employees of American Apparel, one of
the 2003/04 Fit Business Challenge winners

Fit Business Award

California has one of the fastest rates of increase in obesity among working-age adults in the nation. Well over half of California’s adults are overweight or obese. In the year 2000, physical inactivity, obesity, and overweight cost California $21.7 billion in lost productivity, workers’ compensation, and direct and indirect medical costs.  Alarmingly, the costs are continuing to grow. The economic impact is heaviest on employers.  Therefore, employers are uniquely positioned to care about and promote the health of their employees. They are increasingly aware of the positive connection that employee health has on their financial bottom line.

The California Fit Business Award is a coordinated effort between the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness and the California Department of Health Services’ 5 a Day – Be Active Worksite Program. The award was launched in 2003 to private and non-profit companies across California to seek and recognize business models that promote a healthier workplace.

In 2004/05, more than 50 companies across the state applied for this award. There was a mix of public and private sector companies, small local companies, and California offices of national companies. Winners were selected based on the breadth of their health and wellness programs; the quality and focus of their policies; the involvement of their leadership; the impact of their endeavors; and the reasons given for having wellness programs.

From subsidized healthy lunches and healthy snacks in vending machines to fitness education and walking clubs, these organizations are doing their part to combat California’s obesity epidemic by creating a workplace environment that supports healthy choices.

“The California Fit Business winners exemplify a true commitment to a healthy and productive workforce,” says Jim Carman, manager of the California 5 a Day Worksite Program. “They’re models for employers of all sizes and it serves them well from a business bottom-line to support the overall wellness of their employees.”