Overall Canadian well-being remains low,
especially impacted by financial stress, lack of sleep, and
activeness — but new report by Dialogue shows that nearly 8
in 10 are taking action.
MONTREAL, Nov. 19,
2024 /CNW/ - According to a new report published by
Dialogue Health Technologies Inc., Canada's leading health and wellness platform,
overall well-being, especially among working Canadians in their
twenties, remains at a low point as they struggle with stress,
particularly with financial pressures surrounding rising costs of
living. These insights are assessed through Dialogue's
Well-Being Score, which benchmarks thousands of people across
the country every month.
The semi-annual Health and Well-Being Report: A Canadian
benchmark leverages the World Health Organization's (WHO)
Well-Being Index (WHO-5), uncovering insights across five
dimensions of mental health and well-being, including mood, stress,
sleep, activeness, and sense of purpose. Results show how
Canadians' average well-being score has remained low over the past
18 months, with a score of 49.4 out of 100. With scores under 50
indicating poor mental health, the inaccessibility of traditional
benefits leaves many at risk of developing more serious concerns if
they are unable to improve their well-being.
With younger professionals facing a unique set of challenges and
pressures, the report highlights how working Canadians aged 20 to
29 are scoring lower than any other age group. This can be
explained by particularly low scores in sleep and activeness
experienced by all age groups, a snowball effect stemming from
financial pressures. Additionally, data from Dialogue reveals that
Canadians are most often seeking financial support for budgeting,
investing and retirement saving, and tax reduction — areas which
can be heavily impacted by financial stress.
"With many Canadians losing sleep over common stressors such
as finances, this has a cascading effect on lifestyle factors which
impact mental health, physical health, and overall
well-being," shared Dr. Marc
Robin, Medical Director at Dialogue. "Increasing
accessible support, especially through virtual means where mental
health care is just a phone tap away, helps Canadians manage their
health and well-being before issues worsen."
Encouraging Canadians to focus on prevention through employer
benefits helps them take charge of their health by adopting
trackable habits to improve their lifestyle. In fact, 8 in 10
people with access to Dialogue's Wellness program took action to
implement a trackable lifestyle change after completing the
Well-Being Score assessment. Benchmarking also directs employees to
services available through employee assistance programs (EAPs),
which include financial counselling and evidence-based stress
management resources. This increases accessibility and awareness,
promoting resources for issues that can be stigmatized.
As workplace benefits continue to evolve, working Canadians are
increasingly willing to use them but often don't know what's
available. When looking at more traditional models, over half (53%)
of Canadians who have an EAP have never accessed it, despite EAPs
including mental health and financial counselling. This is
especially important as 1 in 2 Canadians believe their overall
benefits plan doesn't meet their need, while 1 in 3 continue to
view mental health benefits as insufficient.
A healthier workplace leads to benefits across the company,
including long-term cost savings and the ability to attract and
retain top talent. Organizations looking to enhance support for
their employees are pivoting to virtual-first, accessible EAP
models. Effective benchmarking tools, like Dialogue's Well-Being
Score, allow HR leaders to leverage anonymous insights to tailor
resources and strategies, enabling them to foster a stronger
culture of well-being for healthier, more resilient teams.
About Dialogue's Well-Being Score
Dialogue's Well-Being Score leverages the World Health
Organization's (WHO) Well-Being Index (WHO-5), one of the most
widely used questionnaires to assess well-being in research.
Available in English and French within the Dialogue app, the
one-minute survey helps uncover insights across five dimensions of
mental health and well-being, including mood, stress, sleep,
activeness, and sense of purpose. Dialogue Well-Being Scores range
from 0 to 100, with higher scores representing increased
well-being, and scores less than 50 indicating the need for further
mental health assessment. Following benchmarking, employees are
empowered to take action through tailored in-app resources, which
can include implementing a trackable healthy habit, consulting
self-serve resources, and if they score low, consulting with a
mental health professional. Data is aggregated and de-identified to
show statistical trends, enabling employers to assess risk factors
in their organization and proactively invest in employee well-being
where it counts. The Health and Well-Being Report: A Canadian
benchmark includes insights from assessments from 12,000 people
across Canada from January 1st, 2024, to June
30th, 2024.
About Dialogue
Dialogue is Canada's premier
virtual healthcare and wellness platform, providing affordable,
on-demand access to quality care. Through its team of health
professionals, it serves employers and organizations who have an
interest in the health and well-being of their employees, members
and their families. Dialogue's Integrated Health Platform™ is a
one-stop healthcare hub that centralizes all programs in a single,
user-friendly application, providing access to services 24 hours
per day, 365 days per year from the convenience of a smartphone,
computer or tablet. Dialogue is the first virtual care provider to
receive the Accreditation Canada Primer award, a third-party
validation of safety and high-level quality of care. In
October 2023, Sun Life acquired
Dialogue, which now operates as a standalone entity as part of Sun
Life Canada. For more information, please visit the Company's
website at www.dialogue.co.
SOURCE Dialogue Health Technologies Inc.