Volunteering linked to better health
Published July 22, 2013 1:23 PM
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Updated July 22, 2013 1:38 PM
1 Min Read
Control over 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 theyre more likely to say their health has improved over the past 12 months.
Chronic condition management
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 thats 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 theyre 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.
Lower stress
Among those who've volunteered in the past 12 months, 78% say it has lowered their stress levels. Moreover, volunteers are more likely than U.S. adults overall to report that they felt calm and peaceful most of the time, and that they had a lot of energy most of the time, over the past four weeks.
New business skills
In addition to physical and mental health benefits, employees who volunteer say doing so has helped them learn valuable business skills. Sixty-four percent of employees who currently volunteer said that volunteering with work colleagues has strengthened their relationships. We know the lone wolf isnt the kind of person that makes it in todays world, says Rubin. Working on a volunteering [project] helps build stronger relationships with colleagues and helps build that collaboration muscle.
