Posts from — June 2009

A Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) is occasionally used in conjunction with a health evaluation. An HRA is a computerized assessment tool which looks at an individual’s family history, health status, and lifestyle. An HRA seeks to identify precursors associated with premature death or serious illness and quantifies the probable impact for each individual.

An HRA instrument is derived from an understanding of the course of a disease. Based on this understanding, useful prediction instruments can be constructed to assess the health risks of an individual. Individuals with a higher number of health risks tend to have more genuine health concerns over time.

Drawing attention to their health risks can help clients reduce risk factors which lead to the onset of unnecessary disease and subsequent premature death. The questionnaire covers lifestyle habits (such as smoking, Safety Belt use, and exercise) and physical measures (such as blood lipids, Blood Pressure levels, height, and weight).

For accuracy, it is crucial to get direct measures of Blood Pressure (BP), blood lipids and HDL-cholesterol. The HRA also supplies recommendations and indicates what risks are modifiable. Types of measures to assess health risks are discussed under Screening Programs.

The effect of a health risk appraisal is much greater when it is given in-person, with immediate feedback to the client. This also provides an opportunity to invite the client’s participation in continuing health counseling and to gain their written consent to do pro-active outreach to them.

A health age can be computed based on the individual answers to the questionnaire and physiologic factors. The health age may indicate the individual to be younger or older than their chronological age.

HRA programs are one the most prolific types of wellness activities utilized by companies. Continuing research on HRAs is examining the efficacy of this tool. One of the big advantages of this tool is that it can provide an aggregate group report of a company and can be utilized as an evaluation tool.

Detailed information is available from the Society of Prospective Medicine (www.spm.org/desc.html) who publishes a handbook on HRAs.

The most common assessment performed in Corporate Wellness Programs is heart health assessment.

The screening can include a written heart health test, Blood Pressure (BP) measurement, cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol test, glucose (blood glucose), weight, educational materials specific to diet, nutrition, exercise, cholesterol, smoking, and weight.

The health professional delivering the assessment then supports a consultation and helps set objectives with the attendant.

The backbone of wellness programming at the workplace is health evaluation. It is the first major exercise a company must do when first starting a wellness program. Health evaluation is often used in conjunction with the administration of a Health Risk Appraisal (HRA).

The most effective way to screen is to utilize a health professional trained in wellness evaluation techniques and counseling to privately and individually assess participants. This wellness professional takes a brief health history and measures Blood Pressure (BP) and cholesterol. With computerized cholesterol desktop analyzers, results are obtained in about four minutes.

Immediate feedback, consultation, and educational materials are offered. For those identified at-risk, follow-up appointments can be scheduled at this time. The whole process takes about twenty minutes per individual. The screening also provides an immediate opportunity to register participants in various health improvement programs based on their interests and identified health risks.

Health screening can be done on an annual basis and used as a means of monitoring health risks within the worksite.

A health screening program needs to provide multiple opportunities for participation. The service ought to be offered for all the various shifts of a organization. The screening program ought to be conducted in highly visible areas so the process can be inspected.

Reluctant employees frequently like to be able to see what the program is about before they participate. When wellness screeners are not busy, they must perform outreach going to areas where employees gather and attempt to recruit employees.

When well-planned and promoted, health assessment can attract participation rates of 60% to 100%. These high participation rates have a positive influence on management producing support for further programming.

Goals are broad-based statements about what the program is expected to do. The intention of the wellness program is to enhance the health of the individual and the company. Goals like mission statements support direction in a program.

Objectives are specific and provide a means of measurement of the program to determine performance. There are two types of objectives, process and outcome. Process objectives state the activities that need to occur to achieve a desired outcome.

