We know the Des Moines metro area and Iowa as a whole are appealing places in which to live, do business and raise a family. One major component to that success is the way Iowa employers value their employees, and health and wellness programs for employees is a critical component.

Over the last five years, improving health and wellness has become increasingly important as chronic conditions increase and health-care costs rise. Many businesses have taken notice and are looking for ways to reduce costs, increase productivity and improve the lives of their employees.

Individually, Iowans are working hard to lose weight and be healthy, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still classify more than 28 percent of our adult population as obese and 65 percent as overweight. These figures cost Iowa businesses millions due to chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Because Americans spend a significant amount of time at work, employers must be a part of the health-care equation.

In Central Iowa, two groups have come together to advocate, motivate and inform Iowans about what is possible in health and wellness. The Healthiest State Initiative and the Partnership for Better Health are both leading efforts to engage Iowans to take ownership of their health and be proactive in preventing disease. Central Iowa businesses have several inexpensive and effective options to improve the health of their employees, reduce costs and absenteeism, and energize their work forces.

1. Make the healthful choice the easy choice. Adding healthful alternatives such as nuts, dried fruit, water and juice to vending machines provides a choice for health-conscious consumers in break areas. Also, offer fruit or other healthful items as free snacks to your staff. They will likely take those snacks and avoid the calories in a candy bar. This is an initiative Hy-Vee Inc. and other local employers have successfully implemented.

2. Encourage activity during the day though in-house exercise facilities or holding walking meetings when feasible. This will yield an increase in productivity in the afternoon when many of us lose steam following lunch. Adding bike racks and lockers for exercise gear is a great way to support employees who want to commute on foot or by bicycle, which increases daily exercise and avoids traffic. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield is a perfect example of this. Its headquarters was designed to promote natural movement and an active lifestyle. Additionally, its Well For Life Center includes a track that employees frequently use for walking meetings.

3. Implementing a workplace wellness campaign can get your employees excited about exercise and encourage them to work together to be healthier. Many of these programs can be implemented at no cost.

4. One of the most cost-effective and beneficial things a business can do to make its employees healthier is to offer tobacco cessation support and become a tobacco-free employer. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death for Iowans, killing more than 4,400 adults annually and costing over $1 billion each year in health-care costs. Much of this burden falls on employers offering health insurance and does not include the loss of productivity and absenteeism. Cessation coverage and a tobacco-free workplace are long-term, low-cost solutions to having a healthy and productive work force, which significantly reducing health care costs.

In the coming months, look for more success stories and tips in the Business Record as we collectively work to make Iowa the healthiest state in the nation.

Helen Eddy is the executive director of the Healthiest State Initiative and is the assistant vice president of health and wellness at Hy-Vee Inc.