Walker Tracker Blog

Corporate HR Administrators often ask us about the Return on Investment (ROI) on walking programs. Here are a few great links that we send them. Calculating ROI can be challenging, since you’re measuring program participation and costs, absenteeism, improved productivity, fewer insurance claims, stress reduction and a variety of other factors, including many non-quantitative benefits to a walking program (less gas consumed!). We are happy to work with you to determine the ROI on your program over time.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has some great data:

Reducing the Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/library/toolkit/pdfs/sixstepguide.pdf

“worksite health programs focused on lifestyle behavior change have been shown to yield a $3 to $6 return on investment (ROI) for each dollar invested.”

CDC’s Leanworks ROI page: http://www.cdc.gov/leanworks/why/roi.html

“It is estimated that employers spend $13 billion annually on the total cost of obesity. Approximately 9.1% of all health care costs in the United States are related to obesity and overweight. Workplace obesity prevention and control programs can be an effective way for employers to reduce obesity. They can produce a direct financial return on investment (ROI) by lowering health care costs, lowering absenteeism, and increasing employee productivity.”

They also have an obesity cost calculator which is an excellent tool for determining how much obesity might be costing your company.

WalkBC is a fantastic website put together by Heart & Stroke Foundation of BC & Yukon and the BC Recreation & Parks Association.
Business Case for Workplace Walking Programs
http://walkbc.ca/business-case-workplace-walking-programs

“Return on investment – Canada Life in Toronto showed a return of $6.85 for every $1 invested in its Workplace Wellness program; while the Canadian government realized $1.95-$3.75 per employee per $1 spent.”

Benefits of Physical Activity in the Workplace

http://walkbc.ca/benefits-physical-activity-workplace

There’s an intriguing new study out of Australia (University of Queensland) this week. They studied six types of interventions to encourage physical activity in adults, the two most cost-effective were:

• pedometers
• mass media campaigns

The press release is here.

I liked the editors’ summary (pdf), which contained this opener:

The human body needs regular physical activity throughout life to stay healthy. Physical activity—any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that uses energy—helps to maintain a healthy body weight and to prevent or delay heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, and breast cancer. In addition, physically active people feel better and live longer than physically inactive people. For an adult, 30 minutes of moderate physical activity—walking briskly, gardening, swimming, or cycling—at least five times a week is sufficient to promote and maintain health. But at least 60% of the world’s population does not do even this modest amount of physical activity. The daily lives of people in both developed and developing countries are becoming increasingly sedentary. People are sitting at desks all day instead of doing manual labor; they are driving to work in cars instead of walking or cycling; and they are participating less in physical activities during their leisure time.