Examples of process objectives are:
• Number of participants screened
• Number of participants in and completing health improvement programs
• Satisfaction of program participants
• Number of participants who were medically referred and saw their physician
• Number of promotional activities
• Number of participants seen in follow-up

Example of outcome objectives are:
• Number of participants who improved fitness level
• Number of participants who lowered cholesterol level
• Number of participants who lost weight, body fat
• Number of participants who quit smoking
• Number of participants with high Blood Pressure who lowered their Blood Pressure
• Number of participants whose initial level of alcohol consumption put them at-risk who are no longer at-risk
• Number of participants with risk factors who saw their physician and are being treated for elevated Blood Pressure or blood lipids years later

Wellness committees are important in that they foster a sense of ownership in the program, and facilitate various tasks involved in wellness programming at the workplace. The Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee must be composed of a cross-section of staff members representing various occupations, levels, and subgroups with the corporation.

A common mistake is filling the Company Wellness Program Committee with the most health/fitness-conscious people in the corporation. Don’t rely solely on volunteers to fill a Company Wellness Program Committee. Make sure that your Company Wellness Program Committee members have sufficient authority in the corporation to run an effective wellness program.

The Company Health Promotion Program Committee is made up of staff members from the worksite. It oversees the wellness program and helps carry it out. The Company Health Promotion Program Committee ought to meet about once a month to review the previous month’s activities and plan future ones. When the program is just starting, the Company Health Promotion Program Committee may meet on a weekly basis until things get going.

Committee members do not carry out medical procedures, counsel clients, or handle confidential health information. Wellness professionals perform these tasks.

In general, the Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee’s duties fall into three areas: planning, promoting, and supporting to run programs.

Planning the programs can include:

• Finding space for activities
• Beginning and organizing workplace-wide events such as contests
• Reviewing reports prepared by the program employee and making recommendations

Promoting the program can include:
• Recruiting employees to take part in evaluation and health improvement programs
• Encouraging employees to take part in follow-up counseling
• Organizing promotional strategies using newsletters, signs, bulletin boards, computers, and other media available within the worksite

Helping to run the program can include:
• Setting up equipment for various activities
• Helping to conduct worksite-wide activities
• Monitoring all activities and reviewing the performance of the professional employee
• Acting as wellness mentors to fellow staff members

The size of the Company Health Promotion Program Committee will be dependent on the size of the organization. Pick participants by asking day management to nominate or appoint employees.

Make an announcement through flyers, memos, and meetings to recruit potential participants. Explain the purpose of the Corporate Wellness Program Committee, duties and responsibilities, and the time commitment.

Recognize your Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee volunteers. Allow them to take part in programs at a reduced cost. Hold appreciation breakfasts/lunches/dinners. Print names of Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee members on employer communications about the wellness program.

Purchase special T-shirts, caps, and buttons for them. Write letters to supervisors saying that you appreciate the member’s service. Design awards certificates for participants.

The following can be used as a guide for Company Wellness Program Committee size:

• Less than 300 workers   2 to 4
• 300 to 1,000 employees   4 to 6
• 1,000 employees or more   6 to 12

Effective wellness programs recognize the importance of building a supportive cultural environment. The workplace culture includes shared values/heartfelt beliefs about what is significant. It includes social standards of expected and accepted behavior called “cultural norms.”

It includes peer backing from family, friends, and co-workers. This backing can help one adopt healthy lifestyles. Tools are available to audit a corporation.

The long-term success of any wellness program is dependent on the corporate culture.

Some healthy culture signs in a company are:

• employees communicate openly
• Leaders support diversity and opinion
• staff members have fun
• Policies support wellness
• workers are encouraged to grow
• staff members work together as a group
• employees’ skills and talents are matched to their jobs.
• Flexible work schedules are available
• Employers consider workers as their most significant asset

Effective wellness programs attempt to create healthy worksite climates. A healthy worksite climate is one which encourages teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment of the individual.

People have a sense of community, a shared vision, and a positive outlook. Policies reward and support wellness efforts within the worksite.

• Effective programs identify ways that corporation policies and corporation traditions encourage wellness.
• Effective programs work at the group and organization level to build support for healthy lifestyle choices.
• Effective programs set clear target objectives and goals for the health improvement of the workplace.

