Prevent Disease, Save Money

You may not realize it, but lifestyle choices made by your employees can really impact your company’s bottom line.

Life threatening conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cancer can lead to lost productivity, and rising medical costs.

The good news is that these diseases may be prevented with a healthy (and smoke free!) diet and exercise program.

To know more about these conditions and how they may hinder your bottom line, check out the cost calculators below:

Smoking. Unfortunately, about one in two American men and one out of three American women will have some type of cancer at some point during their lifetime.

Help employees decrease that risk by making your work environment smoke free, providing work support, and e-mail reminders of the dangers of smoking and how to get help.

Check out this calculator from the American Cancer Society to find how cancer can affect your bottom line.

Obesity. An obese employee may cost about $2,500 more in medical expenses compared to an employee with a healthy BMI.

Help employees decrease their risk by starting a walking plan, or some type of work-related exercise program.

Check out how your business can benefit from a healthy BMI with this calculator from the Centers for Disease Control.

Diabetes. Nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes, and an estimated 6 million or so are undiagnosed.

If left untreated, Type 2 diabetes can lead to blindness, heart disease, stroke, disability, and even death.

More than $336 billion may be spent annually by 2034 on diabetes-related care, according to a report in the December 2009 Diabetes Care.

Help your employees calculate their risk for diabetes by sending out the following diabetes risk assessment calculator in an e-mail.

Also, tack up posters, set out tabletop reminders, and pass out brochures about the dangers of Type 2 diabetes, and how to prevent the disease.