‘Health’
July 14th, 2010 in Health No Comments
Zoe Finch Totten’s company, The Full Yield, is on a mission to improve public health. By targeting big employers with The Full Yield’s wellness program, Finch Totten hopes to make employees healthier and cheaper to insure. The program is first being rolled out in a few Boston-area businesses, but plans to expand to the nation’s 50 largest cities within five years.
This wellness program differs from others offered by corporations; up to now, most programs have focused on smoking cessation, stress reduction and exercise. The Full Yield targets the diets of employees, requiring a three-month commitment to eating only whole foods. The program is rounded out by a health-risk assessment, biometrics measures, meetings with a coach, activity plan, and access to a community website. (more…)
February 1st, 2010 in Health No Comments
How Happy You Are at the Office May Be as Important to your Health as What You Eat.
Job satisfaction can have as much influence on health and longevity as diet or exercise. One recent study noted in this article found that men who didn’t vent about unfair treatment at work doubled their chances of heart disease and heart attack. One Finnish study found that a major downsizing among municipal workers resulted in a five-fold increase in death from heart attacks, and even those not downsized were more likely to die sooner than the norm. U.S. research has shown that people losing their jobs in their 50s were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke in the following decade.
One key factor influencing this situation is the degree of control employees have over the demands of their job. “A combination of high demands and low control,” notes the author, brings on health problems and an earlier death. The amount of healthcare access a person gets doesn’t seem to make a difference; this trend is also found in countries where free healthcare is available to everyone.
Key problem areas like smoking, physical inactivity during leisure time and fewer fruits and vegetables help to skew this crisis lower down the socioeconomic ladder, and the article suggests that this gap can be narrowed through public policies involving proactive health insurance and a shortening of the unemployment period. In our current economic climate, however, the author calls on employees to take control of those things in their power – eating right, exercising to relieve stress and raise spirits and taking care to find the best cultural fit in the workplace.
Source: Katherine Hobson, U.S. News & World Report (Washington), Feb. 1, 2010.
November 15th, 2009 in Health No Comments
Modern corporate interiors with their open air design, natural light, clean air and “productive ambiance” contribute to employee health and productivity. This article, however, alerts readers to the fact that sustainable office design often fails to address one important area of health and productivity – acoustics. Not only are there no LEED credits for acoustics [except for LEED for Schools] but current green design paradoxically can negatively impact employee health and performance. The author assures readers that this issue is far from a trivial one. Surveys show that distracting noise and a lack of acoustical privacy are at the top of workplace complaints, more so in green than in non-green buildings. Part of the problem is that the open air designs that let in light and airflow are inherently noisy due to reduced opportunities for sound absorption. (more…)
October 28th, 2009 in Health No Comments
In this short article the director of Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University was asked to pick three of the best keyboards for aching wrists. The results were:
- Goldtouch Go! — Light weight and ideal for mobile users, this keyboard is divided into two angled halves that naturally straighten the hands and wrists. (Cost: $139).
- Kensington Comfort Type Slim Keyboard – Looks like a traditional keyboard but the keys are angled toward the center, allowing for a straighter and more relaxed wrist posture. (Cost: $20).
- Jasper Freeboard – A good choice for those who use their mouse as much as they type, the Freeboard has a built-in mousepad which prevents overextension and straining and has a snap-on attachment for the left-handed. (Cost: $149).
Source: Shivani Vora, Inc. (New York); Oct, 2009
