Are we working ourselves sick?

Maclean's exclusive "How Healthy Are You?" survey of 26,000 reveals the most overlooked health problem in Canada

TORONTO, May 6 /CNW/ - In a Special Report this week, Maclean's asks, "How Healthy Are You?"

The exclusive survey finds that "layoff survivors" avoided pink slips, but inherited more work-and illness. The most likely consequences of overwork and non-stop job stress are muscle aches and stiffness along with psychosocial symptoms, such as frustration, unhappiness and depression. Maclean's examines how one company is addressing the problem and what individuals can do to maintain their health.

Rising work-related illness is just one of the many findings of the 6th annual How Healthy Are You? Survey from Maclean's and Scienta Health that has implications for all Canadians.

The Q-GAP test from Maclean's and Dr. Elaine Chin of Scienta Health, which is posted online again this year, is an exclusive head-to-toe health check that provides relevant insights into each individual's current and potential health problems, probing for the presence, frequency and intensity of approximately 150 symptoms of disease or discomfort. Since last May, more than 26,000 Canadians visited www.macleans.ca/howhealthy to get a handle on their own mental and physical well-being. The results of the test they took bring us this year's intriguing results.

This Maclean's Special Report, compiled by Maclean's associate editor Cathy Gulli and staff writer Kate Lunau, also features:

    
    - Eating for your genes: DNA tests pinpoint who should eat what-and why
      we crave the foods we do.
    - All the right moves: The key to success is surprisingly simple: make
      workouts short, intense, social and 'mindless.'
    - Burning calories: How many calories are in some of your favourite
      foods-and how much physical activity will it take to burn them off?
    Gender gaps: The different symptoms reported by men and women.
    

To take the "How Healthy Are You?" quiz, go to http://www.macleans.ca/howhealthy

About Maclean's:

Maclean's is Canada's only national weekly current affairs magazine. Maclean's enlightens, engages and entertains 2.4 million readers with strong investigative reporting and exclusive stories from leading journalists in the fields of international affairs, social issues, national politics, business and culture. Visit www.macleans.ca.

For further information: Media contact: Louise Leger, [phone], [email protected]