Experts say that wellness and health promotion should be essential ingredients at workplaces!
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Experts say that wellness and health promotion should be essential ingredients at workplaces!
It can be a challenge to stay healthy at work, given how many different careers ultimately have you sitting in front of a computer. And that goes double if you’re working remotely! A good organization cares about the health of its employees, though. That’s why you can make an entire career out of helping people stay healthy on the job, through workplace wellness and health promotion
Metabolic Syndrome is a cause for worry
National Nutrition Week was observed in India for the 41st time in the week gone by. Each year, the first week of September strives to create awareness of the importance of nutrition in different ways.
Just a week before this, however, Hyderabad’s IT sector employees had their own moment of awakening when a study conducted by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, came out with its report.
It was revealed that nearly a third of the 183 techies surveyed, across IT companies of varying sizes, were found to have MetS (Metabolic Syndrome).
A NOT-SO-POLITE AWAKENING
Mets is the presence of three or more of the following parameters:
- Waist Circumference ≥ 90 cm in men, 80 cm in women
- Triglycerides ≥ 150 mg/dL
- High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL-C) < 40 mg/dL in males, Blood Pressure (BP) ≥130/85 mmHg
- Fasting Blood Glucose level ≥100 mg/dL
MetS, over time, triggers chronic, low-level inflammation and predisposes persons to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular ailments, diabetes and hypertension.
These findings were an eye-opener as against the employees’ optimistic bias that they are ‘unlikely to be at risk of developing NCDs’. MetS was more prevalent among those above 30 years, but just the same lifestyle risk factors were present among younger employees.
HIGH STRESS, STRESS-EATING
The IT (also BPOs) sector, though India’s largest private employment sector, is considered a high-stress occupation. Workload and meeting deadlines are the major stress factors. The average sitting time was found to be more than eight hours a day and involvement in intentional physical activities was very low.
Irregular working hours, night shifts, high work targets, frequent travel, employees spending approximately a third of their day at work etc. were all found responsible for employees adopting unhealthy food habits.
INDIA STANDS OUT
One, the prevalence of MetS among almost a third of those studied is higher than in the average Asian working population.
Two, other similar studies have revealed that overweight and obesity among the economically productive young population of India is one of the highest in South East Asia.
Three, NIN scientists inform us that this problem is not restricted to the IT sector, nor to Hyderabad; this is a Pan-India, across-industries phenomenon as other studies reveal.
WORKPLACES AS A MEANS TO PROMOTE HEALTH
Says Dr SubbaRao M Gavaravarapu, scientist and the lead investigator of the study: “Why not use the workplace itself to promote health? What we are aiming for is the comprehensive WWP, where the company will be actively engaged in physical activity promotion that includes exercise, meditation, relaxation and Yoga. The second aspect is creating a food environment in the company.”
The latter is about making available — and displaying prominently or `priming’ — items like fruits, salads, juices, coconut water and buttermilk vending machines and so on. The fast-food category, caffeine-laden beverages etc. will stay, but will be displayed not-so-prominently.
WWPS STATUS
“We intend to make a policy brief and submit it to ICMR or Health Ministry and see how it moves forward from there. We haven’t thought of an advocacy plan yet,” says Dr Subbarao.
Proprietary blog of Karma Global
Collated and Compiled by the internal staff of Karma Global with the knowledge and expertise that they possess, besides adaptation, illustration, derivation, transformation, collection and auto generation for its monthly newsletter Issue 16 of October 2023 and in case of specific or general information or compliance updates for that matter, kindly reach out to the Marketing Team – Kush@karmamgmt.com / yashika@karmamgmt.com