An initial health evaluation can include a survey of staff members’ interests as part of the assessment. Successful wellness programs are designed to meet the needs and interests of the staff members. The information you need to get from a survey is dependent upon the scope of your program. A sample survey can be obtained in the HOPE Publications Web site. If you aim to adjust this sample survey or advance your own survey, keep the following hints in mind:

• Ask mostly closed-choice questions, especially if you will be sending the survey to a large number of workers. Closed-choice questions provide specific choices and are simple to tabulate. You may want to use a computer for data entry and analysis.
• Invite comments, ideas and recommendations, or ask open-ended questions at the end of the survey. Open-ended items are more difficult to summarize.
• Include a brief explanatory cover letter with the survey with the signature of the employer president. Make sure to include a statement about confidentiality and anonymity.
• Ask a group of representative employees to review the survey before it is distributed. Find out if the questions will be understood by employees and will not be objected to.
• Include demographic information at the beginning or end of the survey. Consider various ways that you might analyze the responses by demographic characteristics (gender, age, shift, site, department, etc.).

When thinking of who ought to get the survey, a simple rule is if you have under 500 employees, everyone ought to receive one. The public relations benefit of everyone receiving a survey can be important. Over 500 employees, a sample of the work population will suffice. A sample saves on costs and time. You may want to consider consulting with a statistician to determine an appropriate sample size for your worksite.

Needs surveys are confidential and anonymous; they do not request information that may identify a person.

Getting backing from management is crucial to the success of the program.

One way to do this is to survey managers (see forms) and conduct interviews with decision-makers in the organization. You can use the surveys here or make up your own. If you decide to do your own, keep the survey short. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to complete.

The interview process can also serve as a means of educating management. Give concise fact sheets on the benefits of wellness programs for management. When surveys and interviews are completed, tally the surveys and write brief summaries of the interviews. Give these reports to management.

Once completed present a brief executive summary to management. Highlight a few interesting findings that can be used immediately to make decisions about the program.

Utilize charts and graphs to make your points. Prepare a detailed report for Workplace Wellness Program Committee members itemizing each response. Offer a short article about the survey in the company newsletter.

The higher the response the more valid and reliable the results. A minimum response of 40% to 50% is acceptable.

Complete Employee Wellness Programs involve all staff members, deal with all major health risks, offers choices, and target both the staff members and the worksite environment; support periodic assessment of its outcome.  Complete Employee Wellness Programs emphasize follow-up and offers support for the employee as long as he/she is employed. Studies have established this approach to be highly successful. Key components are planning, implementation, and assessment.

Creating comprehensive Employee Wellness Programs involve performing a needs and interest assessment, appointing a Employee Wellness Program Committee, selecting wellness providers, setting objectives and goals for the corporate wellness program, marketing/promoting the program, and adopting procedures to ensure confidentiality.

Implementation of accross the board Worksite Wellness Programs consist of five major tasks:

1.   Health evaluation and referral
2.   Follow-up and counseling staff members
3.   Follow-up with physicians
4.   Health improvement programs
5.   Organizing workplace-wide activities.

Assessment involves monitoring Company Health Promotion Programs to learn if it is working and to help you refine it. Measuring success shows what you have achieved, helps justify expenditures, and supplies information for management to support continued programming.

Initially introduced by Halbert Dunn in the 1950’s, wellness became a popular buzzword during the late 1970’s and received considerable academic attention in the 1980’s.  Corporate Wellness Programs for employees became more widespread during the following decade, and credible evidence for their economic viability began to be published.  There have now been over 100 published research studies on this topic and a number of systematic reviews.

Health risks aggravate costs.  Healthcare Insurance costs escalate with both age and number of risks present.8,10   The number of risks is also strongly related to sick time absenteeism, Worker’s Compensation costs, STD, and reduced productivity (”presenteeism”).

