Executives and office workers are suffering from work-related health problems. Sitting at desks for extended periods of time, frequent travel, in-between-meals, junk food and minimal exercise are taking their toll.
Recently, health facilities in Lebanon responded to this problem with programs specifically designed for corporate executives and management, and nutritionists are developing special meal packages.
Work-related health problems can manifest themselves in a myriad of ways. Some of the most common complaints are neck pain, backache and eye strain, all mostly from 8-plus hours of staring at computer screens and slouching in chairs. And then there’s the so-called “killer” — stress — which can lead to more serious health concerns like heart disease, heart attacks, digestive disorders, autoimmune diseases and more.
Contributing to the problem, of course, are hectic work schedules. Most executives and businessmen are reluctant to schedule appointments for check-ups, which are usually done during the workday and often involve lengthy waits in doctors’ offices. As a result of this, visits to the doctor are generally put off until obvious symptoms show up, according to Dr. Nabil Nassar, director of the American University Hospital (AUH) Executive Health Program. To address the issue of time AUH set up the Executive Health Program as a way to expedite check-ups and preventative tests for busy executives and corporate managers.
The AUH program opened in 2004 and had immediate success with mainly Gulf and Lebanese expatriate clientele. Since the hospital is a non-profit organization there is minimal press about the program, save a description in Middle East Airlines’ in-flight magazine Cedar Wings. The aim of the Executive Health program is patient-focused. “Our main focus is on the executive and his personal needs,” Nassar pointed out. After an analysis of the patient’s existing health, the doctors run a number of patient-specific tests, which are followed by a briefing and recommendations for future health care, like nutrition and exercise guidelines. “The main idea is that every program is personalized, from the basics like gender, age and family history, to anything else that may show up.”
The program
The program essentially consists of a number of packages, each designed to address the specific needs of the individual patient. Prior to scheduling an appointment, the executive is asked to complete a confidential medical questionnaire, which is then reviewed by an executive health physician who will recommend an appropriate package. These differ on the number and type of tests required. A patient with a family history of heart disease, for example, would be advised to take a number of cardiologic exams in addition to basic screening tests. The patient (‘client’ might be more appropriate) then books an appointment with the hospital, which means one or, maximum, two nights in the program’s Executive Suite, which comes equipped with internet service so the executive can send and receive work-related emails, a television with satellite, a private bathroom, and a mini bar stocked with non-alcoholic drinks and healthy snacks. Indeed, the executive treatment begins upon arrival, with a quick call to the program’s office so that an elevator can be reserved and sent down for the client.
After the series of tests and checkups, the executive is offered a choice of additional services, some of them catering to the region’s trends and tastes. “For example,” said Nassar, “one woman asked and was able to have a plastic surgery procedure done through our program as well.”
Some out-of-town clients will even have the program book hotels for them. It is in this sense the AUH program shows its Lebanese side. While the number of clients has declined due to the July War of 2006 and the unsteady political situation, the primary selling point, even with a university hospital like AUH, is providing outstanding service coupled with a reputable hospital and relying on the Lebanese tourism sector. Many of the clients are Gulf executives who swing by while on their way up to Faraya’s snow with their families. News of the program has largely spread through word-of-mouth, with high-up executives from international companies booking appointments after hearing about it through colleagues. One such company (the name of which has been withheld for confidentiality) had a manager book appointments for all of its employees. “Absenteeism from work is becoming a problem, and this particular manager found it to be more cost-effective to invest in preventative health,” explained Nassar.
So how much does an appointment at AUH’s Executive Program cost? Given the personalized nature of the program, the final bill can run from $1,000 to $4,000, with additional costs for extra procedures.
Clemenceau’s Medical Center (CMC) also offers a similar program, the Premiere Executive Health Check. Here, clients who book appointments are also promised strict confidentiality, and sign up for one full day containing several health care screenings, thereby accommodating overloaded work schedules. Clemenceau’s program is arguably more posh than AUH’s, with valet parking and dinner with a spouse included in the package.
