2012 Agenda
WELLNESS
Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Choices for a Thriving Population
Controlling health care costs is critical for economic development and growth. Chronic illnesses, many of which are preventable, account for a staggering 75 percent of the nation's estimated $2.6 trillion in annual health care costs. Promoting healthy lifestyle choices can lower health care costs and create a more productive workforce. The Wellness Working Group will examine how individuals and communities can better manage their health and wellness, particularly highlighting innovative community-based wellness efforts, nutrition and food systems strategies, and scalable strategies for reaching populations that are particularly at-risk.
Subtopics
Healthy Workforce Promoting healthy lifestyle choices through workplace wellness programs can improve the health and productivity of employees and their families, while lowering health care costs that are driven by chronic diseases and modifiable health risk behaviors.
Community-Based Wellness The economic burden of obesity and other health conditions can be reduced through preventive measures that increase physical activity, expand access to recreation facilities, and promote food systems that provide access to quality nutrition while improving the health of our schools, communities, and underserved rural and urban populations.
Military Wellness The health and wellness of service members, veterans, and their families is a national security issue. Measures should be taken to examine what is already being done to address current health challenges and what is additionally needed from military leadership and outside partners to improve the physical and mental health of our military population.