Reviewers
Authors
- . Patricia E. Hill-Mey
- . Karol L. Kumpfer
- . Ray M. Merrill 1
- . Justine Reel
- . Beverly Hyatt-Neville 2
- . Glenn E. Richardson
1 Department of Health Science, College of Life Sciences, Brigham Young University, Provo, USA
2 2 Health Promotion Bureau, Salt Lake Valley Health Department, Salt Lake CIty
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to describe the multifaceted nature and benefits of worksite health
promotion programs (WHPPs), with emphasis on the college setting. An assessment of the
peer-reviewed literature was conducted of articles published since 2000. Several search engines
were accessed and selected key words were used. Most studies examining WHPPs have
focused on return on investment and productivity. Research that targets the softer side-benefits
of health promotion programs in the workplace is less available. Although the college setting
offers some advantages for implementing health promotion programs. They may also have
unique challenges due to their large and diverse employee population. There is little research
to show the effectiveness and unique challenges of college-based health promotion programs.
Keywords
1. Chenoweth D. Worksite Health Promotion. Champaign, Illinois:
Human Kinetics; 2007.
2. Kenealy B. Healthcarecosts explode. Employee benefits news, 2011.
Available from: http://www.ebn.benefitnews.com/news/healthcare-costs-explode-2713354-1.html.
3. Lorraine M, Chris G, Scott W. Milliman medical index. Milliman,
2011. Available from: http://www.milliman.com/insight/Periodicals/
mmi/2011-Milliman-Medical-Index/ [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
4. Kaiser Family Foundation. Employer Health Benefits 2011 Summary
of Findings. Menlo Park: Kaiser Family Foundation and Health
Research and Education Trust; 2012. p. 8225.
5. Hunnicutt D, Jahn M. Making the case for workplace wellness
programs. WELCOA, 2011. Available from: http://www.welcoa.org/
freeresources/index.php?category=8[Last accessed on 2012 Feb 15].
6. McMahon T. Current employment data. Unemploymentdata.com,
2012. Available from: http://www.unemploymentdata.com/charts/
current-employment-data/ [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic disease and
health promotion (2010). Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/
chronicdisease/overview/index.htm[Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
8. Aldana SG, Merrill RM, Price K, Hardy A, Hager R. Financial impact
of a comprehensive multisite workplace health promotion program.
Prev Med 2005;40:131-7
9. Serxner S, Gold D, Anderson D, Williams D. The impact of a worksite
health promotion program on short-term disability usage. J Occup
Environ Med 2001;43:25-9
10. Schultz AB, Lu C, Barnett TE, Yen LT, McDonald T,
Hirschland D, et al. Influence of participation in a worksite healthpromotion program on disability days. J Occup Environ Med
2002;44:776-80.
11. Serxner SA, Gold DB, Grossmeier JJ, Anderson DR. The relationship
between health promotion program participation and medical costs:
A dose response. J Occup Environ Med 2003;45:1196-200.
12. Aldana SG, Jacobson BH, Harris CJ, Kelley PL, Stone WJ. Influence
of a mobile worksite health promotion program on health care costs.
Am J Prev Med 1993;9:378-83.
13. Merrill RM, Hyatt B, Aldana SG, Kinnersley D. Lowering employee
health care costs through the Healthy Lifestyle Incentive Program.
J Public Health Manag Pract 2011;17:225-32.
14. Merrill RM, Anderson A, Thygerson SM. Effectiveness of a worksite
wellness program on health behaviors and personal health. J Occup
Environ Med 2011;53:1008-12.
15. Merrill RM, Aldana SG, Ellrodt G, Orsi R, Grelle-Laramee J. Efficacy of
the Berkshire Health System Cardiovascular Health Risk Reduction
Program. J Occup Environ Med 2009;51:1024-31.
16. National Prevention Council. National Prevention Strategy,
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Office of the Surgeon General, 2011.
17. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion. Healthy people 2020. Available from:
http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/[Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
18. Berry LL, Mirabito AM, Baun WB. What’s the hard return on
employee wellness programs? Harv Bus Rev 2010;88:104-12, 142.
19. Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ. The health and cost benefits of
worksite health promotion programs. Ann Rev Public Health
2008;29:303-23.
20. Montgomery SL. Building wellness through the implementation of
exercise, nutrition and chronic health education. College of Nursing,
University of South Carolina. PhD Dissertation, 2008. Ann Arbor,
MI: Pro Quest Dissertations and Theses; 2008.
21. Linnan L, Brooks A, Haws S, Benedict S, Birken B, French E, et al.
Community colleges as settings for promoting employee health.
