Sleep and physical activity levels suffering as Canadians look to adopt healthier habits

Canada's leading virtual health and wellness platform reveals how overall Canadian employee well-being scores are generally low and remain significantly worse than pre-pandemic levels.

MONTREAL, April 24, 2024 /CNW/ - According to a new report published by Dialogue Health Technologies Inc., Canada's leading health and wellness virtual care platform, Canadians' overall well-being is at a low point as they struggle with lifestyle challenges around sleep and physical activity. These insights are assessed through Dialogue's Well-Being Score, benchmarking thousands of people across the country every month.

The Well-Being Score leverages the World Health Organization's (WHO) Well-Being Index (WHO-5), one of the most widely used questionnaires to measure wellness in research. The Well-Being Report: A benchmark for Canadian health uncovers insights across five dimensions of mental health and well-being, including mood, stress, sleep, activeness, and sense of purpose. Results show that Canadians scored lower on sleep and physical activity compared to any other dimension. Proper sleep and maintaining an active lifestyle can be impacted by work stress, family obligations and, in light of the current rise in living costs, financial stress and anxiety, resulting in downstream effects like lack of energy and overall productivity. Small, attainable daily habits can make a big impact - the challenge is equipping Canadians to implement them.

"Measuring and benchmarking how people are feeling and areas of lifestyle in which they are struggling is the key to unlocking the right resources to improve well-being through small, measurable changes to daily habits'', shares Dr. Marc Robin, Medical Director, Dialogue. "By leveraging the WHO-5 self-assessment, individuals are guided to recognize and embrace the small, everyday steps, such as walking more, that lead to a healthier lifestyle. This approach not only provides proven strategies for improved well-being but also empowers people to take charge of their health, nurturing better habits early on and reducing the need for more serious care later on."

When looking at overall well-being, Canadians are scoring significantly worse than pre-pandemic levels.¹ Older Gen Zs and younger millennials (age 20-29) displayed the lowest subjective scores compared to other adult age groups, consistent with increased rates of mental health diagnoses for people of similar age. However, when presented with options to improve well-being, 71% of employees with access to Dialogue's Wellness Program who benchmarked their well-being were motivated to start a small, easily measurable, and attainable new habit.

"When an employee's well-being is low, benchmarking can additionally help direct employees to the best next step," said Dr. Robin. "This could mean implementing a healthy habit or leveraging existing benefits such as employee assistance programs which are traditionally offered across most organizations, but more than half of Canadians report they never use."

As employees face barriers to improving well-being, they increasingly expect their employers to support them in living healthier lives. Employers should consider how workplace benefits can proactively address health concerns across the wellness-illness continuum, not just once or twice a year when employees are already sick or struggling.

"The Well-Being Score provides employers with clear insights, allowing them to stay on the pulse of their workplace and provide appropriate resources," says Jean-Nicolas Guillemette, COO of Dialogue. "This, in turn, helps them understand where to better invest in their employees' wellness and create a healthier, happier workforce."

Employers can help improve Canadians' well-being by providing evidence-based, accessible and integrated tools and strategies spanning across all aspects of health and well-being, putting employees at the centre of their health journey. This, in turn, helps reduce instances of presenteeism and absenteeism in the workplace as they can address health and lifestyle concerns more proactively.

Dialogue's Well-Being Score leverages the World Health Organization's (WHO) Well-Being Index (WHO-5), one of the most widely used questionnaires to assess well-being in research. Available in English and French within the Dialogue app, the one-minute survey helps uncover insights across five dimensions of mental health and well-being, including mood, stress, sleep, activeness, and sense of purpose. Dialogue Well-Being Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores representing increased well-being, and scores less than 50 indicating the need for further mental health assessment. Following benchmarking, employees are empowered to take action through tailored in-app resources, which can include implementing a trackable healthy habit, consulting self-serve resources, and if they score low, consulting with a mental health professional. Data is aggregated and de-identified to show statistical trends, enabling employers to assess risk factors in their organization and proactively invest in employee well-being where it counts. Well-Being Report: A benchmark for Canadian well-being includes insights from assessments from 6,400 people across Canada from October 1st, 2023, to December 31st, 2023.

Dialogue is Canada's premier virtual healthcare and wellness platform, providing affordable, on-demand access to quality care. Through its team of health professionals, it serves employers and organizations who have an interest in the health and well-being of their employees, members and their families. Dialogue's Integrated Health Platformtm is a one-stop healthcare hub that centralizes all programs in a single, user-friendly application, providing access to services 24 hours per day, 365 days per year from the convenience of a smartphone, computer or tablet. Dialogue is the first virtual care provider to receive the Accreditation Canada Primer award, a third-party validation of safety and high-level quality of care. In October 2023, Sun Life acquired Dialogue, which now operates as a standalone entity as part of Sun Life Canada. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.dialogue.co.

SOURCE Dialogue Health Technologies Inc.