ISSUE
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HEALTH & WELLNESS Magazine by
International Women’s Day #Balanceforbetter
Ekincare Data Insights Chronic Diseases Men vs Women
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C ONTENTS
Women’s day #balanceforbetter
Wellness for women
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Self reflection
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Health coach programs
Weight loss Self Reflection management
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Ekincare data insights
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Health tips of the month
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#BalanceForBetter
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Exceptional Stability Leads to the Improvised World: International Women’s Day #BalanceForBetter
Celebrate the Achievements Across the world, the 8th of March is celebrated as International Women’s Day – a day on which women’s achievements are championed, and gender bias is challenged. It’s also a celebratory day which is designed to empower women and for inspiring people to join the fight against gender inequality. This year, the campaign theme for International Women’s day is #BalanceForBetter – essentially a call-to-action for ensuring a gender balance around the globe.
The State of Gender Inequality in India While the international community has taken several concerted efforts to reduce these gaps, promote gender equality, and reduce discrimination against women, the truth of the matter is that the same can’t be said about the Indian scenario. India still lags when it comes to achieving equality for women in all aspects of life. Despite the well-documented India rising story on the economic growth we have achieved in the past decades, the reality is gender inequalities continue to plague the Indian scene. The question is – Are we doing enough to eliminate the offensive patriarchal system or are we merely helping to further men’s agenda of dominating women? 4
Gender Inequality at Work – A Complex Phenomenon Indian women are victims of an exploitative society where men call the shots and continue to flourish at the expense of the less powerful. And you would be pardoned for mistakenly thinking that this is just a rural phenomenon. Here are the damning statistics – Indian women, despite having similar educational qualifications continue to earn less than men (almost 30% less). While women have been actively campaigning for a fairer, equal workforce, pay gaps and inequality are still recurring issues that plague the Indian corporate sector. Here’s some more food for thought – The gender pay gap in India was as high as 27 percent in 2015-16.
Are women getting a fair compensation for the work that they do?
NO
What this entails is that all things being equal, a working Indian woman would earn only three-quarters of her male counterpart.
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In addition – besides the disparities in pay, Indian women also have had to fight a slew of stereotypes & biases that not only continue to persist but also that manifest itself in multiple forms in the workplace. We need to ask ourselves if we are really paying people for the job they do or based on gender? Although, it can appear as if we have a long way to go to bridge the gender equality gap, and yes, there’s still a lot of work to be done – the heartening news is that a lot of progress is being made. Not only globally but even across the nation, we are witnessing organisations taking big steps to close the gender equality gap and subsequently, working towards establishing a gender-equal environment.
What sets these organisations apart? Work culture – To achieve the right gender balance, policies are being formulated to empower women so that they don’t feel left out. Besides putting robust processes in place, companies are offering their female employees more flexibility and freedom, while also ensuring they are safeguarded from any harm and mistreatment.
Only by removing barriers and encouraging the full and equal participation of women in the workforce, will companies be able to create an inclusive workplace where both women and men can thrive and where both aspire to develop and stay.
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Is India Shining?
Recently, India was named as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women owing to the high level of female infanticide and sex trafficking. Adding to these frightening inequalities, another issue that grips modern India is the gender bias in the healthcare sector. For starters, women generally receive lesser medical attention vis-à-vis their male counterparts as parents are more likely to look for medical help for their sick sons than ill daughters.
There’s also an inherent shortage of female doctors in India – as per a study, it’s been revealed that women make up only 17% of the doctor workforce in India. Despite being regarded as the second fastest growing economy, gender disparities continue to remain deep and persistent in India.
It begs the question –
Has the India shining story had any real impact or has it just been a facade?
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The Bottom Line – Addressing inequality How can India be progressive? If India wants to develop strongly and sustainably, then our quest to establish a genuinely equal society must pick up the pace. Although the government has been proactively working towards bridging the gender gap, we need to still work on it before claiming that we are gender-equal. Indian women have an abundance of talent along with the capability to leave an indelible mark in every sphere of life, and if presented with equal opportunities, they surely will be a force to reckon with.
This International Women's day #BalanceForBetter, let us collectively make it a point to address gender injustice by consciously eradicating biases in a systemic manner and hope for a truly modern society reflective in both thought and action.
#BalanceForBetter
What can be done to achieve gender equality in the workplace? Do share your views and comments!
