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Health and Wellness Promotion

Physical Exercise
commentary
The Right Kind of Incentive Can Help People to Stay Active
Hans Pung, Marco Hafner @econ_hafner
Apr 30, 2019
The Council for Work and Health
Having the motivation to keep exercising regularly can be challenging for many of us. So what will motivate people to keep heading out the door, whether it's for a swim or to the gym, for some much-needed activity?
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
Measuring Progress Toward a Culture of Health... at the Library
Carolyn Miller, Anita Chandra
Nov 21, 2018
Health Affairs Blog
Libraries can provide much more than books and internet access. Libraries across the United States are evolving to play a bigger role in community health. Many offer nutrition programs, mental health support, and even free bike-shares.
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Diet and Eating Habits
commentary
A New Way to Reduce Sugary Beverage Consumption
Deborah A. Cohen
Oct 1, 2018
KevinMD.com
Where items are placed and promoted in stores is the most important predictor of what people buy. If stores restricted sugary beverages to a single out-of-the-way area, people who really wanted to buy them could, but would have to intentionally seek them out. Others might be less likely to buy a sweetened drink on impulse.
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Community Health and Well-Being
commentary
Local Development of a Culture of Health: Learning from Sentinel Communities
Anita Chandra, Todd Rogers, Margaret Tait
Aug 1, 2018
Health Affairs Blog
The Culture of Health project focuses on making health a priority in communities. As the United States grapples with health care spending and changing demographics, the Sentinel Communities project will illuminate stories from local communities and paint a picture of the ways communities strive to improve population health.
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Diet and Eating Habits
commentary
Junk-Food Havens: Vending Machines Don't Belong in the Workplace
Deborah A. Cohen
Jun 29, 2018
Fox News Channel
In the middle of a nationwide obesity epidemic, a handy device dripping with temptation often lurks around the workplace corner—the vending machine. Decreasing the ubiquity and availability of low-nutrient junk food could go a long way toward addressing obesity in the United States.
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Workplace Wellness Programs
commentary
How to Increase Participation in Workplace Health and Wellbeing Initiatives
Christian Van Stolk
May 10, 2018
Reward & Employee Benefits Association Annual Report
Many employers are actively looking at ways to improve health and well-being in their workplaces. Increasing employee participation in health and wellness programs requires strategies to address health risks, engagement with staff, and buy-in and support from management.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
Open Science and a Culture of Health: You Two Should Talk
Sean Grant @GrantSeanP, Kathryn E. Bouskill @kebouskill
Mar 7, 2018
Berkeley Initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences
By working together, the Culture of Health and Open Science movements could increase their potential to accelerate the use of scientific evidence to address impediments to population health and collective well-being.
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Mental Health and Illness
commentary
Building Understanding of the Mental Health Challenges in the Construction Industry
Michael Whitmore, Joscelyne Shaw
Jan 11, 2018
Building Magazine
Employers looking to address mental health problems among staff must recognize the causes and understand mental health challenges within the organization. Construction workers could face greater risk than workers in other sectors, but awareness of support and help remains low.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
Candy Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Deborah A. Cohen
Oct 31, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
CVS is cutting back on candy at the cash register, making junk food less visible and "healthier" snacks easier to find. Any move that nudges consumers toward healthier choices should be applauded, but CVS could take the lead as a retailer and do away with junk food displays by the cash register altogether.
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Primary Care
commentary
Doing More with Less: Lessons from Cuba's Health Care System
Claire E. O'Hanlon, Melody Harvey
Oct 6, 2017
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
High U.S. health care costs do not yield corresponding health outcomes for its citizens. But Cuba, for less than a tenth of U.S. costs, has attained comparable outcomes on many indicators, such as life expectancy and infant mortality. Cuba prioritizes primary care and prevention and addresses social determinants of health.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
Why Nutrition Standards and Policies Should Continue
Deborah A. Cohen
May 25, 2017
RealClearHealth
Rolling back nutrition standards means increasing risks for Americans and does not bode well for population health. Every effort should be made to maintain strong nutrition standards to protect the health of all Americans.
