World Heart Day, which is celebrated every year on September 27, tries spreading the message across that at least 80% of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke could be avoided if the main risk factors, tobacco, unhealthy diet and lifestyle are controlled. The day was created to inform people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.2 million lives each year.
This year’s theme for World Heart Day is “Work with Heart”. Workplace wellness is very vital because we spend most of our time at our offices. Wellness can be defined as the condition of good physical and mental health, especially when maintained by proper diet, exercise and smoke-free living. When healthy habits are not maintained, cardiovascular and other chronic diseases can be the result.
Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, increasingly affecting people in low- and middle-income countries as well as in high-income countries. Chronic diseases impact people in their "working" years, reducing productivity and increasing costs. Multinational companies are called upon to use the workplace to promote long-term behavioural changes that will benefit employers, employees and communities.
Employment has a significant impact on our physical, mental and social health. It is furthermore a prime location for the development of unhealthy lifestyles characterised by stress, depression, chronic back problems, unhealthy eating habits due to lack of time and decreased opportunity for physical activity due to nature of work, among others. By contrast, a healthy work environment is one that is conducive to good lifestyle habits and in which respect, support, security, safety, opportunities for learning and developing skills are prominent.
Wellness programmes in workplace settings that integrate healthy environments, health promotion and education and health screenings have been shown to:
- improve employee health
- reduce employee stress
- reduce workforce turnover
- improve employee decision-making ability
- reduce organisational conflict
- reduce absenteeism (being absent for reasons beyond control like sickness and injury)
- create a healthier organisational culture
- improve employee morale and loyalty
Many organisations today, most notably the World Heart Federation, the World Economic Forum and the World Health Organization, acknowledge that wellness promotion at work is an effective way of fighting the growing burden of chronic diseases. As some corporate entities try to promote healthier working environments, not-for-profit organizations are developing more global approaches to workplace wellness that specifically target risk reduction for cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.