Posts from — June 2009

An yearly plan for the primary wellness programs and activities is a useful management tool. This is an excellent Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee task. Often an exercise and wellness theme per month is offered to workers.

Some companies choose to follow a National Health Observances calendar which offers advantages. The materials developed by these various national health companies are very credible. The materials are usually high quality and available free or at a nominal expense.

The company benefits from additional publicity that occurs in various media throughout the neighborhood related to the national observance. For planning recommendations you may want to utilize the HOPE Publications Wellness Resource Creating Guide available for free at this Web site.

A Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) is sometimes 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 weighty health issues over time.

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

For accuracy, it is crucial to obtain direct measures of Blood Pressure, cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol. The HRA also provides recommendations and indicates what risks are potentially modifiable. Types of measures to evaluate health risks are discussed under Screening Programs.

The impact of a health risk appraisal is much greater when it is given in-person, with immediate feedback to the client. This also supplies 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 corporations. Continuing research on HRAs is examining the efficacy of this tool. One of the big advantages of this tool is that it can offer an aggregate group report of a business and can be utilized as an assessment 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 evaluation performed in Workplace Wellness Programs is heart health assessment.

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

The health professional delivering the evaluation then supports a consultation and helps set objectives with the participant.

The backbone of wellness programming at the worksite is health screening. It is the first major activity a business ought to do when first starting a wellness program. Health screening is frequently 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 screening techniques and counseling to privately and individually assess participants. This wellness professional takes a brief health history and measures Blood Pressure and blood lipids. With computerized blood lipids desktop analyzers, results are obtained in about four minutes.

Immediate feedback, consultation, and educational materials are given. 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 assessment can be done on an annual basis and used as a means of monitoring health risks within the worksite.

A health assessment program needs to offer multiple opportunities for participation. The service must be given for all the various shifts of a business. The assessment program must be conducted in highly visible areas so the process can be monitored.

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

When well-planned and promoted, health screening 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 employer. Goals like mission statements support direction in a program.

Objectives are specific and provide a means of measurement of the program to determine success. 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 elevated 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 high Blood Pressure or blood lipids years later

Wellness committees are significant in that they foster a sense of ownership in the program, and facilitate various tasks involved in wellness programming at the worksite. The Company Wellness Program Committee ought to be composed of a cross-section of staff members representing various occupations, levels, and subgroups with the company.

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

The Worksite Wellness Program Committee is made up of employees from the workplace. It oversees the wellness program and helps carry it out. The Worksite Wellness Program Committee must meet about once a month to review the previous month’s activities and plan future ones. When the program is just starting, the Worksite Wellness Program Committee may meet on a weekly basis until things get going.

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

In general, the Company Wellness Program Committee’s duties fall into three areas: planning, promoting, and helping to run programs.

Creating the programs can include:

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

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

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

The size of the Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee will be dependent on the size of the employer. Pick members by asking day management to nominate or appoint workers.

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

Recognize your Company Health Promotion Program Committee volunteers. Allow them to participate in programs at a reduced cost. Hold appreciation breakfasts/lunches/dinners. Print names of Company Health Promotion Program Committee participants on organization 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. Organize awards certificates for participants.

The following can be used as a guide for Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee size:

• Less than 300 workers   2 to 4
• 300 to 1,000 workers   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 valuable. It includes social standards of expected and accepted behavior called “cultural norms.”

It includes peer support from family, friends, and co-staff members. This support 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 organization are:

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

Effective wellness programs attempt to set up 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 beneficial outlook. Policies promote and support wellness efforts within the workplace.

• Effective programs identify ways that organization policies and organization 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 for the health improvement of the workplace.

An initial health screening 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 depends on the scope of your program. A sample survey can be obtained in the HOPE Publications Web site. If you aim to modify this sample survey or cultivate your own survey, keep the following hints in mind:

• Ask mostly closed-choice questions, especially if you will be sending the survey to a sizable number of staff members. Closed-choice questions offer specific choices and are easy to tabulate. You may want to use a computer for data entry and analysis.
• Invite comments, suggestions 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 organization president. Make sure to include a statement about confidentiality and anonymity.
• Ask a group of representative workers to review the survey before it is distributed. Find out if the questions will be understood by workers 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 must get the survey, a simple rule is if you have under 500 employees, everyone must 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 expenditures and time. You may want to consider paying a statistician to determine an appropriate sample size for your workplace.

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

Getting support 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 company. 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. Offer 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. Offer 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 Employee Health Promotion Program Committee members itemizing each response. Offer a short article about the survey in the business newsletter.

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

Complete Corporate Health Promotion Programs involve all employees, deal with all primary health risks, offers choices, and target both the employees and the workplace environment; provide periodic assessment of its results.  Complete Corporate Health Promotion Programs emphasize follow-up and offers backing for the employee as long as he/she is employed. Research studies have demonstrated this approach to be highly thriving. Key components are planning, implementation, and assessment.

Beginning accross the board Company Health Promotion Programs involve performing a needs and interest assessment, appointing a Company Health Promotion Program Committee, selecting wellness providers, setting goals and objectives for the corporate wellness program, marketing/promoting the program, and establishing procedures to ensure confidentiality.

Implementation of inclusive Workplace Wellness Programs consist of five major tasks:

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

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