The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”

The report calls for Corporate Health Promotion Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

The report states that Non-Communicable Disease related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of Non-Communicable Disease’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.

Diet, caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of Non-Communicable Disease’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are Effective Tools

The report states that Corporate Health Promotion Programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that Corporate Health Promotion Programs will enhance the health of employees, enhance the corporate image, enhance employee morale, reduce employee absences and sick leave, increase employee productivity, and reduce corporate healthcare costs.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Monitoring

Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Corporate Health Promotion Program, monitoring and evaluation through Health risk assessments and health outcomes are essential and should be included in the Corporate Health Promotion Program implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Corporate Health Promotion Program developed meets the proper needs of the employees. Workers should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Corporate Health Promotion Program is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.