UBC prof: Reducing rates of unhealthy behaviours by 1% would save economy $7B over 5 years

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NBHC Sustainability
September 25, 2017

A professor at UBC's school of population and public health estimates the national economy could save $7 billion over five years if workplaces implemented programs that reduced rates of the following five modifiable risk factors by just 1%:

  1. Physical inactivity;
  2. Smoking;
  3. Excess weight;
  4. Use of alcohol; and
  5. Low vegetable and fruit consumption.

He was speaking to a two-year research project launched by BestLifeRewarded, which is measuring the impact of its rewards-based program on employee health. UBC will then feed that data through its economic models to come up with a more firm figure of the impacts of workplace wellness on the economy.

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UBC prof: Reducing rates of unhealthy behaviours by 1% would save economy $7B o…