Am J Health Stud 2010;25:86-91.
22. American Time Use Survey. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011.
Available from: http://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/[Last accessed on
2015 Feb 15].
23. Ball T. Selected barriers and incentives for participation in a
university wellness program. Thesis. Logan, Utah: Utah State
University;2009. Unpublished.
24. Barker JW, Glass JC Jr. Perceived wellness needs of university
employees. J Am Coll Health 1990;38:187-9.
25. Eckhart GA, Ebro LL, Claypool PL. Needs, interests, and attitudes
of university faculty for a wellness program. J Am Diet Assoc
1988;88:916-20.
26. Pronk N. Six trends affecting the business case for worksite health
promotion. Worksite Health Promot 2010;14:41-3.
27. Holbrooke K. 5 Best practices for employee health and wellness
programs. ACSM’s Health Fit J 2010;15:38-40.
28. Hunnicutt D, Leffelman B.Welcoa’s 7 Benchmarks of Success.
WELCOA, 2006. Available from: http://www.welcoa.org/wwp/pdf/
aa_6.1_novdec06.pdf.
29. CDC Healthier Workplaces Initiatives. CDC, 2010. Available from:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/hwi/programdesign/index.
htm.
30. HERO Best Practice Scorecard. Health Enhancement Research
Organization,2009. Available from: http://www.the-hero.org/
scorecard_folder/scorecard.htm[Last accessed on 2013 Feb 15].
31. Ryan RM, Deci EL. Self-determination theory and the facilitation
of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. Am
Psychol 2000;55:68-78.
32. Baun W, Mirabito A, Berry L. Elevating the Discussion-The Value
of Worksite Health Promotion. Worksite Health International:
International Association of Worksite Health Promotion; 2010.
33. Seaverson EL, Grossmeier J, Miller TM, Anderson DR. The role of
incentive design, incentive value, communications strategy, and
worksite culture on health risk assessment participation. Am J
Health Promot 2009;23:343-52.
34. Dennison L, Morrison L, Conway G, Yardley L. Opportunities
and challenges for smartphone applications in supporting health
behavior change: Qualitative study. J Med Internet Res 2013;15:e86.
35. Fogg BJ. A behavior model for persuasive design. captology.
stanford.edu, 2009. Available from:http://www.bjfogg.com/
fbm_files/page4_1.pdf[Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
36. Cowdery J, Konkel J, Wildenhaus K. The emerging use of tailoring
in health promotion. Am J Health Promot 2002;6:1-7.
37. Faghri PD, Blozie E, Gustavesen S, Kotejoshyer R. The role of tailored
consultation following health-risk appraisals in employees’ health
behavior. J Occup Environ Med 2008;50:1378-85.
38. Business in Health. Partnership for Prevention, 2012. Available from:
http://www.prevent.org/Topics.aspx?eaID=1&topicID=52[Last
accessed on 2015 Feb 15].39. Della LJ, DeJoy DM, Mitchell SG, Goetzel RZ, Roemer EC, Wilson
MG. Management support of workplace health promotion: Field test
of the leading by example tool. Am J Health Promot 2010;25:138-46.
40. Anderson DR, Grossmeier J, Seaverson, EL, Snyder D. The role
of financial incentives in driving employee engagement in health
management. ACSMs Health Fit J 2008;12:18-22.
41. Kruger J, Yore MM, Bauer DR, Kohl HW. Selected barriers and
incentives for worksite health promotion services and policies. Am
J Health Promot 2007;21:439-47.
42. Neville BH, Merrill RM, Kumpfer KL. Longitudinal outcomes of
a comprehensive, incentivized worksite wellness program. Eval
Health Prof 2011;34:103-23.
43. Burton WN, Chen CY, Conti DJ, Schultz AB, Edington DW. The
association between health risk change and presenteeism change.
J Occup Environ Med 2006;48:252-63.
44. Mitchell S, Goetzel R, Ozminkowski R. The value of worksite health
promotion. ACSMs Health Fit J 2006;12:23-7.
45. Aldana SG. Financial impact of health promotion programs: A
comprehensive review of the literature. Am J Health Promot
2001;15:296-320.
46. Chapman LS, Lesch N, Baun MP. The role of health and wellness
coaching in worksite health promotion. Am J Health Promot
2007;21:Suppl 1-10, iii.
47. Chapman LS. Meta-evaluation of worksite health promotion
economic return studies:2012 update. Am J Health Promot
2012;26:TAHP1-TAHP12.
