{"id":4150,"date":"2017-11-10T10:15:40","date_gmt":"2017-11-10T18:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/?p=4150"},"modified":"2019-11-07T23:36:57","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T07:36:57","slug":"what-is-a-biometric-screening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/what-is-a-biometric-screening\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a biometric screening (and why should I care)?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to playing the numbers, the lottery is one thing \u2014 but your health is another. And it\u2019s not something you want to leave to chance.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where biometric screenings \u2014 which get you up close and personal with the numbers that count \u2014 come in.<\/p>\n<h2>Biometric screenings explained<\/h2>\n<p>Despite its fancy-sounding name, it\u2019s really just a mini-physical, often done where you work, by a nurse or other healthcare technician. A biometric screening measures some basic physical characteristics like your height and weight, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as several other health indicators.<\/p>\n<p>These numbers provide a snapshot of your overall wellbeing. They can shed light on health conditions you may not even be aware of, or indicate your risk for serious illnesses such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease down the road.<\/p>\n<p>Knowing your key numbers (and whether they could use some improvement) will give you the motivation you need to develop healthier habits \u2014 so you can live your best life.<\/p>\n<p>The screening takes only a few minutes to complete. It\u2019s offered as part of your health plan, and you may even get some rewards for completing it!<\/p>\n<p>Just so you know, a biometric screening shouldn\u2019t replace your annual checkup with your <a href=\"https:\/\/my.castlighthealth.com\/blog\/how-to-choose-a-primary-care-physician\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">primary care doctor<\/a>. Think of it as a convenient (and free) way to keep your health goals on the right track.<\/p>\n<h2>What does a biometric screening test for?<\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick list of some of the tests you might receive. These may differ depending on your employer and the company running the screenings, but it\u2019s a pretty good summary of what to expect.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Body mass index (BMI)<\/li>\n<li>Blood pressure<\/li>\n<li>Cholesterol\/lipid panels<\/li>\n<li>Glucose<\/li>\n<li>Complete blood count (CBC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Where do I get screened?<\/h2>\n<p>Often, a mobile lab will come to your workplace. In other cases, you may have to visit an outside lab.<\/p>\n<h2>Will I take a blood test?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes, biometric screenings usually include taking a blood sample to test cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and other metrics.<\/p>\n<h2>What happens next?<\/h2>\n<p>Biometric screenings can help you figure out how best to take advantage of your company\u2019s wellness programs. For instance, if losing weight will improve your health, and your company offers gym membership discounts, go for it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to playing the numbers, the lottery is one thing \u2014 but your health is another. And it\u2019s not something you want to leave to chance. That\u2019s where biometric screenings \u2014 which get you up close and personal with the numbers that count \u2014 come in. Biometric screenings explained Despite its fancy-sounding name, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":4151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8],"tags":[519,290,408,35,480],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-featured.jpg","acf":{"post_type":"post","post_subtitle":"Here\u2019s the lowdown on what to expect from your employer-provided wellness screenings.","post_hero_image":{"ID":4152,"id":4152,"title":"biometric-screenings-hero","filename":"biometric-screenings-hero.jpg","filesize":36520,"url":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-hero.jpg","link":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/what-is-a-biometric-screening\/biometric-screenings-hero\/","alt":"A doctor measures his patient's blood pressure, as part of a company's biometric screening initiative.","author":"49","description":"A doctor measures his patient's blood pressure, as part of a company's biometric screening initiative.","caption":"A biometric screening is a mini-physical, often done where you work, by a nurse or other healthcare technician.","name":"biometric-screenings-hero","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":4150,"date":"2017-11-09 00:17:17","modified":"2017-11-09 17:50:57","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":960,"height":400,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-hero.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":63,"medium":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-hero.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":125,"medium_large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-hero.jpg","medium_large-width":640,"medium_large-height":267,"large":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-hero.jpg","large-width":640,"large-height":267,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-hero.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":400,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-hero.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":400}},"mobile_content":{"mobile_story_label":"Featured","mobile_post_title":"What is a biometric screening (and why should I care)?","mobile_carousel_image":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-mobile.jpg","mobile_hero_image":"https:\/\/d3toagd7ypryjs.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/biometric-screenings-featured.jpg","mobile_content_body":"<p>When it comes to playing the numbers, the lottery is one thing \u2014 but your health is another. And it\u2019s not something you want to leave to chance.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where biometric screenings \u2014 which get you up close and personal with the numbers that count \u2014 come in.<\/p>\n<h2>Biometric screenings explained<\/h2>\n<p>Despite its fancy-sounding name, it\u2019s really just a mini-physical, often done where you work, by a nurse or other healthcare technician. A biometric screening measures some basic physical characteristics like your height and weight, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as several other health indicators.<\/p>\n<p>These numbers provide a snapshot of your overall wellbeing. They can shed light on health conditions you may not even be aware of, or indicate your risk for serious illnesses such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease down the road.<\/p>\n<p>The screening takes only a few minutes to complete. It\u2019s offered as part of your health plan, and you may even get some rewards for completing it!<\/p>\n<p>Just so you know, a biometric screening shouldn\u2019t replace your annual checkup with your primary care doctor. Think of it as a convenient (and free) way to keep your health goals on the right track.<\/p>\n<h2>What does a biometric screening test for?<\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s a quick list of some of the tests you might receive. These may differ depending on your employer and the company running the screenings, but it\u2019s a pretty good summary of what to expect.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Body mass index (BMI)<\/li>\n<li>Blood pressure<\/li>\n<li>Cholesterol\/lipid panels<\/li>\n<li>Glucose<\/li>\n<li>Complete blood count (CBC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Where do I get screened?<\/h2>\n<p>Often, a mobile lab will come to your workplace. In other cases, you may have to visit an outside lab.<\/p>\n<h2>Will I take a blood test?<\/h2>\n<p>Yes, biometric screenings usually include taking a blood sample to test cholesterol, blood sugar levels, and other metrics.<\/p>\n<h2>What happens next?<\/h2>\n<p>Biometric screenings can help you figure out how best to take advantage of your company\u2019s wellness programs. For instance, if losing weight will improve your health, and your company offers gym membership discounts, go for it!<\/p>\n"},"post_cta_status":"true","post_conclusion_status":"false","post_co_branding_status":"false","card_title":"Why should I get a biometric screening?","header":"Worth the look","footer":"2 minute read"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4150"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4150\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/my.engage-wellbeing.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}