In an on-going interview-based survey that has garnered more than 100,000 responses since January, 47% Americans say they are struggling with health and economic issues while an additional 4% are suffering, with no relief in sight.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index contacts 1,000 Americans seven days each week for an evaluation of their daily health and sense of well-being.  The survey was begun in January and the organization expects to continue it for 100 years.

Jim Clifton, Gallup chairman and CEO, says the organization’s mission is to create official statistics that the nation’s leaders and the general public can take stock of daily, just like the Dow-Jones, in an effort to develop solutions for change and improvement.  The survey is expected to provide a much richer gauge of the outlook of the American public than has ever been possible.

The standards applied in the Gallup survey are based on those used by the World Health Organization (WHO), which defines health as “not only the absence of infirmity and disease but also a state of physical, mental and social well-being.”

Some of the negative factors that contribute to generalized feelings of despair are workplace environment and the struggle to achieve healthful levels of stress, diet, and exercise.  The study shows that one misfortune tends to reinforce others.

Factors that seem to improve overall well-being include access to medical care, marriage, regular social contact, and better income.  Of the 100,000 respondents thus far, less than 46,000 (46%) are employed full time.  Their workplace observations reveal:

• 40% are overweight and 25% are obese.
• One or more chronic illnesses or recurring conditions plague two-thirds of them.
• More than 1 in 5 have missed six of the last 30 days of work due to illness.
• American workers with one to three medical issues say they cannot perform their work duties 13.5 days each year.  When the workplace environment is negative, performance suffers an additional 6.6 days, or a 48% increase, each year.
• Workers reporting four or more medical conditions say they cannot perform their regularly scheduled work duties 52.7 days each year in a positive environment while those in a negative workplace environment report 68.9 such days, or an increase of 31% due to workplace environment.

Ben Leedle, president and CEO of Healthways, says a cycle of chronic disease is pretty clear in the country, with struggle and suffering leading to poor lifestyle choices that promote further stress, illness, and excess weight.

Source: BusinessWire