Is Corporate India really hHealthy?

A CHIHEALTH SURVEY

Health is not everything but without health everything becomes nothing. In the last two
decades, our lifestyle has undergone a sea change; we have increased unhealthy eating,
decreased physical activity, increased smoking prevalence and stress. This imbalance in
the way we live has resulted in the incidence of non-communicable diseases shooting up.
Such a trend would have deleterious impact on individuals, families and the society.

It is estimated that non-communicable diseases in India will account for 73% of deaths
and 60% of the global disease burden by 2020. These deaths would be mostly due to
heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and lung diseases.

India is a care treatment focused economy while most countries in the West have realized
the need for prevention mechanisms and are orienting their public policy to start with
prevention.

Health Insurance is a bleeding portfolio of any insurance company in India, primarily in

the corporate space. This by itself should serve as a barometer for the present and future
state of corporate wellness in India.

We have also seen incidences of co-morbidity, where the existence of one disease
condition is related to the increased likelihood of acquiring another which has a domino
effect on the health of corporate India.

As part of the bigger programme to understand lifestyle related risks for people working
in today’s progressive organisations, ChihHealth conducted a survey where 10424
employees of leading companies participated. They were presented with an online Health
Risk Assessment questionnaire (Enclosed).

This study was conducted over a period of 8 months between January to August 2010.

Majority of the professionals were between age 20 and 40. Only 308 persons were over
40 years of age and none were under 20 years. The number of men who completed the
questionnaire was 6789 and women 3635.

The survey findings are below.

Table 1 – Body Mass Index (BMI)

Men Women
Normal weight Overweight Normal weight Overweight
2126 4663 1740 1895
31.3% 68.7% 47.9% 52.1%

More than 50% of the professionals being overweight is not a healthy trend. Excess
weight brings with it risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer,
osteoporosis, gall bladder stones, arthritis and many others. The reason for this could be
lack of exercise and poor food habits.

Table 2 – Body Fat

Men Women
Normal High Normal High
6245 544 2418 1217
92% 8% 67% 33%

Although most men carried normal body fat, about 1/3rd of the women carried excess
body fat. Even though excess fat around the hip does not cause as much concern as
excess fat around the abdomen, it certainly needs to be improved for a better health
status. One reason for only 8% of men having high body fat could be
that many of the employees did not fill in their waist measurements
and therefore, the body fat could not be calculated. Our estimation is
that at least 30% of the male employees would have higher than
normal body fat.

Table 3 – Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR)

Men Women
Normal High Normal High
4986 1803 1824 1811
73.4% 26.6% 50.1% 49.9%

Large waistlines are certainly a cause for worry. India is the world leader in the number
of diabetics and large waistlines are seen as a major risk factor for adult diabetes. Almost
50% of the women had bigger girth and more than a quarter of the men had the same.

Table 4 – Eating Out on Most Days

 Yes No
3570 6854
34% 66%

34% of the professionals ate out on most days. This could be one of the contributors to
excess weight, body fat and girth. The food available outside the homes is most often
imbalanced nutritionally. Many of the professionals who eat out often have little choice
in this regard because they are either single or are not permitted to cook in their abode.
On the other hand, it doesn’t mean that professional who eat at home always eat healthy.

Table 5 – Family History of Diseases

Yes No
3196 7228
31% 69%

A third of the professionals have family history of either heart disease, diabetes,
hypertension or other health problems. Heredity is a non-changeable risk factor. Those
with family history need to be doubly careful and conscious about their lifestyle habits.
Health checks are required more often in such persons.

Table 6 – Sleep Pattern

Less than 6 hours More than 6 hours

2876 7548
27.5% 72.5%

More than a quarter of the professionals do not get adequate sleep every night. Sleep is
as vital as exercise and diet, to rejuvenate the body and mind. Without adequate sleep, a
person’s health can gradually deteriorate due to increased stress or decreased immunity.

Table 7 – PCOD and Weight

PCOD with excess

weight
104
5.4%

It seems like a small number that only around 5% of the women with excess weight have
PCOD. However, this is a growing trend and must be arrested by propagating a healthy
lifestyle.

Table 8 – Smoking and Sedentary Alcohol

SmokersYes Non-
 smokersNo
13684849 90565575
1347% 8753%

Almost half the number of employees smoked or drank alcohol or used

both substances.Although 87% are non-smokers, the remaining 13% also need to
join that group. Smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer and also contributes to
heart disease, hypertension, hyperacidity and so on. Excess alcohol intake can
damage the liver, dull the brain and increase the risk of cancer.

It’s very encouraging to note that 87% of the professionals exercise. It’s time the
remaining 13% moves in that direction. Exercise benefits are immense on both body and
mind.

Table 9 – Personal Medical History

Diabetes Hypertension High Lipids

89 144 154
1% 1.3% 1.4%

Young professionals already having health problems like diabetes, hypertension and high
lipids suggests that there might be many more jumping into this boat because of their
faulty lifestyle. This group not only needs proper counseling and guidance with the
disease management, but also a support group to share thoughts, news and views.

Table 10 – Health Risks

Diabetes CVD
5856 6962
56% 67%

Going by the lifestyle that most professionals lead, the risk of development of the 2 major
killer diseases – diabetes and cardiovascular disease – is huge.

What is corporate India doing about this?

ChihHealth randomly spoke to HR representatives in 50 organisations across Bangalore

and Chennai to understand measures taken for employee wellness.

The observations were:

 a. Almost all organisations surveyed had no formal wellness programmes in place.
b. All organisations had ad hoc talks, seminars and demonstrations to address
employee wellness.
c. Most organisations felt that their responsibility towards employee wellness ended
with providing health insurance to employees.

Developed economies spend aggressively on wellness programmes both at the corporate

and individual level.
They believe that well- promoted wellness programmes end up not only unburdening the
health care system but also add to the country’s bottom line.

ChihHealth, a leading provider of online corporate wellness programmes has reported

encouraging results among participants in their programme.

32% of the employees who participated in the online health coaching have lost
between 3-15 kgs during an eight month period.

8% of participants with Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension have reported that

they have managed to control this through the health coaching.