Health

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Health ProductivityChallenges for the 21st
Century Workplace

• Todd Harper
• CEO VicHealth
• 16 May 2008

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Overview

• Need for a greater focus on, and investment in,
  prevention
• Why should workplaces be focussing on health
  links between health and the economy
• Workplaces important influence on, and setting
  for, improving health
• A closer look at stress and obesity
  implications for workplaces
• A quick overview of WorkHealth new Victorian
  workplace health initiative

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Health challenges

• 70 per cent of disease burden and costs due to
  chronic disease
• Increasing demand for effective but expensive
  medical technology
• Ageing populations place increasing pressure on
  health expenditure
• Increasing consumer expectation for better health
  services
• All place significant pressure on health
  expenditure
• Result - it has been estimated that health
  expenditure as a proportion of GDP in Australia
  could rise from 9.3 in 2001 to 17 per cent by
  2041

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Economic benefits improved productivity

• Australias population is ageing over 65 year
  age group double in the next four decades
• Older people have lower labour force
  participation rates relative to younger people,
• Victorias labour force participation rate
  expected to decline from around 64 per cent in
  2003-04 to 54.4 per cent in 2041-42.
• Workplaces will need to recognise the importance
  of creating a healthy, enjoyable workforce for
  their employees

Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance.
Addressing impacts of population ageing on labour
force participation. Preliminary Report. May
2005, www.dtf.vic.gov.au
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Why workplaces should be focussed on health
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Costs of smoking to business absenteeism and
reduction in workforce through premature
death 700m in 1998-99.
Source Report prepared for the Victorian
Department of Human Services Counting the costs
of tobacco and the benefits of reducing smoking
prevalence in Victoria 2006
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Workplace Stress in Victoria Trends in mental
health Prevalent, Costly Linked

• By 2030 it is estimated that depression will be
  second highest cause of illness worldwide.
• Mental illness conditions, when averted, have the
  largest positive impact on labor force
  participation (Productivity Commission)
• Mental disorders, rate third amongst the six
  diseases that account for the most health
  expenditure in Australia.
• The determinants of poor mental health often
  underpin health damaging behaviors such as
  tobacco, alcohol substance misuse.
• Poor general health is 3 times more common among
  people who report significant emotional distress.

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Links between health economic participation

• 14 of men 23 of women had been told by their
  doctor that they had depression or anxiety.
• Those more likely to experience psychological
  distress were found to
• be unemployed or not in the labour force
• be in non-professional occupations
• have lower education income levels
• report poor health status
• have no private health insurance coverage
• live in rental accommodation
• VICTORIAN POPULATION HEALTH SURVEY 2004

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Addressing Economic Participation

• Research on workplace stress informing
  development of interventions to reform workplace
  systems practices which cause ill health.

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Findings

• Stress was primarily seen as an individual issue
  rather than a reflection of underlying
  organisational factors
• Most interviewees defined stress in terms of how
  it affected individuals, citing situations such
  as sleeplessness, irritability inability to
  concentrate and feelings of anxiety and
  exhaustion as signs of stress
• Women were more likely to be exposed to job
  strain than men, and job strain was higher in
  younger employees in lower status jobs

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Job insecurity
Job Insecurity is Turbulent on Wellbeing
Cummins, B. R. Mead (2008), The Australian
Unity Wellbeing Index What makes us happy?
Australian Unity Deakin University. Pp. 30
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Reducing Sedentary Behaviour Another Strategy
for Diabetes Obesity Prevention in Adults?
A/Prof David W Dunstan
Manager Physical Activity Research VicHealth
Public Health Research Fellow International
Diabetes Institute Baker Heart Research
Institute ddunstan_at_idi.org.au
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Active 150mins moderate-intensity activity /
week Inactive 0 mins moderate-intensity
activity / week
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An Active Day?
YES
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Key Concept
No moderate intensity activity
Sitting too much
?
Inactive
Sedentary
Distinct behavioral entities, each with their own
adverse metabolic effects
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Potential Public Health Implications

• Population Based Strategies
• Is reduction in sedentary behaviour a feasible
  (and effective) target for individual behaviour
  change, and for population health interventions?
• reducing total sedentary time?
• breaking up sedentary time?
• Policy Change
• Do we need a public health guideline explicitly
  on sedentary time, in addition to physical
  activity guidelines?

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What are the characteristics of a healthy
workplace?

• Recent reviews suggest
• Work-life balance
• Employee growth and development
• Employee recognition and involvement
• Commitment to health and safety ..

• Drawn from National Centre for Clinical
  Excellence, NICE
• Review of Healthy Workplaces Review 2006

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Ten Top Tips??

• Support quitting smoking through the Quitline
  (phone 13 QUIT, or 13 7848). Most smokers want to
  quit, but workplace support can help especially
  if their workmates join with them.
• Lunchtime or morning exercise groups, or
  encourage staff to take walking meetings rather
  than sitting down for meetings.
• Provide pool bicycles and free public transport
  tickets, to encourage a habit of cycling and
  walking instead of driving to short-distance
  destinations.
• For employees who sit for long periods, encourage
  them to stand, stretch or take a brief walk at
  regular intervals.
• Provide secure bicycle parking, locker and shower
  facilities to make it easier for employees to
  walk or cycle to work.

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Ten Tips continued

• 6. Canteens and vending machines - provide
  healthier options (fresh fruit) and limit the
  high fat / sugar / salt options.
• 7. Encourage out-of-hours social activities, and
  use of local recreation and leisure facilities.
• 8. Minimise alcohol consumption at work-related
  functions, and provide appealing non-alcoholic
  alternatives.
• 9. Building design to promote physical activity
  in the daily routine making stairwells
  available to walk between floors. Consider the
  placement of things like water coolers, photocopy
  rooms, meeting rooms to encourage walking.
• 10. Find the optimal balance between permanent
  and casual recruitment. Consider the potential
  for deploying people with general skills across
  departments depending on demand peaks.

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Conclusion

• What do you think constitutes a healthy,
  productive, happy workplace?
• Can we have it all?
• Can we develop the business case for workplaces?
• We do need well-evaluated trials