Work Environment Index Drops to Its Lowest Point since Inception of Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index

American Workers’ Perceptions of Their Work Environments Drops to New Low in February

WASHINGTON & NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Please be advised that Gallup and Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY) today released the Gallup-Healthways Monthly U.S. Well-Being Report for February 2011.

The Work Environment Index (WEI), measuring Americans workers’ job satisfaction, relationships with their supervisors, and ability to use their strengths at work dropped to 45.4 in February. The score is the lowest point noted in 38 consecutive months of measurement and is down substantially from the 53.3 high-mark recorded at the onset of the economic crash in October 2008.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index® (WBI) composite score fell to 66.1 in February, near the 12-month low of 66.0 measured in December 2010, and lower than the 66.6 found in the same month one year ago.

Each of the six sub-indexes that make up the Well-Being Index, with the exception of the WEI, was statistically unchanged in February.

The Life Evaluation Index was 50.6 in February, on par with the 51 recorded in January, and still higher than what it was throughout the second half of 2010.

The Healthy Behaviors Index, a four question measure of smoking, exercise, and healthy eating habits, which moves in accordance with seasonal trends, continued an expected upward trajectory from December’s predictable annual low, improving slightly to 63.1. While smoking continues to be steady at 20.3 percent, the percentage of Americans who exercise for 30 minutes or more at least three days per week improved to 48.3 percent, matching February 2010 exactly. The percentage of Americans who eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day four days a week also improved in February, rising to 56.6 percent, slightly higher than February 2010.

To download the February report, please click here. For more on the science and methodology behind the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, please visit www.well-beingindex.com.

About the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index is the first and largest survey of its kind, with 1,000 calls a day, seven days a week. It is the official statistic for Well-Being in America, giving a daily measure of people's well-being at the close of every day based on the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health as not only the absence of infirmity and disease but also a state of physical, mental and social well-being. The Well-Being Index describes the correlation between the places where people work and the communities in which they live, and how that and other factors impact their well-being. Additionally, the enterprise version of the Well-Being Index may be administered in workplaces throughout the U.S. to determine the Well-Being score of a specific employer population and how it compares to the employer’s state and nation. With such data, employers can uncover and address key factors that impact the productivity and financial health of the organization. For additional information, go to www.well-beingindex.com.



CONTACT:

Healthways, Inc.
Bruce Middlebrooks, 615-614-4463
[email protected]
or
Gallup
Eric Nielsen, 202-715-3144
[email protected]

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  District of Columbia  Tennessee

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS:   Health  Hospitals  Public Policy/Government  Healthcare Reform  Other Health  Other Policy Issues  General Health  Managed Care

MEDIA:

Logo
 Logo