An increasing number of Barbadian companies are promoting health and wellness among their employees.
The Barbados Ministry of Health has acknowledged that workplace health promotion has gained prominence in the past few years as a means of improving productivity and reducing absenteeism.
The programmes vary widely among public and private sector companies but, most organisations celebrating an important milestone now include a health awareness day or a health fair that at the very least, offers health screening, counseling and information to their staff and patrons.
Others have opted to employ medical personnel who can identify health problems at an early stage and refer workers for follow-up. And then there are those that have gone further, adopting a primary prevention strategy by providing fitness facilities on-site, establishing policies on the type of food provided in their cafeterias and helping their workers to make healthier lifestyle choices.
One such company is the Barbados Port Inc. The Port’sProject HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Lifestyle) was conceptualized by Nurses Carolyn Forde and Ingrid Burnham in June 2005 in response to concerns raised by the Insurance company related to trends in claims received from Barbados Port Inc. staff with regards to High Blood Pressure and Diabetes.
Project Heal focuses on the individual maintaining a healthy diet and being more physically active as part of a daily routine. The objective is to combat the complications of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCD) commonly referred to as lifestyle diseases, through changes in the individual’s lifestyle. The ailments most commonly associated with CNCD are hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases and cancer. Health promotion/ health education are being used as major tools to encourage behavioural changes among the workers and to ensure they take control of their own health and modify lifestyle diseases.
At the Port’s Medical Facility, an assessment of the employee is done. This includes their family history, blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels, weight along with Body Mass Index (BMI) and dietary history. Based on these results, one-on-one counseling is offered to employees, along with recommendations for improved health, an individualized plan, and written educational materials. They are also encouraged to come back for follow-up visits to ensure continued monitoring.
Through Project Heal, some barriers to healthier lifestyle change were identified. Among them were the absence of provisions in the work environment to support the preparation and serving of nutritious meals for staff who may wish to eat such; and the lack of facilities where workers could exercise. These factors are therefore being taken into consideration.
Plans for the project include the hosting of health fairs, group sessions with expert speakers, recommendations to upgrade hard court facilities at the workers compound, establishment of a gym for workers, interdepartmental sporting competitions, weight loss competitions and nature walks and hikes. There has been increased interest in the project by workers, who have adopted these lifestyle changes.
The Central Bank of Barbados is also in the forefront of leading employee health and wellness. The Bank hosted its eleventh annual health fair in May this year. Deputy Governor Dr. Daniel Boamah, said the fact that the event has been sustained for over a decade points to the importance that the Bank attaches to the health and wellness of its staff. The Bank, he said, is acutely aware of the sedentary nature of the work performed by most of the staff. To help in this regard, it has established and continues to maintain a properly stocked and supervised gym for use by the Bank staff and their family. Dr. Boamah said the investment is beginning to show tangible benefits.
The healthy workplace programme started in 1998 when the Bank joined with the then Heart Foundation of Barbados to initiate a worksite promotion and practice programme to positively influence the health of employees and to encourage major changes in lifestyle behaviours. The intention then, as it is now, was to assist in reducing the prevalence of such chronic illnesses as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and to help alter lifestyle habits that cause HIV/AIDS and drug abuse. The launch of the annual health fair followed one year later in 1999 and it has continued every year since then.
This year’s event under the theme “Our Health … Our Wealth”, included several organisations and individuals with interests in and responsibility for the physical, psychological, spiritual and religious life of the Barbadian population. Staff were encouraged to pamper themselves with a spa experience, sample the products on display and get needed tests done such as the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSAs) test , blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol tests. They were offered vital tips on nutrition and got the opportunity to increase their physical activity in a line dance session.
And then there are international companies like ESSO who donate funds to support various health and wellness initiatives not only among their employees but also across Barbados. Esso’s most recent initiative was a joint project with The Barbados Diabetes Foundation and the Diabetes Association of Barbados to raise funding for the Diabetes Limb Salvage Fund. The funding is to be used to develop an effective preventive programme of foot care and therein achieve a marked reduction in the number of diabetes related amputations in Barbados.
The project launched, under ESSO’s Help Us Help campaign, raised some $100 000 for the Fund. ESSO’s country manager, Cally Boyea explained “ ‘Help Us Help’ is a campaign that we at ESSO use regularly to assist the communities in which we operate. We have used it in the past and we have used it very successfully with the Barbados Diabetes Foundation and as I have given a commitment to both the Minister of Health and the Barbadian public that we will continue to look and identify charitable organisations and worthwhile projects to continue using this campaign”.
Started on World Diabetes Day, November 14, the two-month promotional campaign donated to the Fund six cents for every gallon of diesel and gasoline sold at all the ESSO stations across the island. As part of the campaign, ESSO patrons were also treated to free blood sugar and pressure tests at the stations on various days, compliments of the Diabetes Association of Barbados. The campaign culminated with a walk for the general public from Esso Hastings to Oistins.
Internationally, the workplace has become more sedentary and the workforce is
becoming fatter, sicker and less productive due to chronic conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Employee wellness programes have long been advocated as a way to decrease healthcare cost, reduce absenteeism, and increase productivity. If you haven’t yet put a formalised structure in place to support health and wellness perhaps it is time to give some thought to investing in one. It could make a huge difference to your bottom line.