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Personal Finance
commentary
We Still Know Little About Financial Well-Being
Marco Hafner @econ_hafner, Christian Van Stolk
Feb 20, 2017
HRZone
There is a clear link between UK employees being concerned about their finances and negative health and well-being. The challenge for researchers is that financial well-being is hard to measure.
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Community Health and Well-Being
commentary
Should the Definition of Health Include a Measure of Tolerance?
Robert H. Brook
Feb 15, 2017
The Journal of the American Medical Association
Involving the medical community in helping to measure and increase tolerance could help make individuals and communities healthier. Since hate is both deadly and contagious, now is the time to engage the medical profession in eradicating it.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
What 32 Million Tweets Tell Us About Health and the Twitterverse
Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung, Linnea Warren May, Matthew Trujillo
Jan 26, 2017
The Health Care Blog
Health-related posts and conversations on Twitter shed light on the public's views on obesity, exercise and fitness, safe sex, alcohol, and mental health. Will such discussion increase in communities where health and wellness programs are put in place?
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Sleep
commentary
How Businesses Can Take the Lead in Getting People to Sleep More
Marco Hafner @econ_hafner, Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Dec 20, 2016
Thrive Global
Insufficient sleep is linked to lower productivity, which results in working days being lost each year. With a few simple measures, employers could help improve the health and well-being of staff, improve their bottom lines, and contribute to a growing economy.
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Public Health
commentary
Putting Health into the Health Care Debate
Jeffrey Wasserman
Dec 10, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
How much return is the United States getting for spending over 17 percent of its gross domestic product on health care? Not nearly enough. The health care debate should focus on improving population health and ensuring the country is getting the biggest bang for its bucks.
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Workplace Wellness Programs
commentary
Measuring What Works: Workplace Well-Being
Michael Whitmore, Christian Van Stolk
Nov 28, 2016
CIPD
The link between productivity and well-being is recognized and increasingly accepted as a prerequisite of strong employer and employee performance. HR professionals and CEOs believe that high employee well-being means high staff engagement and a real intention to do well for the workforce.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
Expo Line Could Enhance Wellbeing in Santa Monica
Douglas Yeung @DouglasCYeung
May 6, 2016
Santa Monica Daily Press
On May 20, the long-awaited Metro Expo Line will begin service to Santa Monica. Viewing urban mobility as a key component of community wellbeing may be an instructive way to assess the impact of Expo and other infrastructure efforts.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
essay
A Chance to Thrive: What We Can Learn from One City's Effort to Transform Community
Mar 8, 2016
RAND researchers have partnered with the city of Santa Monica, California to redefine not just how cities measure success, but how they assess their very purpose for being.
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Diet and Eating Habits
commentary
Junk Food: Why People Can't Control Themselves and What to Do About It
Deborah A. Cohen
Jul 21, 2015
The RAND Blog
Americans consumed far less junk when it wasn't so widespread. Consumption accelerated when marketers discovered they could stimulate 'impulse buys.'
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Workplace Wellness Programs
commentary
Claims of Wellness Cost Savings Are Overblown
Soeren Mattke
Jun 3, 2015
CFO Magazine
Workplace wellness has become a $6 billion industry in the United States. Employers hope wellness programs can help control health care costs, but they are having little if any effect on costs. Companies seeking a healthy ROI should target higher-risk employees.
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Veterans Health Care
commentary
Faith-Based Organizations as Force Multipliers
Laura Werber
Jun 2, 2015
Faith-based organizations are an important community-based resource for veterans who are adjusting to civilian life. What current and potential roles can they play in reintegration?
