Healthways, Gallup Determine "Well-Being"

Healthways (HWAY - Analyst Report), the well-being enhancement company, and statistical research services provider Gallup, recently announced the results of the monthly Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index (“WBI”) for December 2011. The overarching WBI measure remained stagnant at a score of 65.8. This was the fourth consecutive month with a score under 66.

The Emotional Health Index stood at 79.2 and resisted its fall to the typical annual low achieved in December each year. Americans enjoyed lower stress in December 2011 with 59.7% of participants reporting that they were without stress for a major portion of the previous day. Respondents also reported less sadness in December than in the corresponding year-ago period.      

The Work Environment Index continued to languish at 47.7. It has not picked up since September 2009. The Physical Health Index was unmoved at 76.6, in December. Obesity was flat at 26.6% reflecting a flattening out of this metric.

Among the other indices, the Healthy Behavior declined 1.6 points to 61 with a rise in the proportion of smokers to 21.7%. The Basic Access Index continued to languish in December with a score of 81.8 which is in line with record lows set in the preceding 3 months.        

Healthways is a prominent vendor of specialized and composite solutions, enabling recipients to maintain or improve their well-being, while consequently reducing systemic healthcare costs. The company’s solutions are intended to keep people healthy and mitigate lifestyle risk factors that can cause disease and optimize care for those with chronic illness. Healthways competes with Express Scripts (ESRX - Analyst Report) among others.

Gallup is known for providing timely and pertinent research on opinion. The company employs scientists in discipline such as economics, sociology, management and psychology. Its consultants identify and monitor behavioral economic indicators on a worldwide basis, thereby enabling companies to increase organic growth.

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