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Wellness for Women at Workplace: Challenges and how to tackle them
Over the last few years, studies have revealed that the general health levels of working women (ages 25 to 45) have been declining steadily. Women are more likely to develop lifestyle and stress induced diseases. A majority of working professionals today are living the most stressed and unhealthy lives. Cardiovascular disease is a major contributor to female mortality in India. Indians account for 60% of the world's heart disease burden, despite accounting for less than 20% of the world's population. 9
Preventive Measures - The way to go
When one is in such a pre-occupied state of functioning, it’s not always easy to notice the early signs of a chronic condition. That’s where preventive measures can go a long way in keeping oneself strong and healthy. A comprehensive preventive health check-up is the first step to help employees identify potential risk to chronic diseases and take necessary preventive actions. Overall analysis at the young age makes a better tomorrow, in every possible way. A conscious effort for maintaining a healthier lifestyle is the need of the hour. This will not be easy, but women must prioritize themselves above everything as a healthy body and healthy mind are a must for the multi-tasking working women have try their best to maintain a healthy work-life balance. 10
Take a break
Focus on Emotional Well-Being
Downtime is absolutely non-negotiable when it comes to productivity. Various studies even highlight the importance of taking regular breaks, like “movement breaks,” which are designed to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and depression.
One might often mistakenly think of mental health as
The key is to recognize that working longer does not necessarily mean working better, and you’ll actually be doing yourself a big favor by taking a little break every hour or two to recharge your mental batteries.
Our mental health is influenced by many factors such as
mental illness, but there is more to mental health than not being ill. Mental health includes cognitive fitness, emotional well-being, adapting to life’s challenges, balancing multiple roles, and having fulfilling relationships with others and ourselves.
stress, hormones, life stages and life events, relationships, family and spirituality. Just as we can pursue physical fitness by taking care of our bodies, we can also pursue optimum mental health by taking care of our minds.
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Clock in and out on time For improving mental wellness, its very crucial to take your start and finish times seriously. Overworked staff are often unproductive. Overworking is a serious physical and mental drain on those who make it, and, ultimately, a waste of valuable time. Clock in on time and leave on time to make the most of your contracted hours and know when to call it a day. Drawing clear lines between personal and professional lives is an essential for an effective work-life balance.
Treat yourself Last but certainly not least, no matter what line of work you’re in, everyone deserves the gratification that comes with the occasional reward, and sometimes, it pays to be your own benefactor. Treats come in all shapes and sizes — some tangible, others abstract — but the important thing to remember is that everyone is different, and it’s about finding what gives you the emotional spring in your step that helps you get the job done. So, Whether it’s indulging in a luxurious out-of-office lunch, going on a shopping spree, or stocking up on gourmet coffee products to see you through the working day, don’t stop treating yourself.
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S e l f-R e fle ct i on fo r a happier and successful life Human self-reflection is the capacity of humans to exercise introspection and the willingness to learn more about their fundamental nature, purpose and essence.
Few key questions to reflect upon and appreciate your last year
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Many world champion athletes, business people, and spiritual teachers all cite self reflection as an essential key to success. This is also true for employees who are fulfilled and happy with their lives.
If you have to describe your 2018 year in 3 words what would they be? What new things did you discover about yourself? Which book or movie affected your life in a profound way?
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3 What was the best news that you've received this year?
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A few questions to help you get excited for this year
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What do you want to see discover and explore this year? What habits do you want to change, cultivate or get rid of?
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What do you want your everyday life to be like?
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Which personal quality that you want to strengthen or develop?
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Ekincare Data Insights Chronic Disease Conditions - Men Vs Women ekincare enables corporates to make measurable, engaging and ROI driven wellness programs. The data shown here is an aggregated view of all corporates using the platform. Total no. of users
WO ME N 208,675
ME N 317,039
The data shown above is taken from the HRA (health risk assesment) and the health checks done by the employees using ekincare platform.
Gender wise distribution Hypertension
Diabetic
Male/Female in no.
11,725 10,000
5,000
8,803
Obese
High *CVD Risk
*Cardio Vascular Disease
9,349
5,807
4,404
2,881
448 1510
0
MEN
WOMEN
Here we can see that sample population of female employee population suffers from less from chronic diseases. Men suffer the most from diabetes(3.70%), followed by obesity(2.95%) & hypertension.
Women suffer the most from diabetes(2.78%) followed by obesity(2.11%) & hypertension(1.38%) 15
Ekincare Data Insights Average Wellness Score - Men Vs Women
Male/Female in no.