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
Wellbeing Project to Weave Science Into Government Decisions
Anita Chandra
Apr 29, 2015
Santa Monica Daily Press
Wellbeing is about individuals having the skills and opportunity to live a meaningful life. There are countless things that cities do that either contribute or detract from that sense of meaning. Santa Monica's Wellbeing Project is working to fundamentally change how the government thinks about its citizens.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
Food Providers: Regulators Should Insist They 'First, Do No Harm'
Deborah A. Cohen
Apr 8, 2015
The RAND Blog
Everyone needs food, water, and shelter, yet society offers protective standards and regulations for just two of these three essentials. Food regulations focus on preventing illnesses like botulism, but when it comes to chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes, regulations offer little protection to U.S. consumers.
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Health Behaviors
commentary
Paying People to Change Behaviour in the UK: Lessons from Latin America
Christian Van Stolk
Mar 30, 2015
The RAND Blog
Policymakers in Western countries seeking new policy levers to tackle costly lifestyle behaviors in the age of austerity may do well to take up programs based on cash incentives. Recent analysis of conditional payment programs in Latin America highlights some useful lessons.
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Workplace Wellness Programs
commentary
When It Comes to the Value of Wellness, Ask About Fairness, Not Just About Effectiveness
Soeren Mattke
Mar 18, 2015
Health Affairs Blog
Some hail workplace wellness programs as cost-effective means to better public health. Others question their value. Data show that both have a point.
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Diet and Eating Habits
commentary
Calorie Labels Won't Fix America's Problem with Away-From-Home Food
Deborah A. Cohen
Dec 10, 2014
The Hill
The FDA's new guidelines for calorie labeling on restaurant menus, retail establishments like convenience stores and movie theaters, and vending machines are a long-due recognition that eating away from home can be hazardous to health. But the new mandate falls far short of providing the necessary fix.
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Smoking Cessation
commentary
Graphic Warning Labels on Cigarettes Are Scary, but Do They Work?
Deborah M. Scharf, William G. Shadel @william_shadel
Sep 30, 2014
The Health Care Blog
'Graphic warning labels' pair gruesome images with warnings about the dangers of smoking, covering anywhere from 30 to 80 percent of cigarette pack 'faces' (the front and back). Do they prevent people from starting to smoke or cause current smokers to quit?
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Physical Exercise
commentary
I'm Too Busy for Exercise I Just Don't Have the Time
Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD
Jul 17, 2014
Sister to Sister
As hard as it can be to make time for exercise, failing to do so isn't a time-saver. It might seem so for a day or two, but you will feel the result of not exercising in the reductions in your energy, ability to focus and cope, and in your quality of sleep.
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Health Behaviors
commentary
Improving Your Health: Small Steps Can Yield Big Benefits
Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD
Jul 2, 2014
Sister to Sister
It is worth making changes in your everyday choices and actions in order to improve your health. Real benefits in terms of increases in energy, improved sleep, and reduced cardiovascular disease risk are attainable.
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Workplace Wellness Programs
q&a
Quick Takes: Do Workplace Wellness Programs Make Business Sense?
Feb 20, 2014
The Health Care Blog
The press and trade publications strongly endorse workplace wellness programs as a good investment for employers. Soeren Mattke, a physician and RAND senior scientist, explains why his work tells a different story.
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Sleep
commentary
Some Tired Myths About Sleeping with Your Valentine, or Not
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Feb 14, 2014
The Huffington Post
Two-thirds of U.S. adults report that they regularly sleep with a partner. Yet, through 60 years or so of sleep research, scientists have tended to view sleep as an individual behavior, largely ignoring the potential impact of bedmates.
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Obesity
commentary
Michelle Obama Shouldn't Be the Only One Fighting Obesity
Deborah A. Cohen
Jan 17, 2014
Politico
To identify the policies that will make a big fat dent in obesity rates, we first need an accurate diagnosis: Americans are overweight and obese because they are inundated with too much food. The use of impulse marketing strategies has skyrocketed, with invitations to indulge at every turn.
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Sleep
commentary
A Warm Bed on a Cold Morning: When Waking Up Is Hard to Do
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Jan 16, 2014
The Huffington Post
As seductive as a warm bed may be on a cold morning, staying in bed too long can lead to disrupted sleep and a sleep-sapping case of the winter blues. These are the times when we need to resist the urge to hibernate and force ourselves to get going.
