Health risks take a toll on corporate B’lore

Health risks take a toll on corporate B’lore
Wednesday December 5 2007 09:29 IST

Express News Service

BANGALORE: Nearly 35 per cent of the city’s IT/ITES sector fall in the medium health risk category carrying the risk of at least one health problem like hypertension, diabetes or cardiac disorders.

The health risk assessment study ‘Health Trac’ carried out by PeopleHealth, a provider of Health Management Systems, included about 4,000 employees from IT/ITES segment, aged between 25-50 years.

The study suggests that 37 per cent of the respondents suffered from moderate levels of hypertension; about 31 per cent have abnormal cholesterol; and close to 35 per cent are prone to cardiac disorders and diabetes.

The average productivity loss due to employee health problems has been estimated at around 2 hours and 38 minutes per person per week, causing substantial economic loss to their employers, the study said.

Further, PeopleHealth study showed that 25 per cent of the population was prone to, or suffered from, one to three health risks, and 10 per cent was prone to more than three health risks.

The health risks include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, inactivity, high BMI, high stress, smoking, poor perception of health, poor life satisfaction, alcohol abuse and other major medical problems.

Adding to these issues are factors like stress, anxiety, depression, less sleep, distance of travels, mode of travel and job shift patterns, only eight per cent of the respondents said that they were satisfied with their lives.

Among the 4,000 people studied, up to 66 per cent were below the age of 30 years, 31 per cent between 30 to 40 and the rest over 40 years.

Says PeopleHealth CEO, Krishnamurthy: “Most corporates, when they talk of corporate health, refer only to the ‘Financial health’ of a company.

“If the health of the employees is bordering on high-risk, it will directly impact financial health.

“The study indicates the alarming rate at which the health of corporate Bangalore is deteriorating.”