Utilizing a health assessment tool to identify health promotion needs in a working population

Employees work for a Company manufacturing a wide range of consumer goods. It has more than 300 brands. It has around 129,000 employees.This paper considers employees working at the Corporate Offices in Mexico City.  A Health Assessment Tool was applied among 669 employees, in order to know the number and type of health risks affecting that working population. After identifying health risks, an action plan was started to reduce and control them. Having the number of affected population is clue to evaluate the impact of the action plan measures on employees’ health risks reduction and control. We present preliminary results of the health risks evaluation; action plan measures taken, and how we’ll measure their impact on employees’ health.  Important conclusion were taken regarding the average age of employees with health risks versus diseases (identified in the medical check ups), and how they could be modified if  we succeed or not on health risks control. Also we show information obtained when correlating HAT information with medical insurance cases outcomes. That learning is important, to demonstrate that health risks impact not only on health risks and diseases, but companies’ direct health costs. HAT also helps on identifying indirect health costs coming from productivity. Measuring medical absenteeism and presenteeism helps to understand productivity impact. Even more, calculating average salary of employees allow us to understand also costs impact of that lack of productivity.  In summary having a HAT helps to measure health risks and to have clear information to start health preventive programs specifically oriented to populations under health risks. Also, allows to measure impact of preventive/health promotion programs impact on employees health risks and disease when combined with additional sources of medical information available in the health services or medical departments of the working sites.