For Your Business

A Healthy Bottom Line Begins with Vtrim

For companies and employees, health care costs continue to rise and show no sign of slowing down. Helping your employees manage their weight makes good business sense. Employee absenteeism and decreased productivity due to poor health negatively impacts day to day business.

A toxic food environment and a sedentary culture create roadblocks to healthier living and weight management for many employees. The trickle down effect on businesses and their bottom line is significant.

It is estimated that obesity in American workers costs $42 billion dollars annually in health-related lost productivity time.¹ This figure does not include money spent on obesity-related diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Additionally, a recent study quantified the potential impact of unmanaged weight at the individual and company level. The costs are staggering and begin to illustrate the necessity of taking a proactive approach within your business. The following are estimated overweight and obesity-attributable costs for companies:²

• $175 per year for overweight employees (BMI 25-29.9); $2485 for obese employees (BMI 30-39.9)
• A firm with 1000 employees has a $285,000 cost associated with obesity per year.
• Approximately 30% of the total cost results from increased absenteeism

Given these enormous costs, and the effect on productivity, an evidence-based weight loss program is no longer a “nice perk” but rather a business necessity that all companies must provide. Vtrim is the program of choice for employers who want a scientific, evidence-based solution to obesity and its impact on their workforce and ultimately the bottom line.

More and more companies are recognizing the mutual benefit of maintaining a healthy workforce. Employees come to work more often, they are more productive and they present less of a burden on health care costs. High quality wellness programming, including an evidence-based program like Vtrim, also provides an employee retention and recruitment tool. Get on board with Vtrim today and manage the impact of obesity in your workplace.

Worksite Wellness programs work!

• A recent review of 42 published studies on worksite wellness found:³
  • 28% reduction in sick leave absenteeism
  • 26% reduction in use of the health care benefit
  • 30% reduced worker’s comp claims and disability management
• Employers investing in worksite health promotion can see a return of $3-$6 for every dollar invested over a 2-5 year period.⁴

For more information please contact Beth Casey Gold, MS, RD, Director of Corporate Programming, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 802-318-3166

1. Ricci, Amer J Occup Environ Med, 2005
2. Finkelstein, Amer J of Health Promotion, 2005
3. Chapman, Amer J of Health Promotion, 2003
4. Koffman, Amer J of Prev Med, 2005