Medibank says data from comprehensive health checks conducted on more than 500 executives since the beginning of COVID has revealed potentially serious undiagnosed health issues.
The company said the results of the tests found a range of underlying health conditions including high blood pressure, abnormal ECGs, high cholesterol levels, undiagnosed diabetes, mental health issues and suspected skin cancers that may have gone undetected without a check-up.
These results found 81 per cent of participants had high cholesterol, 71 per cent were overweight and 63 per cent did not meet the recommendations for physical activity.
Medibank chief medical officer Dr Linda Swan said the results of the health checks should serve as a warning to all Australians to prioritise their health and wellbeing.
“It’s more important now than ever before that we make the time to book in for our regular health checks after some people delayed or missed them due to COVID lockdowns," said Dr Swan.
Medibank partners with Executive Health Solutions to conduct executive health checks for companies nationwide.
“There are also daily steps we can take to improve our health through exercise and eating a healthy diet, which is something our Live Better Rewards program is helping our customers keep on track with," continued Dr Swan.
“57% of executives were not eating their recommended 5 serves of vegetables per day and 52% were not eating at least 2 services of fruit per day.
“It’s also vital that we all monitor our mental health and seek support if we need it after a challenging two years. The health checks saw 10 people referred to a GP or psychologist for follow-up after being found to have depression and anxiety.”
Medibank said it is partnering with 125 companies Australia-wide on the delivery of a range of programs to improve the health and wellbeing of their workforces.