Each year, North Shore Bank employees are encouraged to participate in biometric screenings and health risk assessments. While these programs are primarily aimed at those who elect to participate in our medical plans, all employees are able to take part in them at no cost. Administered through our wellness partner Interra Health (or through your own physician), the biometric screenings and risk assessments measure things like blood pressure, body mass index, blood glucose level, and cholesterol. So, how are we doing?

While we don’t receive any data on individuals, we do receive a sort of wellness “snapshot” of all the aggregated data from North Shore Bank. We can use this information to decide what types of wellness activities we might offer to address the largest areas of health concern. As individuals, you also receive important feedback about your health and any risks you should discuss with your physician.

One question on the health risk assessment asks how you rate your overall health. (For example: Do you think your health is very good, good, fair, or poor?) The following graphic shows that although 82 percent of participants believed their health to be good or very good (and no one thought they were in poor health), the reality is very different. Based on the results of the screenings, only 52 percent of screened employees are in good health (or at low risk for health issues), while 10 percent of us are at a high risk for serious health issues.

Here is the data by gender:

Based upon the biometric results, the leading areas of risk for us relate to percentage of body fat and body mass index. And according to the health risk assessments, the leading risks have to do with our nutrition habits and physical activity. These two reports pretty much go hand in hand, and point us in the direction of focusing on eating well and exercising, which would help to reduce BMI and body fat. It seems so simple, but of course we know it isn’t.

We will continue to make Weight Watchers At Work available to any employee wishing to join. We need a minimum of 15 employees to sign up for each session to maintain our corporate discounts. (We’re currently in Week 3 of the most recent session, but new members can join anytime.) Weight Watchers’ focus on nutrition and exercise (and not just on losing weight) has really helped many of us establish better eating habits. Consider joining us — remember: You do not have to be at Corporate to participate.

We will offer free biometric screenings again in April. Watch for further information and sign-up information coming soon. Everyone is encouraged to take this opportunity to find out how they’re really doing. Have you made progress from last year? Do you know what you need to do for your health?