BY SHARI PORTNOY - Special to The Miami Herald
The obesity crisis is on the rise. Large companies, government agencies and school boards bear the brunt by continuing to pay expensive healthcare premiums. According to the American Journal of Health Promotion, each obese employee costs his or her company 56 percent more for health insurance than each normal weight employee.
Corporate Wellness is the new buzz phrase. Corporate health programs came into vogue when groups contracted by business and health insurance companies began providing annual health fairs. Unfortunately, research has shown that annual health fairs do nothing to improve health. Without ongoing programs, a health fair rates a big fat zero.
There are solutions for big employees, but a yearly health fair is not one of them. The Food and Drug Administration has no simple answer to obesity. The FDA says science dictates that diet and physical activity must be addressed together. The FDA's obesity working group recommendations address effective consumer messages that lead to ''healthier living.'' It seems to me the FDA, like big business, needs to dig deeper. What additional research is needed? We all agree that we eat too much and exercise too little.
PREVENTION IS KEY!