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Diet and Eating Habits
blog
Ask Me Anything: Deborah Cohen on How to End the Obesity Epidemic
Jan 8, 2014
Perhaps the most common New Year's resolution is improving our eating habits. According to Dr. Deborah Cohen, who hosted an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit yesterday, that's much easier said than done.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
The FDA Ban on Trans Fat Should Be Just the Beginning
Deborah A. Cohen
Nov 26, 2013
The Health Care Blog
Most people lack the information they need to judge or track the quantity and quality of the nutrients they consume. The FDA should take a disease prevention approach — as it is currently doing with trans fat — in promoting standards that address how all foods are prepared and served away from home.
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Community Health and Well-Being
commentary
Here's to Our Health
Tamara Dubowitz @TamaraDubowitz, Anita Chandra, Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Nov 25, 2013
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Atop the new mayor's agenda should be improving the health and well-being of Pittsburgh residents. With an unassailable electoral mandate in hand, Mr. Peduto is positioned to take bold steps. And the best way to do that is by applying scientific and medical evidence to shape an integrated, citywide, health-policy framework.
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Underage Substance Use Prevention
blog
Group Motivational Interviewing Can Help Teens Make Healthy Choices
Elizabeth J. D'Amico
Oct 29, 2013
Group motivational interviewing is a guided therapeutic approach that helps people think about their motivations for behavior and their commitment to change. It is an excellent fit for adolescents, because it engages them about their personal experiences while eliciting ideas about how they can change and make healthy choices.
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Health Care Costs
commentary
Wellness Now, Value Later
Soeren Mattke, Kristin R. Van Busum
Jul 2, 2013
Modern Healthcare
Wellness programs do in fact reduce health risks, like smoking and obesity, write Soeren Mattke and Kristin Van Busum. But resulting cost savings could not be detected, especially when compared to the costs of the programs.
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Health Behaviors
commentary
Eating Better for Less
Roland Sturm, Derek Yach
May 28, 2013
Modern Healthcare
A combination of things might well slow the obesity epidemic while also improving the American people's overall nutritional well-being: lowering prices on healthier food, initiatives to control portion sizes, and a long-term campaign to support better food quality.
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Urban Planning
blog
RAND Is Helping Santa Monica Measure the City's Overall Well-Being
Mar 1, 2013
The RAND Corporation is helping its hometown of Santa Monica, Calif., become the first city in America to use a measurement of overall well-being to drive public policy.
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Health Care Cost Inflation
commentary
Health Care Costs Are Killing Us
Arthur L. Kellermann
Jan 4, 2013
the RWJF's Human Capital Blog
At a time when our country is teetering on the edge of a “fiscal cliff,” no challenge in health care is more important than reducing health care spending, writes Arthur L. Kellermann.
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Diet and Eating Habits
commentary
Candy at the Cash Register—A Risk Factor for Obesity and Chronic Disease
Deborah A. Cohen, Susan H. Babey
Oct 11, 2012
New England Journal of Medicine
Although placement is a factor that is right in front of our noses, we should consider treating it as a hidden risk factor, like carcinogens in water, because placement influences our food choices in a way that is largely automatic and out of our conscious control, write Deborah A. Cohen and Susan H. Babey.
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Tobacco and Smoking
commentary
Parents: That Summer Job Could Be Teaching Your Youngster to Smoke
Rajeev Ramchand
Aug 30, 2012
The RAND Blog
Workplaces across the world that rely on a teenage workforce, like supermarkets and fast food restaurants, need to do a better job protecting young people from starting to smoke, writes Rajeev Ramchand.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
Improve Health, Not the Health Care System
Dana P. Goldman
Jun 23, 2009
NYTimes.com
One reason that health reform proposals always seem to fail is that proponents promise too much. Reformers declare they will improve quality, lower costs and increase access — all at the same time. This mantra is repeated so often that the public tends to believe it is possible, when really it isn't, writes Dana P. Goldman.
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