Johnson & Johnson’s Culture of Health Pays Off

Arguably well ahead of its time, Johnson & Johnson introduced their employee wellness program “Live for Life” in 1979. For more than 30 years, Johnson & Johnson has been working hard to make healthy lifestyle choices a top priority throughout their corporate community and it’s paying off, literally.  

Arguably well ahead of its time, Johnson & Johnson introduced their employee wellness program “Live for Life” in 1979. For more than 30 years, Johnson & Johnson has been working hard to make healthy lifestyle choices a top priority throughout their corporate community and it’s paying off, literally.  

Results show that the program realized a return on investment of $1.88-$3.92 for each dollar spent on the program from 2002-2008, and Johnson & Johnson medical spending growth was 3.7 percentage points lower than their peers over the same time period. Average annual per employee savings were $565 in 2009, and participating employees benefited from reductions in rates of obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, tobacco use, physical activity, and poor nutrition – all leading risk factors for costly chronic diseases.

With a majority of Americans spending the bulk of their waking hours in the workplace, the time is ripe for businesses to cultivate a healthy environment and ultimately reduce the incidence of and spending on the leading cause of death in our country – chronic disease.

Find more information about Johnson & Johnson’s program in Project HOPE’s March issue of Health Affairs.