If there is one lesson that employers have learned in 2020, it’s that we are all in the healthcare business.
Recently, researchers from Vitality and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) published a study in the Lancet Public Health that for the first time ever, quantified how much modifiable behaviors cost us – upward of $730 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. The top causes being:
- High BMI
- High systolic blood pressure
- High fasting plasma glucose
- Dietary risks
- Tobacco smoke
The numbers are certainly shocking. The upside? We have the ability to diminish these staggering costs. As the leading behavior change platform, Vitality helps members build healthy habits and reduce risks across the spectrum of health. The results speak for themselves:
- Physical activity: 20% reduction in risk
- Tobacco use: 26.1% reduction in risk
- Healthy diet containing fruits and vegetables: 7.2% reduction in risk
The onset of COVID-19 has proven that individuals, employers and society must place a greater emphasis on health. While we are all susceptible to contracting COVID-19, those who live with chronic conditions face significantly higher risk – six times higher risk to be exact1.
What kind of intervention can adapt to the new COVID-19 world, a world in which employee engagement is at an all-time low, healthcare costs continue to rise, and employees’ needs are more diverse than ever before?
Download the infographic to find out.
1. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6924e2.htm?s_cid=mm6924e2_w#suggestedcitation
