The Health and Cost Benefits of Work Site Health-Promotion Programs
- 1 April 2008
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Annual Reviews in Annual Review of Public Health
- Vol. 29 (1), 303-323
- https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.29.020907.090930
Abstract
We review the state of the art in work site health promotion (WHP), focusing on factors that influence the health and productivity of workers. We begin by defining WHP, then review the literature that addresses the business rationale for it, as well as the objections and barriers that may prevent sufficient investment in WHP. Despite methodological limitations in many available studies, the results in the literature suggest that, when properly designed, WHP can increase employees' health and productivity. We describe the characteristics of effective programs including their ability to assess the need for services, attract participants, use behavioral theory as a foundation, incorporate multiple ways to reach people, and make efforts to measure program impact. Promising practices are noted including senior management support for and participation in these programs. A very important challenge is widespread dissemination of information regarding success factors because only ∼7% of employers use all the program components required for successful interventions. The need for more and better science when evaluating program outcomes is highlighted. Federal initiatives that support cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness analyses are stressed, as is the need to invest in healthy work environments, to complement individual based interventions.Keywords
This publication has 71 references indexed in Scilit:
- Results of the 2004 National Worksite Health Promotion SurveyAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2008
- Work, Obesity, and Occupational Safety and HealthAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2007
- Health Promotion in Later Life: It's Never Too LateAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 2007
- The Costs of Obesity among Full-Time EmployeesAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 2005
- The Art of Health PromotionAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 2005
- The Art of Health PromotionAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 2004
- The Art of Health PromotionAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 2004
- A Review of Health-Related Outcomes of Multi-Component Worksite Health Promotion ProgramsAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 1997
- The Impact of Worksite-Based Health Risk Appraisal on Health-Related Outcomes: A Review of the LiteratureAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 1996
- A Comprehensive Review of the Effects of Worksite Health Promotion on Health-Related OutcomesAmerican Journal of Health Promotion, 1996