According to the Sun Life Canadian Health Index, almost 45% of Canadians don’t put their health at the top of their priority list—for some, it’s not on the list at all.
The study categorized respondents into the following categories: overconfident (23%), overextended (22%), health achievers (22%), resilient (18%) and inhibited (16%).
Those in the overconfident category consider their health status to be high and are not currently concerned about their future health. However, their behaviours and motivation are not necessarily strong enough to support their optimistic outlook.
For those categorized as overextended, engaging in healthy behaviours takes a back seat to career demands and family obligations. Lack of knowledge, time and money were cited as major barriers to healthier habits.
For the health achievers, they take full responsibility for their own health and take part in the right behaviours to support it. Too bad it was only 22% of those surveyed.
The 18% in the resilient group value a healthy lifestyle and are motivated to engage in healthy behaviours. However, pre-existing health conditions make it difficult to lead the healthy lifestyle they desire. Even though they seem to want to do the right things, they are challenged to do so because of existing health conditions.
And, surprisingly, those in the inhibited group reported behaviour that indicates that they are only marginally less healthy than average, however their perception of their own health is much poorer. They feel responsibility for their health lies not just with themselves but also with external supports. This group would like support, but they don’t always reach out to ask for help.
“We’re seeing that for many Canadians, both personal and professional priorities are demanding a lot of attention and taking care of their health sometimes gets put on the back burner, or is not recognized at all,” says Kevin Dougherty, president, Sun Life Financial Canada. “However, it’s important that we find solutions to get our health priorities back on track. The risks are worrisome, since unhealthy behaviours are clearly linked to poor health outcomes, and that has an impact on all of us—as individuals and families, as employees or employers and as taxpayers.”
So what does this mean to employers?
The biggest barriers to a healthier lifestyle for many people were time, money and motivation. Implementing workplace health solutions that can provide employees with targeted health messages, more convenient access to fitness opportunities, a supportive environment or employer subsidized programs can help change employee behaviour.
And, knowing what group your employees fall into could help with decision making around what programs to offer.
According to Sun Life, employers with highly effective workplace wellness programs have performed more than 55% better than their industry peers, achieved higher average revenue per employee and seen less absence, disability, total turnover and lower annual medical costs.