Early Company Health Promotion Programs were relatively basic and typically produced a return on investment (ROI) of less than one dollar for every dollar invested operating the program (ROI = <1:1).8 Such programs might be characterized as "fun-oriented".  Participation is entirely voluntary, and there is no particular focus on the reduction of specifically identified high risks.  Interventions and activities are not customized, and there is no emphasis on the management of health costs.  These programs are typically site-based only, lack options to address all of the major behaviorally-related health risks, and lack multimodal presentation.  Minimal or no incentives are available to workers for participation, and services to spouses and family members are not available.  Most such programs lack meaningful evaluation.  

More conventional programs are "activity-oriented" and have demonstrated an ROI of between 1:2.5 and 1:3.5.8 These programs may have a greater emphasis on health and risk reduction, even though the efforts are relatively broad and not customized.  They may have some generalized emphasis on health cost management, even though not necessarily aimed at specific high risks.  Most are site-based and voluntary, with spouses included only rarely.  Modest incentives may be utilized to bolster participation.  Formal assessment may be weak.

The newest and most economically viable programs are "results-oriented" and exemplify the health and productivity management model.  These programs consistently produce return rates of 1:4 or greater within a 12-24 month period.8   Such programs are strongly focused on the reduction of specifically identified high risks and the management of health expenditures.  They are generally voluntary, but use strong financial and other incentives/rewards to promote participation.  They are multi-component in nature (address all major risks), and have both workplace and virtual modalities of operation.  The interventions are highly targeted and individualized, and provided to spouses as well as employees.

For employers, the expense of providing healthcare insurance for their employees is of great importance.  Those costs have been increasing at yearly rates between 6 percent and 14%. Chapman's 2007 systematic review published an average decrease in medical costs of 26.5 percent as a result of Company Health Promotion Programs.  His review covered 60 of the most scientifically valid studies, with an average of 3.77 years of study.

Rates of Absenteeism due to illness is another cost driver.  Chapman's review reports an average decline in sick leave of 25.3%.   Cost for Worker's Compensation was reduced by 40.7%, and disability costs by 24.2%. There is also an emerging literature on the costs of presenteeism (reduced productiveness).11,13  In one study, every risk reduced through a wellness program yielded a 9% decline in presenteeism (and a 2% decline in absenteeism).

Some corporations have achieved a zero percent increase in medical costs across at least brief periods of time.10  Doing so requires 90-95 percent participation of the employee population in focused wellness drives, with 75%-85 percent of the staff members falling into the low risk category.10  Although robust efforts to cut the risk status of those in moderate or high risk categories must be made, the needs of currently healthy staff members must be addressed as well to avert increases in risk-status.

Given the size of the federal workforce, important cost savings in the government's contribution to health insurance premiums for workers might be achieved if a majority of that population were participating in active wellness programs.  Similarly, improvements in absenteeism, worker's compensation, disability, presenteeism, and turnover as a result of robust Company Wellness Programs would provide substantial fiscal benefits for the government.

References

1.   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Company Wellness Programs:  A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Health Promotion 15(5):296-320.
2.   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   The Role of Incentives in Health Promotion.  The Art of Health Promotion  2(3):1-8.
3.   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Health Promotion:  Is it Really As Important as We Think?  The Art of Health Promotion  7(2):1-12.
4.   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Assessment of Workplace Wellness Programs Economic Return Studies: 2005 Update.  The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-15.
5.   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)   Employee Participation in Corporate Wellness Programs and Corporate Wellness Programs:  How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6):  431-432.
6.   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   The Role of Health and Wellness Coaching in Employee Wellness Programs.   The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-12.
7.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive:  An Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Job Site Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.
8.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   An In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
9.   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research:  A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Health Promotion 15(5): 341-349.
10.   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Business Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
11.   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7): 746-754.
12.   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of comprehensive Health and Disease Management Programs at the Worksite: Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.
13.   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. al.  (2007)  An Unhealthy America:  The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.
14.   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health:  Proven Health Promotion Practices for Workplaces.   http://www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.