There is interesting advice coming from the leading heart health charity on the other side of the Atlantic, the American Heart Association – they’re advising that employers who want to encourage heart-healthy behaviour by employees should share seven important messages.

This message is highlighted in the association’s new guidelines for employers who want to promote heart health in increasingly popular “workplace wellness” programs. They are:

stop smoking

get active

lose weight

eat better

manage blood pressure

control cholesterol and

reduce blood sugar

Employers who incorporate the AHA’s “Life’s Simple 7” plan into their programs will have healthier employees, the AHA advisory panel stated.

A “comprehensive” workplace wellness program must include health education, supportive social and physical environments, integration into other organizational initiatives, links to other programs like employee health and safety, and wellness screenings. Employers need high-quality models to develop and implement effective programs, according to the AHA recommendations.

Healthy Performance refer client’s employees to their online health assessment tool, MyWellbeingCheck™ which rates an individual’s level of heart health based on QRisk which calculates your risk of cardiovascular disease. MyWellbeingCheck™ gives individuals a sense of their heart health. Employee scores are averaged to give a whole company an idea of how well they are promoting healthy behaviour.