Nearly 80% of U.S. employers now offer workplace health promotion programs aimed at improving the health and productivity of their workers. The most comprehensive of these programs—mainly at larger companies—have employees doing yoga poses at lunchtime; 7-minute workouts during breaks, or spinning at the on-site gym. Cafeterias may offer salad bars and heart-healthy entrees while vending machines are stocked with wholesome snacks and water instead of chips and soda. Some companies provide free weight loss counseling or connect employees at risk of heart disease or diabetes with a health coach. The entire workplace may be smoke-free.
But what happens when employees leave the four walls of these healthy workplaces and go home? If they live in neighborhoods with scarce green space, poor access to active transportation, few nutritious food options, or in communities plagued by crime or pollution, it can be very difficult for employees and their families to continue making healthy lifestyle choices. For businesses, the desired impact of their workplace health promotion programs will necessarily be limited.
[For more of this story, written by Marjorie Paloma, go to http://www.rwjf.org/en/culture..._a_healthierwor.html]
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