Beirut’s St. Georges Hospital also offers an Executive Medical Health Assessment Package, which, according to director Dimitri Haddad, is a “complete package of visits and checkups.” At St. Georges, clients will go to a preliminary appointment with a family physician, and then have the option of a range of personalized health tests, with an emphasis on work-related risks, like cardiologic, pulmonary, and vision tests. The St. Georges package can cost anywhere from $600-$1,000, again depending upon the individual and health needs.
Dietary options
The three hospital programs all have an emphasis on preventative medicine. Following their allopathic methods, the standard procedure is to screen for any unseen symptoms and then recommend either medicine or surgery. Nutritional guidelines are offered, but are not an integral part of any of the programs.
There are, however, options for the health-conscious on-the-go executive. One of these is NutriFit, a company consisting of dieticians and cooks who offer a broad-range of culinary and delivery choices for busy office workers.
NutriFit’s services begin with a one hour consultation with a dietician to assess the quantity of fat present in the client’s body, followed by weighing, measuring, and checking bone mass. “The primary concern is to lose or to maintain weight,” said NutriFit dietician Zeina Scheib. “Most of our clients are single men with long working hours. They eat out a lot and when they’re home they don’t like to cook. Their only options are delivery, which is full of fat, and they often don’t have time to exercise.” NutriFit’s aim, therefore, is to provide healthy options for lunch, and all other meals if the client requests, provided in the form of full-day catering. Healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners will all be delivered to the client in the morning, eliminating the need for even thinking about what to eat and and, more importantly, what to avoid. NutriFit tries to diversify and, according to Scheib, meals are as close to “regular” as possible, while avoiding added sugar and anything fried. A typical meal might be cheese manakish with snacks of fruit and sugar-free cake, a Lebanese home-cooked lunch platter like loubiya, and a dinner of healthy pizza. Another choice is the Tailor Made Diet, which “respects each person’s nutritional requirements and daily caloric expenditure.” After a thorough consultation, the dietician creates a diet suitable for busy executives to follow, including restaurant order recommendations for business lunches. So far, feedback has been positive, with at least 50% of the clients being busy executives.
There are two other aspects of office-related health problems that remain to be fully addressed in Lebanon, although their increasing popularity and incorporation in the American corporate world might mean replication in the Middle East. The first is ergonomics, the science of the study of the human body relative to office objects, like desks and chairs. Ergonomics is derived from the Greek words ergon meaning work and nomos meaning natural laws. Ergonomics is typically used by companies as a way to design tasks and work areas to maximize the efficiency and quality of employees’ work. It is an applied science that focuses on equipment design to maximize productivity by reducing fatigue and discomfort. An ergonomist will come into an office and inspect employees as they sit at their desks. He or she will then measure the distances between elbows and keyboard, computer monitor to eye level, and the amount of bend in the knees from the floor to the chair. These will all be adjusted to support the body’s needs. Ergonomists can greatly enhance work environments by dealing with and preventing common office-related ailments like carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic neck, back and shoulder pain, and also offer ergonomic keyboards and chairs to preventive recurrence of health problems.
The inner dimension
After an executive is medically screened, well-fed and ergonomically aligned, perhaps the final step is attending to one’s inner dimension. Recently, companies and individuals are turning to ancient sciences like yoga and Sufism, now made palatable to the Western mindset through office-sponsored workshops and retreats. One such yogic science is the ancient practice of meditation and chanting found in Isha yoga practices. These practices, or kriyas, are based on the science of locating and distributing stale or suppressed energies within the body. Like Tai Chi and acupuncture, kriyas remind the individual of his or her inner strength, especially when confronted with the stresses of the corporate world. Whether holistic, allopathic, nutritional or ergonomic, executives now have a variety of options that help them to invest in their own bodies and minds as well.
