Publications by authors named "Alyssa Schultz"

Lifestyle medicine (LM) utilizes evidence-based therapeutic lifestyle changes to address lifestyle factors that impact health, performance, and injury risk and recovery. By integrating LM principles into clinical care, workplace policies, and programs, along with other evidence-based methods, occupational and environmental medicine clinicians and medical directors can enhance worker health and performance, manage chronic disease, and facilitate faster recovery from injury and illness. This guidance addresses approaches that can be used in the clinic and workplace to address tobacco, substance misuse, nutrition, physical activity, overweight/obesity, sleep, mental well-being, and social connectedness.

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The aim of the study is to compare employees of a US school district based on their social determinants of health (SDoH). Methods: Employees ( N = 5006) were categorized into low-, medium-, or high-need SDoH tiers. Of them, n = 2469 also participated in a health risk appraisal in 2019.

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Objective: Demographics, health risks, pharmaceutical utilization, and other characteristics of adults with and without migraine who were employed by a school district in the southern United States were compared.

Methods: A total of 4528 employees completed a health risk appraisal. A diagnosis of migraine was reported by 11%.

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Objective: This study examined demographics, health risks and conditions, preventive services, and health care experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) adults who are employed in the United States.

Methods: Male and female gay, lesbian, or bisexual employees (N = 1191) from seven companies participated in an online survey.

Results: Differences were observed in the characteristics of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals on a number of demographic, health, and preventive services measures.

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Many people spend years dreaming about their retirement. Unfortunately, today's workers will likely work longer, suffer greater economic uncertainty, and might have poorer health status compared with retirees in previous generations. Preserving good health during the working years is associated with a more consistent employment record, greater financial resources, and reduced risk of disease.

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Objective: Migraine affects about 15% of the world's population and disproportionately affects adults who are working age. It is associated with higher healthcare costs, absenteeism, and lost productivity. A metropolitan school district in the southern United States offered a virtual migraine education program to their teaching employees.

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The issue of employee productivity has become a major concern for companies. Inefficiency can occur at every stage of production either as poor design, worker limitation, or other factors. It is generally assumed that a healthy worker is more productive than an unhealthy worker.

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A significant amount of illness has origins in oral microorganisms. The current SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic has reduced the general population's access to and use of routine and nonemergency dental care. This creates a dangerous situation in which oral bacteria, fungi, and viruses may remain unchecked and allowed to flourish, which in turn increases risks for several systemic diseases as well as negative outcomes for pregnancies and surgical patients.

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The cost of medical care in the United States is increasing at an unsustainable rate. The lifestyle medicine (LM) approach is essential to influence the root causes of the growing chronic disease burden. LM addresses health risk factors in primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of developing disease rather than limiting resources and medical expenditures on acute care and reacting to illness, injury, and disease.

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Introduction: Employee engagement is a key factor in work performance and employee retention. The current study seeks to examine the relationship between employee engagement and health risks and productivity.

Methods: In 2012, employees of a global financial services corporation participated in a health risk appraisal (HRA) which measured employee engagement, health risks, and on-the-job productivity loss (presenteeism).

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Objective: This study examined differences in health risks and workplace outcomes among employees who utilized preventive dental services compared with other employees.

Methods: A retrospective observational study of employees of a large financial services corporation, with data from health risk appraisal questionnaires, medical claims, pharmacy claims, and dental claims.

Results: Employees with no dental claims were significantly more likely to have a variety of health risk factors (such as obesity and tobacco use), health conditions (such as diabetes), absenteeism, and lost on-the-job productivity, and were significantly less likely to be compliant with clinical preventive services compared with those with preventive dental claims.

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Sleep disturbance is negatively associated with workplace productivity. This study sought to identify whether or not changes in sleep from 2012 to 2013 were associated with changes in health risks, medical conditions, or workplace economic outcomes. Employees of a Fortune 100 financial services corporation were categorized based on changes in self-reported hours of sleep from 2012 to 2013 and compared based on their health risk factors, medical conditions, health care costs, and productivity measures.

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Objective: Poor sleep can impact occupational functioning. The current study examines health risks, medical conditions, and workplace economic outcomes associated with self-reported hours of sleep among employees.

Methods: Employees of a global financial services corporation were categorized on the basis of their self-reported average hours of sleep.

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Introduction: Poor sleep is common among working adults. Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with health problems. A healthy sleep educational program (using webinars and other intranet-based resources) was offered to employees of a financial services corporation.

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Objective: Migraine affects approximately 10% of working-age adults and is associated with increased health care costs, absenteeism, and presenteeism in the workplace. A migraine education program was offered to United States employees of a global financial services organization.

Methods: Two hundred forty three employees (46% response rate) completed both a baseline and 6-month follow-up migraine questionnaire.

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Objective: This study estimates the percent of health care costs associated with employees' modifiable health risks.

Methods: Cross-sectional multivariate analysis of 223,461 employees from seven industries who completed a health risk assessment during 2007 to 2012.

Results: Modifiable health risks were associated with 26.

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The purpose of this article is to synthesize developments from various disciplines including the medical, wellness, psychology, and sociology fields to shed light on where health promotion is headed in the next 25 years. Lifestyle medicine practitioners will continue to play a large role in helping people achieve the highest levels of wellness, which does not simply mean the absence of disease. New research identifies the important roles of many diverse factors such as relationships, lifestyle behaviors, emotional outlook, positive environment, mind-body connection, use of technology, and work styles, which can help each person achieve the fullness of life, vitality, and flourishing that characterizes a high level of well-being.

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This study is an analysis of a workplace diabetes management program offered to employees of a Fortune 100 financial services corporation located in the United States. The 12-month worksite-based educational program was for employees who were at risk for diabetes, had prediabetes, or were diagnosed with diabetes. This employed population, with health benefits, generally had acceptable control of their diabetes at the start of the program.

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Objective: To examine employees' self-reported physical activity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) risks and their association with health-related workplace outcomes.

Methods: Employees participated in a health risk appraisal in 2010. Generalized Linear Modeling was used to test the association between MetS risk factors, physical activity, and the outcome measures while controlling for confounders.

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Objective: Consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) are popular among employers in the United States. This study examined an employee wellness program and its association with employee health in an organization that recently initiated a CDHP.

Methods: This retrospective observational analysis compared the health risks, employer-paid health care costs, and short-term disability absences of employees of a large financial services corporation from 2009 to 2010.

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There is an increasing awareness among employers and health care providers that health care needs to be tailored to address the diversity of the workforce. Population-based data have shown significant differences in health behaviors and health risks among different racial/ethnic groups in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine health risks and changes in health risks over time in an employed population at a financial services corporation.

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The objective of this study is to describe briefly the burden of dyslipidemia, and to discuss and present strategies for health professionals to improve dyslipidemia management, based on a review of selected literature focusing on interventions for dyslipidemia treatment adherence. Despite the availability of effective lifestyle and pharmaceutical therapies for dyslipidemias, they continue to present a significant economic burden in the United States. Adherence to evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of dyslipidemias is unsatisfactory.

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Objective: The objective of this commentary is to discuss the issues surrounding the concept of presenteeism, including the measurement of lost work time per individual, the conversion of the scores attained by the instruments into expressions of productivity loss, and the translation of productivity losses into economic outcomes.

Methods: Literature searches using PubMed and MEDLINE were conducted using "presenteeism" and "productivity" as keywords and combined with other studies known to the authors. Publications on presenteeism instruments and their applications were included.

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