Dec. 03--Health initiatives need to start early -- even in grade school -- for the state to have enough healthy employees available to work in Iowa, said the director of the state's health work force research center.
'That is a real concern,' said Dr. James Merchant, director of the University of Iowa's Healthier WorkForce Center for Excellence.
'Other states are finding that as well -- they can't find enough employees who are healthy.' Antiobesity, anti-smoking and other programs have shown to be effective, said Merchant, speaking from a conference Tuesday in Des Moines.
The center's report, Iowans Speak Out on Their Health, was unveiled at the conference.
Merchant said the report was the first of its kind.
Other reports use employer surveys, but before this study, data was not available about employee satisfaction, such as what motivates workers to participate in company health initiatives, he said. The unemployed were also part of the Real Iowans Research Initiative, which included personal interviews, a phone survey of 1,600 Iowans and focus groups of underserved Iowans.
Key findings included:
--Almost 3 out of 4 Iowans would see nurses and physician's assistants, instead of doctors, to cut health care costs.
--Six in 10 would accept higher deductibles or higher co-pays.
--Only 10 percent of Iowans who report excellent health also smoke; nearly half of Iowans in poor health smoke.
--More than 8 of 10 respondents in excellent health exercise five or more days per week; only 1 in 4 of those reporting poor health work out this often.
--More than 1 in 4 employed Iowans exercise 5 days a week or more; only 1 in 10 of unemployed Iowans exercise as much.
--Nearly 7 in 10 em ployed Iowans report excellent or very good health, compared to fewer than half of unemployed Iowans;
--Employers sometimes fired employees who were injured rather than retain them until they recovered and could return to work.
Governor-elect Terry Branstad spoke at the conference about the importance of health to his goal of creating 200,000 jobs in the next five years. Merchant said presentations by businesses with integrated wellness programs show that employers can effectively control health care costs.
The challenge remains with smaller companies that cannot afford health insurance coverage and wellness initiatives, he said.
In a recorded address, Sen. Tom Harkin discussed a wellness provision in health care reform that will help bridge that gap for small companies.
'I'm hopeful this will yield some positive results,' Merchant said, noting that the WorkForce Center is available as a business resource.
-- Comments: (319) 398-8428; cindy.hadish@sourcemedia.net
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