THE UNMENTIONABLES™: GETTING TO WHAT REALLY MATTERS
Who wouldn't want to be the happiest, healthiest, most productive person they could be? But life gets in the way – things like debt, a difficult marriage, a stressful job, caring for an aging parent - even a bad sex life.
We call these very real – yet often overlooked by the healthcare industry -- issues The Unmentionables™.
To better understand the prevalence and impact of such “life context” issues on productivity, health and wellbeing, Eliza developed and deployed a series of interactive surveys in conjunction with Wendy Lynch, PhD – an expert on health, productivity, and research methodologies. Here are some of the things we've found:
- Ninety four percent of respondents report dealing with at least one of the following: money concerns, social conflicts, relationship conflicts, caregiving challenges, job stress, depression, trouble sleeping, a bad sex life, getting enough exercise or diet issues.
- People dealing with multiple Unmentionable issues are up to five times more likely to report poor health
- Conversely, people with no Unmentionables are three times more likely to report excellent health
- Unmentionable issues impact productivity, with more than one third of respondents acknowledging that these factors significantly decrease their work effectiveness
- These issues do not exist in a vacuum - positive or negative coping strategies can significantly exacerbate or mitigate their impact on health and productivity
- People are hungry for support -- approximately 80% of respondents are willing to accept support for their Unmentionable issues from a doctor or health plan, as would a similar number from their employer. For those challenged with caring for an aging parent, that rate exceeds 95%.
As you can see, the Unmentionables are real – and they are actionable.
To learn more about their impact and how we can help assess and address these findings in your population, click here (registration required).
