Did you know that in the UK someone dies from a heart or circulatory condition every three minutes? That's why this Heart Month, we are raising awareness around cardiovascular health and encouraging everyone to take positive steps towards a heart healthy life.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels. It includes conditions like coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack, congenital heart disease, hypertension, stroke and vascular dementia. CVD can be caused by a combination of behavioural and environmental risk factors, such as unhealthy diet, obesity, excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and smoking.
What's important is that it’s never too late to look after heart by making the right lifestyle choices. There are few things that can be done to live a heart healthy life - have a look at Corazon's website to see what steps you can take to reduce the risk of developing CVD.
HOW TO SUPPORT HEART HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE
CVD’s cost to the UK economy (including premature death, disability and informal costs) is estimated to be £25 billion each year.
There is a huge opportunity to make a difference in improving CVD outcomes, given that the majority of CVD cases are preventable. Workplaces can play a huge part in it through wellbeing initiatives, programmes, and policies that encourage healthy behaviors.
There are a number of simple and effective ways you can help your employees on a journey to improved heart health:
- Raise awareness of CVD - provide employees with information and tools that can help them understand the risk factors associated with CVD and what steps they need to take to improve their heart health. Share relevant resources like booklets, articles, videos and podcasts via Intranet, or book 'Healthy heart' webinar or seminar that can help inspire your staff to make positive lifestyle changes.
- Take a preventative approach to employee health - many people don't get regular health checks or see a healthcare professional as often as they should and therefore are not aware of their current state of health. One simple thing you can offer is annual Employee Health Checks for all staff. This can allow workers to monitor their blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels and make any necessary changes to their lifestyle.
- Promote healthy eating - host a cookery workshop, organise 'Nutrition and healthy eating' webinar, provide healthy choices for company meetings and events, offer free fruit, send out a monthly newsletter with healthy recipes, provide nutrient-rich food options in the canteen, or add healthy food alternatives to vending machines and snack bars.
- Help your employees get more active - whether it’s through a cycle to work incentive scheme, a lunchtime walking or running club, a company's step challenge, 'Move more, sit less' webinar, discounted gym memberships, monthly onsite fitness classes, or the introduction of ‘walking meetings’, encourage employees to be more active.
- Encourage employees to drink less alcohol - highlight the harms of alcohol and provide some tips on cutting down through 'Alcohol awareness' webinar or seminar, organise a mocktail bar during company's events, or share some mocktail recipes via monthly newsletter. You should also have a proper alcohol policy in place with a strong focus on wellbeing to create an environment where people feel confident to ask for help.
- Support staff to stop smoking - organise 'Smoking cessation' webinar so employees can learn the best ways to give up smoking and let your employees know how to contact their local NHS Stop Smoking Service for further information, advice and support.
Taking proactive steps to address heart health in your employee wellbeing plan is essential for promoting a healthy and productive workforce. By understanding the importance of heart health, incorporating key components into your wellbeing initiatives, and implementing different strategies in the workplace, you can make a positive impact on the overall wellbeing of your employees. Get in touch with us today to discuss how Corazon can support you and your staff.
