Volunteering linked to better health

Knowledgeable employees make better health care decisions. Eighty percent of the people who’ve volunteered in the past 12 months say they feel they have control over their health. Seventy-six percent, meanwhile, say that volunteering has made them feel healthier. Add to that, volunteers are more likely than nonvolunteers to consider themselves in excellent or very good health, and they’re more likely to say their health has improved over the past 12 months.

About one-quarter of the people who’ve volunteered in the past month say that volunteering has helped them to manage a chronic illness. “The one that’s really interesting when looking at volunteers compared to the population in general is that volunteers are more knowledgeable than nonvolunteers about their health and chronic conditions and, in fact, 58% of volunteers say they’re very knowledgeable about their health and chronic conditions, compared to 50% of all U.S. adults,” says Kate Rubin, vice president of social responsibility with UnitedHealth Group.