With the wellness movement reaching ever more workers, more advanced digital health and wearable technologies are going to be a necessity if the field is going to evolve and start making inroads, some argue.
It's no surprise that a lot of Americans want to lose weight, exercise more and reduce stress. And at least some workers want their bosses to help them.
Those findings, part of a national survey of employees conducted late last year by corporate wellness company Keas, are in line with the trend of collaboration between health plans and employers. But for every company that launches a healthy workplace initiative, several more simply give up when the lunchtime employee walks dwindle to a few participants.
Keas CEO Josh Stevens thinks the answer lies in apps and wearable devices.
"Wearables are huge for us right now," says Stevens, whose six-year-old San Francisco-based developer of health and engagement platforms is featured in workplaces around the country. "You need programs that are designed to meet people where they are, and are used by people each and every day of the year."
Insurers like Aetna, Cigna and Wellpoint, and networks like Kaiser Permanente, are already invested in mHealth as a tool for patient engagement. And UnitedHealth's interest in the digital health company Audax Health aren't really surprising, given the company's huge presence at the 2014 International CES earlier this month in Las Vegas, where it showcased a number of apps.
Keas' 2014 Health Trends Survey polled hundreds of employees across the nation, and discovered that 82 percent are resolving to lose weight, exercise more and reduce stress in the coming year. Many of them would tie those resolutions to the workplace -- 53 percent believe that sitting at their desk all day has the most negative impact on their health, while 42 percent would be open to adopting a standing work desk and 58 percent would take walks during work hours or eat lunch away from their desks.
Stevens says those resolutions are fine, but far too often they fall by the wayside. That's why employers are getting in on the action, creating a workplace that not only encourages healthier lifestyles, but measures activities and creates incentives to keep up the good work. And at a time when more and more employers are switching to high-deductible plans, its also makes sense that they help their employees with health management tools to "soften the blow" of the deductibles.
That's where mHealth comes in.
"We see apps as, really, the front line. It's clearly heading mainstream -- the quantified self is now going mainstream. And health and the trackability of health are getting better." Apps are getting better because they're learning to present news you can use" to the consumer, Stevens said. "They're learning to take the data and make it understandable to the non-data person."
To that end, an impressive 83 percent of employees surveyed said they're using apps or gadgets to track activity related to food and exercise, with the goal to improve overall health (37 percent), lose weight (29 percent) and satisfy curiosity about their health data (22 percent). The most popular gadgets are devices that measure weight, fat and blood pressure (47 percent), fitness devices worn as a bracelet (24 percent) and – surprisingly - gaming consoles or accessories that provide distraction during a workout (16 percent).
The value of health and wellness programs to HR departments is also on the rise. According to a Keas survey of HR executives earlier in 2013, 61 percent indicated their top health-related priorities in 2014 were to create a culture of health at work and to help employees become more health-conscious through sponsored programs.
"HR departments are realizing that health and wellness need to be incorporated into benefits, and this goes well beyond just journaling," Stevens said. "People are terrible at recording their health history. They won't do it. They need help."
As far as motivation goes, according to the Keas survey, 55 percent would be motivated to participate in workplace wellness programs if the reward included cash (38 percent) or prizes (17 percent). Other popular options included onsite gyms and fitness classes (38 percent) and the ability to work flexible hours and/or from home (21 percent).
Stevens said employers are now starting to explore using mHealth to manage the percentage of their workforce that lives with a chronic condition – a huge cost driver in healthcare. And telehealth providers are looking to Keas to "close that loop" and give employers and employees mobile links to their resources.
Oh, and just to be clear, when the Keas survey asked respondents to list their top priority for 2014, better health was the clear winner, outpacing more money, more time and, ahem, more sex. That must mean it's important to employees.