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Iowans enjoy a great quality of life, in fact our state is ranked among the highest in the country. We live long, work hard and take personal responsibility for our actions. Unfortunately, we also get sick. Iowa has higher instances of heart disease, cancer and stroke on average than the United States as a whole. Chronic diseases like these hinder our great quality of life and take a significant financial toll on the sick and their families. Diseases shorten life span and place heavy strains on the health care system.
Keeping people as healthy as possible for as long as possible can improve quality of life, relieve strains on the health care system and reduce costs for individuals, employers and taxpayers.
Iowans for Wellness & Prevention is dedicated to working together with Iowans to find private and public sector solutions to encourage healthy behavior and make sure Iowans can enjoy the great quality of life they deserve.
FDA Forms New Tobacco Products Panel
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has named members to its new Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, which will hold its first meeting at the end of March to discuss menthol in cigarettes.
The committee was mandated by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, passed last year, which gives the FDA regulatory control over tobacco products.
The committee comprises nine voting and three non-voting members. Of the nine voting members, seven are health professionals, including a pulmonogist, a psychologist specializing in tobacco cessation, a pharmacologist with an expertise in nicotine, a psychologist who specializes in how advertising and marketing affect behavior, and an oncologist who is the chief medical officer of the High Plains division of the American Cancer Society.
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IWP Announces Results of Iowa Health Brokers Wellness & Prevention Study
In an effort to gain a better understanding of wellness and prevention oriented employee benefits, Iowans for Wellness and Prevention joined forces with the Iowa Association of Health Underwriters to conduct a cutting-edge study on these issues. The first of its kind health broker survey gives an insider look at health benefits covering Iowa’s workforce.
Among the survey’s findings:
· Nearly 2 out of 3 Iowa employers offering smoking cessation benefits have coverage inconsistent with Center for Disease Control & Prevention guidelines.
· Although 55% of brokers agree or strongly agree that the public smoking ban spurred more employer interest in smoking cessation, less than 1 in 4 brokers has actively marketed smoking cessation benefits to their clients as a result of the cigarette tax increase and the public smoking ban.
· Nearly 71% of brokers support tax incentives to help employers offer wellness & prevention and smoking cessation benefits.
· Brokers report the primary concerns of their clients who do not offer wellness & prevention benefits are program costs and the ability to first offer general medical coverage.
The study results are summarized in this news release http://www.iowans4wellness.org/news_popup.php?id=238. For more information on details of the study, please contact Iowans for Wellness & Prevention by phone at (515) 226-0698 or by email at info@iowans4wellness.org.
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