Nationwide Better Health Introduces New Obesity Management Program.

52-Week Program Designed to Help Individuals with Severe Weight Concerns Improve Health and Reduce Risks for Heart Disease

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Nationwide Better Health(SM), a leading provider of total population health and productivity management solutions, launched its new obesity management program designed to help employees who meet the criteria for obesity or morbid obesity improve their current and long-term health. Nationwide Better Health's obesity management program is focused on lifestyle and behavioral changes and is especially beneficial for individuals who have tried to lose weight numerous times in the past.

The National Institutes of Health classifies obese individuals as those who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. Nationwide Better Health's obesity management program is most appropriate for employees who have a BMI of 40 or more, or have a BMI of 35 or more with related co-morbidities, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Of the 140 million people aged 20 and older currently employed in the U.S., 29 percent are obese1. Obesity puts individuals at-risk for numerous co-morbidities, costing their employers more than $220 billion annually in health care spend and lost productivity. Furthermore, in 2006, the Centers for Disease Control found obese employees miss work almost twice as much as other workers, costing employers about $4 billion annually and even more in lost productivity.

"It's frightening to see the obesity epidemic in our country is only slated to pick up speed," said Dr. Neil Gordon, a preventive medicine physician and Nationwide Better Health's chief medical and science officer. "The incidence of obesity in American adults is set to rise over the next eight years, with around 75 percent of Americans falling into the overweight category by 2015 according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health."

Nationwide Better Health is looking to reverse these alarming trends by providing employers with customized programs specific to their employees' needs. The modifiable factors contributing to the individual's obesity, both physiological and psychological, are first identified before implementing behavior changes necessary to reduce weight and improve health. Dedicated health coaches teach employees to follow an individualized meal plan, control portion sizes and avoid emotional eating. They also learn to increase physical activity through safe, appropriate exercise and lifestyle pursuits. By educating employees about their condition and the steps they can take towards a healthier lifestyle, the program promotes weight loss and provides the tools needed to ensure employees successfully maintain their weight level. And because obesity is often the root cause of heart disease, the program identifies current risk factors and provides a score based on the Framingham heart study.

"There is a call to action for employers to help curb this epidemic," continued Dr. Gordon. "Employers can instill a culture of health and wellness in the workplace by providing the education, programs, resources and incentives needed to make preventive lifestyle changes."

Nationwide Better Health's obesity management offering is part of its ongoing efforts to provide the most comprehensive set of integrated health and productivity management solutions along the entire health care continuum, aiming to create a healthier, more productive workforce and reduce the impact of health care costs on companies' bottom lines. Nationwide Better Health's obesity management program can be integrated with its other existing programs when appropriate, such as health and wellness, disease, disability and medical management. Health coaches can effectively guide participants to the appropriate level of care and can treat other obesity-related conditions, in particular. This results in improved health for employees and better financial well-being for employers.

About Nationwide Better Health

Nationwide Better Health(SM), a subsidiary of Nationwide([R]), is a leading provider of health and productivity management solutions aimed at lowering health care costs, increasing productivity and improving the quality of life for employers and their employees. Nationwide Better Health is the first company to truly integrate the best collection of health and productivity services available today, including health and wellness, disease, disability, absence, medical and maternity management, while utilizing health assessments, work-site screenings, lifestyle health coaching services, online tools and customized communications and incentive management strategies to obtain best-in-class results for improving health and productivity in the workplace. The company's offerings work together and independently to address both sides of the cost equation: increased efficiency of health and productivity programs and better employee health and well-being to reduce health care-related costs. For more information, call 866.404.6924 or visit: www.nwbetterhealth.com.

Nationwide, the Nationwide framemark and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Nationwide Better Health is a service mark of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

1 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (2003-04)