Fewer employees are placing a high priority on managing andimproving their health, according to a recent Towers Watsonsurvey of more than 9,000 large- and mid-size employees.

"As employees cope with a period of high financial and personalstress, the focus on improving health has taken a back seat," saysJeff Levin-Scherz, a physician and senior health care consultant atTowers Watson. "Chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heartdisease, are the No. 1 driver of health care costs, and employersare increasingly committed to offering programs that can empoweremployees to manage their health and prevent the risks that lead tothese diseases.

"Our findings reveal that this strategy faces an uphill battlein the current economic environment, but we believe employers thatcreatively use incentivesto more fully engage employees in wellness efforts have a head start on their competitors."

Employers with well-devised strategies for health care deliveryand vendor partnerships are fighting this by encouraging employeesto proactively manage their own health, Levin-Scherz says. Researchalso reveals employers with high-deductible health plans typicallydo more to support a health management and drive engagement, whichmakes employees more likely to participate in wellnessprograms.

Over the past two years, there has been a drop in employees'interest in health management, according to the survey. Fifty-ninepercent of employee respondents says managing their health is aprimary concern, a decrease from 69 percent in 2008, and 59 percentof respondents are have tried to improve their health in the pasttwo year, down from 65 percent in 2008. Twenty percent of employeesused employer lifestyle management programs, a drop from 26 percentin 2008.

However, employee awareness concerning their health risks isincreasing, as more employees are participating in health-screeningprograms. In fact, 43 percent of employees completed a health riskassessment, a jump from 26 percent in 2008, the survey finds.Thirty-one percent also completed a biometric screening for bodymass index and cholesterol and glucose levels, an increase from 18percent in 2008, while 68 percent of employees believe they canchange their health status.