World Heart Federation

Over 17.2 million people die each year from heart disease and stroke, making them the leading cause of death worldwide. Yet 80% of premature deaths could be avoided by controlling the main risk factors: tobacco use, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

Millions of productive life-years are lost annually, posing significant threats to the vitality of our highly-interdependent global system, especially in the context of the current financial crisis. Businesses around the world, as well as leading organizations such as the World Health Organization and the World Economic Forum have recognized the importance of employee's health to achieve core business objectives. Many have committed to include health promotion on their corporate agenda.

There is an urgent need to extend these benefits to all employees and workers, in all sectors and parts of the world. In particular, those in low- and middle-income countries, where over 80% of deaths from cardiovascular disease currently occur, would benefit greatly from the implementation of such programmes.

Workplace health promotion programmes have been shown to yield an excellent return on investment. For example, in 2005, a comprehensive study confirmed earlier findings that workplace programmes can achieve a 25-30% reduction in medical and absenteeism costs in an average period of about 3.6 years. There are also clear health benefits, both short and long term, for individuals, their families and communities.

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