Opinion Polls Workers With Poor ‘Well-being’ More Likely to Experience Chronic Conditions - The Well News™, LLC. : Job Details

WASHINGTON — Working adults who suffer from “poor well-being” are twice as likely as their “high well-being” counterparts to report developing a new chronic condition, according to a recent analysis by Gallup.

While the findings may seem reminiscent of the “new age” movement of the early 1990s, they have significant implications for today's health and economic landscape.

Projected across the full-time U.S. workforce over a 36-month period, employees with lower well-being could incur an estimated additional $101.5 billion in annual healthcare costs by the end of three years compared to those with holistic well-being.

Gallup's study focused on five key elements of well-being:

Researchers assessed workers' well-being through surveys, then tracked disease diagnoses such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, depression, anxiety, back pain, insomnia, and heart attacks over the following 36 months.

Results showed that workers with poor well-being (high well-being in none or only one element) developed 450 new chronic conditions per 1,000 persons in three years. Those with inconsistent well-being (high in two to four elements) developed 330 conditions per 1,000, while workers with holistic well-being (high in all five) developed 230 conditions per 1,000.

Overall, among 1,000 full-time workers with poor or inconsistent well-being, there is an increased risk of 159 additional chronic conditions over three years compared to workers with holistic well-being.

The study analyzed data from two surveys of 3,654 U.S. workers, controlling for factors such as age, income, education, gender, race, ethnicity, marital status, and existing health conditions.

Even among high-well-being individuals, aging increases the likelihood of new health issues, but this risk is higher among those with lower well-being, leading to increased health costs and disease burden.

Nationally, only 9% of workers report holistic well-being, while 47% report inconsistent well-being, and 44% report poor well-being.

Per 1,000 workers, poor well-being is associated with 220 new diagnoses over three years, and inconsistent well-being adds another 100 diagnoses compared to holistic well-being. Extrapolated to 132.5 million full-time workers, this suggests approximately 19.1 million new chronic conditions in three years linked to poor or inconsistent well-being.

This has profound implications for U.S. healthcare costs, which rose from 5% of GDP in 1960 to 18.3% in 2021, totaling $4.3 trillion, or about $12,914 per person. The CDC reports that at least 75% of healthcare spending is for preventable chronic conditions, contributing to declining life expectancy amid rising chronic illnesses.

The economic impact extends beyond healthcare costs to workplace productivity. Past Gallup research linked excess weight and related conditions to $153 billion in unplanned absenteeism and projected $209 billion in lost productivity in 2023 dollars.

The report concludes that improving workers' well-being could save tens of billions annually in healthcare costs. Supporting this, the article also includes a call for public contributions to sustain high-quality journalism.