IDEWE Health Report: 9 out of 10 employees feel healthy, but 1 in 3 struggles with health problems
Nearly 90% of employees in Belgium rate their health as good to excellent. Yet around 1 in 10 regularly experiences stress, mental or physical exhaustion due to work, and 33.7% have one or more active health problems. Meanwhile, the number of employees who are overweight continues to rise, the number with high blood pressure remains high, physical activity levels are still too low, and the number of smokers is not declining. This is evident from the new Health Report* 2024 by IDEWE, Belgium’s largest external service for prevention and protection at work, based on data from 282,195 employees.
- Number of employees who are overweight (59.6%) continues to increase
- Number of employees with high blood pressure (24.4%) stagnates
- Transport and construction sectors have the highest number of cases of overweight and hypertension
- Education, healthcare and government score highest on perceived mental pressure
“The personal perception of health is clearly more positive than the objective figures”, says Sofie Vandenbroeck, Head of Knowledge, Information and Research at IDEWE. “Employees generally feel healthy, but at the same time a significant group is dealing with active health problems and work-related pressure.” According to the results, women report more physical and mental strain and are absent more often and for longer periods than men, but this doesn’t mean they are more dissatisfied with their jobs. Employees under the age of 25 report the lowest levels of work-related pressure and are the most satisfied. As age increases, physical complaints and long-term absence also rise.
Physical activity and smoking behaviour remain key concerns
Between 2011 and 2021, IDEWE recorded a gradual improvement in physical activity at work. However, after that period, 69% no longer met the recommended level of at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week. “Three years later, we are still at that level with 68.3%”, says Vandenbroeck. “Sufficient and high-quality physical activity is therefore still far from being a given. In any case, it is important for every employee — whether they are physically active during work or not — to stay active during breaks or after work. Being more active not only has a positive effect on your directly measurable health indicators (weight, BMI, etc.), it also helps reduce stress and makes it easier to relax and sleep.”
Despite the growing number of smoking cessation initiatives and broader shifts in public attitudes, IDEWE sees hardly any change in the share of employees who smoke. In 2024, this stood at 24.6%, compared to 24.7% in 2023. Smoking rates are higher among younger employees, among men, and among workers in sectors such as hospitality and construction.
Overweight rates continue to rise, high blood pressure stagnates
The percentage of employees who are overweight continues to increase slightly. In 2024, an average of 59.6% of employees had a BMI of 25 or higher, compared to 59% in 2023. Among men, this figure stands at 64.5%, while among women it is 52.6%.
In addition, the number of employees with high blood pressure (hypertension) increased significantly between 2019 and 2021. The latest data, as in the previous report, show no improvement: the share of employees with hypertension has remained at 24.4% since 2023. In 2024, 30% of men and 17.2% of women were affected.
Health challenges by sector
In its new report, IDEWE also takes a closer look at the differences between sectors. The transport and construction sectors generally record the highest rates of overweight and hypertension. In the transport sector, 70.5% of employees are overweight, compared to 66.8% in construction. The share of employees with high blood pressure reaches 32.3% in transport and 32.5% in construction. The transport sector also has the highest number of employees with cardiovascular diseases and endocrine disorders. “It is also the sector where people move the least” says Vandenbroeck.
In the retail sector and the hospitality industry, relatively more employees rate their health as poor. In the hospitality sector, 80.2% also fall short of the recommended level of physical activity. “A good example of the physical activity paradox: active or physically demanding work does not automatically mean sufficient healthy activity”, says Vandenbroeck.
Education, healthcare and government score highest in terms of perceived mental pressure, with healthcare leading in overall absenteeism and retail leading in long-term absenteeism.
Prevention remains key
“Although our report shows that employees generally feel healthy, the structural risks are very clear”, concludes Vandenbroeck. “Prevention must therefore go beyond individual initiatives. A well-considered health policy, tailored to the sector and target group, is essential to keep employees healthy and employable in the long term. Those who feel healthy and fit tend to have a more positive attitude and are more motivated. This benefits the workplace atmosphere and has a positive impact on productivity and attendance. Employers and employees share responsibility in this.”
*The data were collected during the day-to-day activities of IDEWE’s medical teams and not as part of a separate study. As a result, the population is not fully representative of “Belgian employees” and the surveys and measurements were not carried out in a standardized manner. This 2024 report is based on data from 282,195 employees. The responses to the Personal Medical Questionnaire (PMV-AMH) of 136,468 employees were included in the analysis. The questions in this questionnaire are signal questions and not validated scales. Only employees who are currently working were surveyed, meaning the ‘healthy worker effect’ must be taken into account. Moreover, the data only concern employees who attended a medical examination; these are employees exposed to a health risk for which periodic medical surveillance is mandatory.
