The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa (HSFSA) observes Employee Wellness Week (EWW) alongside South Africa from 1 July to 5 July, 2024.
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EWW is an annual initiative aimed at raising awareness about maintaining employee health and well-being at work and in their personal lives.
The foundation educates employers and employees in both the private and public sectors on workplace wellness, focusing on heart and brain health, including conditions like hypertension.
Their programmes promote health and prevent disease by creating supportive environments in and outside the workplace through health talks, risk assessments, and interventions targeting risk factors such as tobacco use and alcohol consumption.
The Employee Wellness Programme offers numerous benefits, including sustaining a productive workforce, reducing absenteeism and disability risks, preventing occupational conditions, and promoting holistic heart and brain health.
The HSFSA adopts a comprehensive approach that encompasses physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of health, acknowledging the complexity of individual well-being.
As stated in the WHO constitution, ‘Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’
The foundation encourages employees to take responsibility for their health by providing practical health improvement ideas. Employers are urged to empower their workforce by engaging HSFSA for Employee Wellness Programmes (EWP).
Trained health professionals help employees develop long-term healthy habits and create supportive environments to enhance productivity, reduce absenteeism, and improve social well-being.
The programme includes health information sessions, health risk assessments (HRAs), individual counselling, guidance for behavioral changes, and referrals for cardiovascular disease risks.
HRAs involve screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and Body Mass Index (BMI).
Recognising the challenges employees face due to job demands, HSFSA promotes health-supportive environments by reducing workplace stress, offering healthy food options, providing water stations, and encouraging physical activity during EWPs.
Nutrition plays a crucial role in maintaining health, supported by the Heart Mark Food Endorsement programme.
This initiative guides food manufacturers and consumers towards healthier choices, aiming to reduce preventable heart disease and strokes in South Africa by endorsing products low in salt, sugar, and saturated fats and high in fibre.
The Heart Mark logo, recognized by 80% of adults, signifies healthy eating and credibility.
Professor Pamela Naidoo, CEO of HSFSA, emphasises that employee wellness extends beyond the workplace to encompass overall health and cardiovascular well-being.
She advocates for holistic care, including mental health and lifestyle factors like exercise and diet, to enhance productivity and well-being.
HSFSA’s sustainability relies on business practices that deliver health risk assessments (HRAs) and engage corporate clients as donors and partners.
They encourage ongoing support to continue community-focused health interventions across underserved areas in South Africa.
For more information, employers can contact HSFSA offices or visit www.heartfoundation.co.za.
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