We could certainly say that the best was kept for last if we were looking at motivation and interest from a speaker who certainly had a forceful message to give. Dr Dorian Dugmore, director of Wellness International, presented work from around the world in Europe, Canada, and the UK.The British Heart Foundation have suggested that the obesity explosion is a big problem for the UK, catching up with the changes in the USA, and many companies are now engaging their workforce in corporate wellness

An interesting statistic which illustrates the value of this screening-“For every £1 spent on corporate wellness £5 is saved in workplace cost”, with average span of time off from work being reduced from uk average of 11 days, to just 2-3 for adidas UK.

The main thrust of the work has been in prevention of coronary artery disease in high powered business executives, many of whom really had no interest in their physical wellbeing at the time of first approach. Much of his most recent work has been with Adidas UK over the last 12 years.

Prior to this, his experience in Toronto turned around over 2000 patients a week at its height, and involved specific lifestyle interventions for executives. Investigations included body mass parameters as well as bloods including fasting lipids, dietary assessments, and exercise stress tests to 80% of maximum activity, to show up minor abnormalities. Interventions involved advice regarding regular aerobic exercise, reduced dietary fats and smoking cessation, and the interventions were shown to reduce cardiovascular and lifestyle risk factors by 30-40%. Interventions were matched to the patients readiness to change.

Many of those involved were regarded as “precontemplators” at the outset of the programme, but by the end had been persuaded to move very firmly into the action phase of the cycle. The new medicine, he said, was what happened between visits to the doctor.

Results from adidas have also suggested great gains. Stage 1 of the programme consisted of risk assessments. Of the first 200 patients 52% had high body fat, 51% poor diet, 36% high cholesterol, and 22% borderline blood pressure. In terms of lifestyle risk the adidas group had almost 8% in high risk groups, and the average age of the group? 31.4 years!!Stage 2 was to make the patients aware of their “numbers” and be encouraged to carry them .This was facilitated through an employee card similar to a credit card with their numbers recorded. Stage3 involved remeasurement of these parameters on a 2 yearly basis for all employees.

His work with Premiership and Football League managers also highlighted a highly stressed group of individuals, with a remarkable set of risk factors. These people he said, having often come from a previously fit background, were now working 60-80 hours per week, with awful lifestyle, much driving, poor diet, and poorer job security. Project Fit to Manage showed that 25/54 had already developed significant cardiovascular problems. The point was well made, that sports related fitness is very different to cardiovascular fitness, and that ex athletes seem to be at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Next year he is planning to launch the Wellness Foundation, a charity working to promote corporate responsibility in health.Listening to Dr Dugmores statistics was quite frightening, and one has to ask whether we have the resource to perform what must be a highly worthwhile service to patients. This is however a vast extension of any cardiac screening programme that the government have in mind.

Is there mileage in commissioning further local studies into the well 35-45 age group? Should we be encouraging medium sized companies across the country to be investing in their workforce in this way? Or was this aimed directly at us? Should we, as GPs be considering our lifestyles to be similar to these highly charged corporate executives and taking similar action to protect ourselves?

There was certainly much food for thought.

Print | Top | Back