Employee Wellness Plans : Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s)

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

Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals have four standard elements in worksite settings:
• A Questionnaire
• A Computer 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 significant feature to consider is readiness to change questions to determine participation interest. Including wellness screenings such as blood lipids and Blood Pressure (BP) results increases the advantages of an Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment by offering a more accurate health assessment and therefore improving lifestyle choice decisions and program options. Nonetheless, it is significant 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 lower risk factors. Individual reports are totally confidential. Depending on the reason for implementing the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment, it’s valuable to consider the type of report the organization will receive as well. A group report summarizing major risk factors and recommendations for programs to enable in order to lower employee and organization risks supports valuable information for your wellness program.

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