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Employers have a unique opportunity to improve Americans' health, suggests a new study. 

According to the study, even though the United States spends more on health care than any other country, the life expectancy and disease-specific survival rates of Americans is far from improving. 

The study traces the problem to the fragmented spending on public health and disease prevention programs in United States, and finds the workplace is a common central setting where evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion programs could be easily implemented, the press release added.

In the study, authors recommended following five steps to encourage the adoption of evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion programs in the workplace: 

1. Increase the level of training in health promotion and disease prevention and the level of advocacy by leaders both inside and outside of the workplace

2. Provide government incentives for employers to invest in workplace health programs

3. Increase the quality and quantity of research into the benefits of workplace health programs

4. Adjust government regulations to promote the use of evidence-based disease prevention programs

5. Link workplace and community-based programs in order to multiply the effect of each program

"Encouraging employers to invest in programs that help their employees live longer, healthier lives is not only good for society, it is also good for a company's bottom line," said lead researcher Dr. Katherine Tryon, in the press release. "I hope this research will encourage corporate and governmental leaders to take action and implement evidence-based workplace health programs."

The study is published in the  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.