myself, believe that I have an okay wellness, I mean not like full wellness but just enough to pass I'll say. But how am I living in wellness?
What health and wellness mean to me may be different than what the textbook would state health and wellness is. Health means to me the condition in which your body is, which could be poor or good health. The mind,spirit,physicality would pertain all to the state of one's body. Wellness is the consistent goal towards being in wellness meaning that one strives to be in good personal health. The book describes wellness as; “ wellness is the physical-well being , emotional-well being ,and spiritual- well being.” (Robert T. Harper) According to Merriam Webster the definition of health is “the condition of being sound in mind,body,and spirit.”(...) There is not much difference between what I perceive as health and