Health and Wellness Leads : Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s)

Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments, are an assessment tool or questionnaire scientifically designed to identify health risks and outline information to help  American citizens in making healthy changes that impact their health and prevent chronic disease.

Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments have four standard elements in worksite settings:
• A Questionnaire
• A Computerized Program to Review Health Risk Factors
• Confidential Individual Reports
• Group Summary Report

Workers complete a lifestyle questionnaire that includes for example diet practices, height and weight, exercise habits, family history, stress perceptions, smoking history, and work satisfaction. Another valuable feature to consider is readiness to change questions to determine participation interest. Including wellness screenings such as cholesterol and Blood Pressure results increases the benefits of an Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment by providing a more accurate health assessment and therefore improving lifestyle choice decisions and program options. Still, it is valuable to determine if the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment can be used without including this information.

The health risk questionnaire information is entered into a computer program and an individual confidential report is generated that summarizes health risks as well as information on how to cut risk factors. Individual reports are fully confidential. Depending on the reason for implementing the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment, it’s important to consider the type of report the organization will receive as well. A group report summarizing major risk factors and recommendations for programs to start in order to cut employee and organization risks provides important information for your wellness program.

The Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments are able to be used to:
• Raise awareness to individual employee’s health status
• Motivate workers to make healthier lifestyle changes
• Coach elevated-risk employees
• Develop Workplace Wellness Programs based on the identified needs
• Review program performance by comparing Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) completed at set intervals such as yearly.