National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Evaluation Underway on Environmental and Ecological Impacts of Programs to Manage Obesity
Emory University, in partnership with Thomson Reuters, is leading a large-scale five-year study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in partnership with the University of Georgia (UGA), the National Business Group on Health (NBGH), and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow). The study is evaluating the environmental and ecological impacts of programs aimed at preventing and managing obesity in the workplace. The interventions are being assessed in terms of their effects on employees’ health behaviors, biometrics, health risk factors, healthcare utilization, medical expenditures, absenteeism, on-the-job presenteeism, employee attitudes toward work, leadership support, changes in the physical work environment, and improvement in overall well-being. The study is also testing whether savings outweigh program expenses, thus producing a positive ROI. Initial findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals.