How Your Employees Benefit from Biometric Screenings
What is a Biometric Screening?
Biometric screenings provide vital health information for your employees. With just a couple drops of blood and a swab of saliva, clinicians can collect a wide amount of data about our genetic makeup and physical health. By understanding this data, clinicians can identify key tactics that can help us live longer and more productive lives. Biometric screenings use this basic information to measure basic health information, along with each person’s biological characteristics, to assess risks of serious health issues, potential for chronic conditions, and opportunities for health improvements.
During a biometric screening, the following elements will be measured:
- Height Measurement
- Weight Measurement
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Blood Pressure
- Waist Circumference (in inches
- Fasting Glucose/ Blood Sugar (This is the amount of sugar in the blood stream.)
- Total Cholesterol
- HDL and LDL cholesterol level
- Triglycerides level (the amount of fatty acids in the blood)
Why are Biometric Screenings Important?
A biometric screening can help you identify if your employee’s health scores are within normal ranges, or if they’re at risk for chronic conditions. The results from a screening can also be used to determine their risk for other serious health conditions. If three or more of their measurements exceed normal range, they may be considered at risk for conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Depending on the results, they may receive a list of recommendations on how to lower their risk factors and be given the opportunity to meet with a health coach.
A health coach or dietician can help to create a personalized wellness plan that addresses any dietary needs and can implement small changes that can improve health risks. Having your employee work with a health coach as part of a health improvement program can help them make manageable lifestyle changes and keep them focused on their health goals.
As an employee starts to make progress and positive changes on their health journey, be sure to periodically refer back to results to measure progress. Biometric screenings provide immediate feedback about your employees’ health risks and combined with quality health education, the screening can be a powerful motivation toward positive lifestyle changes.