What’s the value to the employer?

• Cost / Benefit – The Australian workforce is facing major health risks. Every 10 minutes an Australian dies from heart disease. We are facing an obesity epidemic with 60% of adults overweight or obese. Diabetes is our fastest growing disease and stress is a major cause of extended absenteeism.
• As shown by a recent corporate health study¹ this directly affects productivity, employees retention and the business bottom line. According to this report, proactive organisations, which implement health screening and health promotion strategies, can reduce employee health risks by up to 56 per cent at a rate of 10per cent per year. For an employee on $50,000 per year, reducing their health risk factors by 2.9 is potentially worth up $3,480 per year per employee in productivity gains. In an organisation of 1000 employees, with the average salary of $50,000 per year, these gains could be as high as $3.48 million per year.
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and being an Employer of Choice
  The increasing focus on employee health and wellbeing can be credited to a growing interest in being declared an employer of choice and, of course, productivity levels. A recent Australian research report put CSR and duty of care among the top five emerging imperatives for workplaces². It reported that healthier, environmentally friendly buildings that manage risk and maximise employees’ health and wellbeing are essential to communicate corporate social responsibility, to foster business vitality and viability.

Cost?

There are two ways to access the Decades of Life program.

1. In-house Program. Access to online Decades of Life Program including training of in-house nurses/health promotion officers. This program includes:
   • Access to the web-based Decades of Life health assessment tool.
   • Ideas on how to promote the health assessment and organise appointments within your organisation.
   • Training sessions for your in-house nurse/s / health promotion officers.
   • An Information Kit containing detailed information on ways to stay fit and healthy, losing weight, managing stress, looking after your heart and much more.
   • A report that outlines any risk areas and a letter to take to an employee’s GP, which outlines the risks identified, and suggests follow-up steps.
   • Access to on-going health information through the Foundation 49 website and the Foundation 49 newsletter on a quarterly basis via email.
2. Full Program. This includes access to the online Decades of Life Program with a Foundation 49 nurse. This includes:
   • One appointment with a fully qualified nurse to take the employee’s height, weight, waist/hip measurement, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels through a simple and painless finger prick test, and we provide individual health reports.
   • An Information Kit containing detailed information on ways to stay fit and healthy, losing weight, managing stress, looking after your heart and much more.
   • A report that outlines any risk areas and a letter to take to an employee’s GP, which outlines the risks identified, and suggests follow-up steps.
   • Access to on-going health information through the Foundation 49 website and the Foundation 49 newsletter on a quarterly basis via email.

Where’s the value for the employee? “Why should I do the assessment?”

The health check is a great way to find out where your health is at – right now. It takes about half an hour during your working day. If you haven’t been to the doctor for a check up in the last year, it can be good to have a set of checks so when you have tests in the future, you can see the progress you are making with healthy lifestyle choices, and to identify the risks most relevant to a man your age.

What do I take away with me?

Each employee who completes the Decades of Life health assessment receives the following:

• A report recording the results of all assessments done on the day
• Information detailing any risks, which may have been identified
• A letter to take to your GP to follow up any potential issues
• A kit of information on your own health risks discussed in the assessment, as well as some general health information about how to make the most of the health you have.

What types of tests are done?

• Blood pressure
• Height and weight (including your Body Mass Index)
• Finger prick test for blood sugar level and total cholesterol
• Screening questions for a number of different conditions, depending on your age

How is my privacy protected?

• All data collected from the program is protected without names so no information connects any individual to any set of results.
• The data is password protected and encrypted.
• At the completion of the assessments, the employer receives a report on the health of the workforce using global statistics only. No individual man or subgroup of men would be identified.

What results are available?

The results provided to the employer at the end of the program include:

• % of employees with a BMI over 25 (Overweight or obese)
• % of employees with blood pressure over 120/80
• % of employees with elevated blood glucose
• % of employees with an elevated risk of depression

What happens with the results?

• It is important to note that the results of the program cannot provide information about individuals.
• The employer will be given a report on the overall health of the workforce, and particular issues which are of most concern to the employees. This will allow the organisation to structure health promotion programs that will have the greatest impact. (ie. such as seminars on healthy eating, an exercise program or greater access to GPs)
• Foundation 49 collates the results from all the health checks so conduct we can do further research on men’s health. The results of this research will inform further development of the program. This information will be available on our website www.49.com.au
• The results will also be used to inform government about the benefits of prevention and early detection of disease when changes are most effective.

What organisations does Foundation 49 refer people to?

Foundation 49 only refers individuals to organisations that are the most reputable in their field.

• Beyondblue – Australian government depression initiative
• The Cancer Council – a resource for all cancer information and support
• Go For Your Life – Australian government physical activity initiative
• Andrology Australia – Sexual and reproductive health
• Diabetes Australia
• Men’s line – telephone counselling service
• QUIT – smoking cessation
• The Heart Foundation – heart health
• www.Mydr.com.au – to find a GP in the local area
• Australian Drug Foundation
• The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia
• The Continence Foundation of Australia

1 Wesley Corporate Health Study, The Future@Work Health Report: Employees and their Workplace, November 2006.

2 Carter, S. (2006) Lifeblood. Sustaining the Vitality of Australian businesses: The Critical Role of Buildings and Workplaces, Colliers International Research, Sydney.