Wellness Score 1000
500
564
Optimum Health Score
772
608
778
0
MEN
WOMEN
ekincare; wellness score is defined based on individual’s health data such as chronic conditions, fintess levels, stress levels and 20+ similar aspects. A high wellness score is an indication good physical health.
Total Steps Tracked - Men Vs Women
882 Million
198 Million
MEN
WOMEN
The ekincare app can connect with popular health devices such as a Fitbit, Garmin, Google fit etc. and data shown here is a consolidated number of entire steps tracked on the platform. 16
Case study:
Weight Management Program
The obesity epidemic: Obesity in India has reached epidemic proportions in the 21st century, with morbid obesity affecting 5% of the country's population. Data released by the World Obesity Federation, a community of organizations dedicated to solving the problem of obesity, shows that effectively 5% of the country’s population would be obese by 2025 from 3.7% in 2014.
It is estimated that there would be 48.3 million obese indians by 2025.
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In past 10 years, the number of obese people has doubled in the country, according to the National Family Health Survey. India beat USA to have 2nd highest no. of obese children. 1 in 5 adults overweight in India. Urban population is more prone to obesity as compared to their rural Middle class is at more risk of obesity
The Cost of Obesity According to the Journal of Health Economics
Obesity-related spends make up nearly
Obese individuals spend
of all medical costs per year
more on healthcare costs,
20%
42%
In the study including 341 employees researchers found that obese workers experienced the greatest health-related limitations while at work: They lost
4.2% 1.18%
in productivity
more than all other employees.
Company
loss of ~40,000 rupees ($506) annually per obese employee.
According to statistics from Duke University work-related injuries of obese employees are 25% higher, and compensation claims are filed twice as much. The cost of those medical claims are also seven times higher than employees at a healthy weight. Obese employees are also more likely to be absent, averaging ten times more days off for a work injury or illness.
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Healthcare costs for employees
Normal-weight employees
2.75lakh ($3,838)
Overweight & Obese employees
3.05 Lakh($4,252) - 5.8Lakh ($8,067)
Each additional body mass index (BMI) point above normal weight costs
16,000 Rs ($222) per year per employee. Reducing Obesity with a Health Coach Obesity is a chronic condition and there is no ‘quick fix’ solution. This emphasises the importance of a lifetime commitment to healthy eating and exercise practices. Lifestyle modification, with a reduction of energy intake and an increase in physical activity, is essential in the strategy. An individualized approach to weight management is essential because everyone is different in genetic make-up, lifestyle, behavior and physical activity. A health coach program helps you achieve your weight goals with guidance from expert nutritionists, doctors and fitness experts. Program pays attention to physical, mental as well as psychological aspects of maintaining a healthy body weight. Diet and exercise plans are individualized and created keeping in mind the needs of an individual. 19
The results of a Health Coach Program ekincare conducted a study at a multinational corporation with over 34,000 employees and over $530 Million in revenues. The Weight Management Program was conducted for the high risk individuals recognized out of the 5000 Employees who took their Health Risk Assessment.
463
EMPLOYEES
nominated for the program
246
EMPLOYEES
opted to enroll
Out of all the employees who opted to enroll
Comparing the baseline tests pre and post the program
followed the program completely or partially
people have shown considerable improvement in their BMI.
68 %
32%
Inference Taking care of employee weight and obesity through health coach can save approx. 50,000 Rs per employee per year. The health coach program saves approximately 3-4 man days in absenteeism & gives 5% more probability of retention and 4% more satisfaction ratings because of providing health benefits to employees.
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Health Tip of the Month - Juice Cleanse at Dawn
The first thing you eat in the morning plays a vital role in setting up your metabolic tone for the day. Assuming that the food eaten the previous night has been processed and suitably disposed, the gastric track then prepares itself for a fresh start the next day and what you begin with has a large impact on health. Adults usually start their day with a cup of tea or coffee while children are forced to gulp down a glass of milk. Fresh fruit or vegetable juices offer the perfect blend of nutrients and appropriate pH level suitable for the breaking of overnight fast. There are many advantages of juicing, when done the right way and at the right time. Few benefits that seem most appealing:
Fresh fruit or vegetable juice helps to alkalize your gastric tract Juicing a fruit or vegetable eliminates the fiber, especially the indigestible or insoluble fraction Juices fulfill body requirements through smaller portions Juices help to flush out toxins from the blood
Juicing fresh and seasonal produce can be indeed fruitful!
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040 6817 4274 www.ekincare.com
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