Working towards wellness: Accelerating the prevention of chronic disease

Every year the world's most influential companies launch initiatives with the World Economic Forum to tackle the most complex challenges facing humanity. In 2006 chronic disease was a key topic.

In collaboration with the World Economic Forum, PwC's Health Research Institute undertook to research the impact of chronic disease and to review best practices in developing, launching and maintaining wellness programs. Working towards wellness: Accelerating the prevention of chronic disease, reveals the consensus of in-depth interviews with thought leaders from multinational corporations, industry associations, vendors, regulatory agencies, and the medical community.

From this research, PwC's HRI submits:

• Chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide.
• Increasingly chronic disease affects people in low to middle-income countries as well as in high-income countries.
• Chronic diseases impair productivity and lead to associated costs.
• Multinational companies are using the workplace to promote long-term behavioral changes which will benefit employers, employees and communities.

Proven wellness success stories exist, and the report is a call to action for employers that ultimately suggests a practical, analytical framework for prevention via the workplace. With the commitment of business leaders, workplace wellness strategies and collaboration of public-private partnerships, the epidemic of chronic disease can be managed effectively. In doing so, employers can enhance the productivity of the workforce, reduce the growing burden of healthcare costs, make the workplace more attractive and build a better and more healthy global community.



Publications Search Page