Stress, anxiety, depression and poor social support may be hampering employees’ efforts to achieve wellness goals, according to a new wellness report by ComPsych Corporation.
“There is strong correlation between high stress/emotional issues and poor lifestyle choices,” said Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz, Chairman and CEO of ComPsych. “For example, smoking and overeating may be a means to self-medicate undiagnosed depression.
“To be effective, corporate wellness programs must focus on emotional as well as physical factors of the employee, and include a counseling component to address underlying issues,” he added.
Key Findings of the Report:
- 40 percent say an emotional or physical health problem has interfered with normal activities with family, friends, neighbors or groups.
- 36 percent say they are tense or anxious much of the time.
- 43 percent did not receive good support from friends and family in the past six months.
- 21 percent said they have felt down, depressed or hopeless in the past month.
- 15 percent of employees get zero exercise; another 31 percent only exercise one or two days per week.
- 34 percent of employees consume one or less fruits and vegetables each day.
- 23 percent admit to binge drinking within the past six months.
- Only 16 percent get enough sleep.
In addition, employees’ current habits trend toward unhealthy:
For a copy of the complete report, visit www.compsych.com
