The last thing a wellness program should do is make health coverage less affordable for those with greater health risk factors and whose health could most benefit from certain health services.

WSJ: Should Employees Get Insurance Discounts for Completing Wellness Programs?

The leading health risk factors for Europeans today include tobacco and harmful alcohol use.

BBC: European men lag behind in life expectancy

The death rate was 2.1 percent with the open Roux-en-Y and 0.2 percent with the laparoscopic version. (Some patients who underwent the open Roux-en-Y had health factors that put them at greater risk for complications.) There were no deaths associated with laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding.

CNN: Weight-loss surgery safe, but sleep apnea increases risk

On the other hand, the medical community has moved forward "light years" in its understanding and ability to handle other risk factors for substance abuse, such as ADHD, impulse control challenges, mental health concerns like anxiety or significant trauma, which may have occurred prior to the child coming into the family -- all of which are risk factors for substance abuse, says Albers.

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