- The program, aimed at improving the health of ACCIONA’s employees, won the Estrategia NAOS 2015 prize for fighting obesity in the business environment
The Spanish Ministry of Health, through the Spanish Agency of Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition, has awarded ACCIONA the Premio NAOS 2015 a la Estrategia en el Ámbito Laboral (NAOS 2015 Prize for Strategy in the World of Work) for its “Salud y Bienestar” (Health and Wellbeing) program, a comprehensive plan that encourages good eating habits and physical exercise among employees of the company.
ThePremios Estrategia NAOS awards recognize programs, interventions and initiatives that, as in the case of ACCIONA’s Health and Wellbeing plan, contribute to the fight against obesity through the promotion of healthy eating and regular physical activity.
ACCIONA started to implement the Health and Wellbeing plan in 2012, with advice from Valentín Fuster (through the Pro CNIC Foundation), the Spanish Nutrition Foundation andthe National Center of Cardiovascular Research. Initially, a phase of evaluation took place on the needs of the workforce, and once these were analyzed measures were designed in three areas: preventive medicine, physical exercise and healthy eating.
In preventive medicine, prevention campaigns on oncological diseases and specific awareness creation were carried out on issues such as anti-flu vaccination, blood donation and road safety. Employees in Madrid, Navarra and Vizcaya have been provided with physiotherapy and rehabilitation rooms and talks on health issues are given in company offices by prestigious experts. The corporate Intranet also contains medical information and advice.
Initiatives have also been organized to encourage physical activity, including participation in sports events such as fun runs or competitions. A campaign titled “Camina 30 minutos al día” (Walk 30 minutes a day) has also been set up, with hints on how to get the best out of exercise and systems to monitor and evaluate the effort made.
In the field of nutrition, the plan includes a rigorous analysis of menus (production, handling, conservation, preparation and distribution of food), including ‘healthy options’ in company canteens with information on the calories contained in each dish. Further information on healthy eating is available on the Intranet, adapting to the different seasons of the year or medical prescription (high-calorie diets or rich in minerals or vitamins, etc.). ‘Healthy products’ have also been introduced into vending machines.
The Premios Estrategia NAOS are among the most prestigious awards in Spain in the promotion of healthy living habits. In this edition around a hundred projects were presented, examined by a jury of 12 experts from the academic world, representatives of institutions such as the Sports Council, associations in the field of nutrition and physical activity, the Economic and Social Council, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, the Federation of City and Town Councils, food company managers and representatives of Welfare Departments from a number of autonomous regions.
The recognition given to the “Salud y Bienestar”program makes ACCIONA the first company not related to the food sector or institutions to be granted the award for the best “Business Strategy”.
The prizes were awarded within the framework of the Estrategia NAOS,which sets out to foster initiatives to prevent obesity and other associated chronic illnesses through a healthy diet and regular physical activity.