Stress, bad decisions shoot up in 2021
Workers report an increase in poor diet, drinking, smoking during the pandemic.
A report from MediKeeper identified some notable trends in health decision-making that employers should prepare to address in their wellness programs. The report is based on responses from nearly 67,120 employees in 2020 and almost 10,550 employee responses in 2021.
The share of workers who are seeking professional help for stress and anxiety — not just feeling more stress, but actually seeking help — more than doubled between the two waves of the survey, the report found. Some people may be self-medicating, as workers reported some troubling binge drinking: 70% of men have 14 or more drinks a week, and 28% of women say they imbibe at least seven times a week.
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Smoking is up 22% including a 51% increase in e-cigarette usage.
Food is a notable source of stress for employees, as more than 22% said they were “out of control,” and the share of people who are eating fast food more than three times per week increased more than 16%. Workers are eating more meat and fewer fruits and vegetables.
No surprise that people are having trouble sleeping: MediKeeper found a 29% increase in sleep problems.
“I am saddened but not surprised that these data show an epidemic of unhealthy choices by employees during the pandemic, who may have lost access to the gym and the company-sponsored perks like yoga classes and subsidized healthy meals in the cafeteria,” Tyler Amell, chief health officer at MediKeeper, said in a statement.
Amell noted that workers’ concerns give benefit managers a chance to engage with them on wellness and lifestyle changes.
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“While more workers are concerned about their health, they may need guidance and structure to get them on the right path of making better, sustainable choices when it comes to their health, with a goal of long term behavior change,” Amell said. “HR leaders have a golden opportunity to help bring about the changes employees need by providing wellness services and programs for a healthier lifestyle in mind, body and spirit.”
MediKeeper offered three ways that employers can be proactive about helping workers make better health decisions.
- Create wellness challenges that inspire healthy competition among workers to improve their health.
- Implement health risk assessments to identify the challenges in their specific populations so they can target wellness programs to what workers need.
- Offer digital coaching services to help individuals address the challenges they’re facing.
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