Several health patterns among middle-aged people show disturbing trends, one reason why employers including the federal government continue to emphasize wellness programs in their health insurance programs.
A study by the MetLife Mature Market Institute found that poor health, including related problems such as absenteeism, and the resulting decline in productivity is a major and growing concern for employers. Areas of major emphasis in wellness programs include regular exercise, healthy levels and types of fat intake, five daily servings of fruits and vegetables, moderate drinking and non-smoking.
One major area of concern is obesity, defined as being 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight. That’s because 27 percent of adults aged 50-64 are sedentary, defined as not doing any physical activity outside of work for 30 days, about 10 percent of all adults have diabetes and nearly a third have high blood pressure, a primary risk for cardiovascular disease.
Meanwhile, the percentage of adults ages 45–64 with two or more of nine major chronic conditions has increased over the last decade for both men and women, all racial and ethnic groups examined, and most income groups. Persons with conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer are more likely to be hospitalized, fill more prescriptions, have higher annual prescription drug costs, and have more physician visits, it said.
Another result is an increase in disabilities rendering people unable to work, it said.
