On April 4, 2012, Chronicle Online published an article stating that obesity now accounts for almost 21% of all U.S. health care costs. A study from Cornell confirms this is more than twice the previous estimate.
Statistics from 2009 demonstrated that some states pay as much as $15 billion a year. The estimated costs range from $203 million in Wyoming to $15.2 billion in California.
The Cornell study reports that an obese person incurs medical costs that are $2,741 higher than a normal-weight person. Nationwide, that translates into $190.2 billion per year, or 20.6% of national health expenditures. Previous studies estimated the cost of obesity at $85.7 billion, or 9.1% of national health expenditures.
Obesity raises the risk of cancer, stroke, heart attack, and diabetes. For any type of surgery, obese people have a higher risk of complications with anesthesia and face longer healing times. It raises the cost of treating almost any medical condition—increasing costs quickly. When including the extended time out of work and their increased likelihood to use sick days, the impacted costs are even higher for employers.
The study also shows that obesity raises costs in Medicaid, suggesting that we’re all paying for obesity through taxes. Obesity isn’t just a personal issue—we’re all affected by the risks and costs of the disease.
Your school’s health care costs are your largest budget item. Wellness programs can help you regain some of the control—of your bottom line and in your classrooms. (There are the tertiary benefits on the part of students in a culture where the faculty and staff are generally healthier, happier, and more energized to teach.) This effort can include exercise as well as healthier diets offered in the school cafeteria, which can positively influence learning.
Establishing effective wellness programs in your school is easy. The hardest part is generating interest—finding activities that are attractive to different personalities. Incentives can help. Here are a few ideas.
Organize walking groups. Teams of three or more can motivate each other to live healthier lifestyles. Walking three times a week for a minimum of 35 minutes can greatly reduce cardiovascular risks as well as help with weight management.
Organize goal-driven teams. Encourage people to form teams to overcome unhealthy habits such as smoking, snack food binging, driving without a seatbelt, couch potato syndrome, etc. Have them record their performances and efforts.
Encourage healthier lunchroom options. As Business Manager, you have the ability to influence the food choices your school offers. You also have the ability to spread that influence to your faculty and staff. Look for healthier, fresher options that may appeal to your school personnel. Encourage healthy potlucks, start a board for healthy recipes, have a healthy recipe Pinterest contest, etc.
Encourage workout groups. There might be someone on your faculty or staff that teaches a Zumba class in their spare time, or who practices yoga class. These people can be motivators for the rest of your employees. Encourage them to invite others to workout with them. Or help build gym-buddy groups and reward them for continued participation.
Develop exemplary management support. Successful wellness programs are led by managers. Lead and motivate by example!
Develop an evaluation process. The mission and vision of your wellness programs should be clear. The evaluation process should be in place to assure these are being met. It also needs to be clear, but also comfortable for everyone involved. You’ll need to create a process that is supportive to the different goals, personalities participating, and, of course, to the mission and culture of your school.
Offer weight-loss incentives. A little motivation can go a long way. By offering something as simple as an extra vacation/personal day for the group who keeps up the effort for eight weeks or more, or a gift certificate for the team who sticks with their goals for three months. Keep these incentives in motion. You can also work with your insurance provider for wellness incentives, and reward people and teams who work to lower your premiums.
Additional ISM resources of interest
ISM Update for Risk Managers Vol. 1 No. 2 Wellness Programs in Private-Independent Schools
ISM Monthly Update for Business Managers Vol. 9 No. 6 Setting Goals for a Healthier School
ISM Monthly Update for Human Resources Vol. 7 No. 10 Ask Michael
ISM Monthly Update for Business Managers Vol. 10 No. 8 Rises in U.S. Health Care
ISM Monthly Update for Trustees Vol. 10 No. 4 Finding Savings in Your Health Insurance Plans