48. Spero J. Return on investment models for employee wellness
programs. Corporate Wellness Magazine, 2011. Available from:
http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/return-oninvestment-models.html [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
49. Merrill RM, Aldana SG, Pope JE, Anderson DR, Coberley CR,
Grossmeier JJ, et al. Self-rated job performance and absenteeism
according to employee engagement, health behaviors, and physical
health. J Occup Environ Med 2013;55:10-8.
50. Baker KM, Goetzel RZ, Pei X, Weiss AJ, Bowen J, Tabrizi MJ,
et al. Using a return-on-investment estimation model to evaluate
outcomes from an obesity management worksite health promotion
program. J Occup Environ Med 2008;50:981-90.
51. Serxner SA, Gold DB, Bultman KK. The impact of behavioral health
risks on worker absenteeism. J Occup Environ Med 2001;43:347-54.
52. Edington DW, Yen LT, Witting P. The financial impact of changes in
personal health practices. J Occup Environ Med 1997;39:1037-46.
53. Loeppke R, Taitel M, Haufle V, Parry T, Kessler RC, Jinnett K. Health
and productivity as a business strategy: A multiemployer study. J
Occup Environ Med 2009;51:411-28.
54. Merrill RM, Aldana SG, Pope JE, Anderson DR, Coberley CR,
Whitmer RW, et al. Presenteeism according to healthy behaviors,
physical health, and work environment. Popul Health Manag
2012;15:293-301.
55. Collins JJ, Baase CM, Sharda CE, Ozminkowski RJ, Nicholson S,
Billotti GM, et al. The assessment of chronic health conditions
on work performance, absence, and total economic impact for
employers. J Occup Environ Med 2005;47:547-57.
Human Kinetics; 2007.
2. Kenealy B. Healthcarecosts explode. Employee benefits news, 2011.
Available from: http://www.ebn.benefitnews.com/news/healthcare-costs-explode-2713354-1.html.
3. Lorraine M, Chris G, Scott W. Milliman medical index. Milliman,
2011. Available from: http://www.milliman.com/insight/Periodicals/
mmi/2011-Milliman-Medical-Index/ [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
4. Kaiser Family Foundation. Employer Health Benefits 2011 Summary
of Findings. Menlo Park: Kaiser Family Foundation and Health
Research and Education Trust; 2012. p. 8225.
5. Hunnicutt D, Jahn M. Making the case for workplace wellness
programs. WELCOA, 2011. Available from: http://www.welcoa.org/
freeresources/index.php?category=8[Last accessed on 2012 Feb 15].
6. McMahon T. Current employment data. Unemploymentdata.com,
2012. Available from: http://www.unemploymentdata.com/charts/
current-employment-data/ [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic disease and
health promotion (2010). Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/
chronicdisease/overview/index.htm[Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
8. Aldana SG, Merrill RM, Price K, Hardy A, Hager R. Financial impact
of a comprehensive multisite workplace health promotion program.
Prev Med 2005;40:131-7
9. Serxner S, Gold D, Anderson D, Williams D. The impact of a worksite
health promotion program on short-term disability usage. J Occup
Environ Med 2001;43:25-9
10. Schultz AB, Lu C, Barnett TE, Yen LT, McDonald T,
Hirschland D, et al. Influence of participation in a worksite healthpromotion program on disability days. J Occup Environ Med
2002;44:776-80.
11. Serxner SA, Gold DB, Grossmeier JJ, Anderson DR. The relationship
between health promotion program participation and medical costs:
A dose response. J Occup Environ Med 2003;45:1196-200.
12. Aldana SG, Jacobson BH, Harris CJ, Kelley PL, Stone WJ. Influence
of a mobile worksite health promotion program on health care costs.
Am J Prev Med 1993;9:378-83.
13. Merrill RM, Hyatt B, Aldana SG, Kinnersley D. Lowering employee
health care costs through the Healthy Lifestyle Incentive Program.
J Public Health Manag Pract 2011;17:225-32.
14. Merrill RM, Anderson A, Thygerson SM. Effectiveness of a worksite
wellness program on health behaviors and personal health. J Occup
Environ Med 2011;53:1008-12.
15. Merrill RM, Aldana SG, Ellrodt G, Orsi R, Grelle-Laramee J. Efficacy of
the Berkshire Health System Cardiovascular Health Risk Reduction
Program. J Occup Environ Med 2009;51:1024-31.
16. National Prevention Council. National Prevention Strategy,
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Office of the Surgeon General, 2011.
17. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion. Healthy people 2020. Available from:
http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/[Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
18. Berry LL, Mirabito AM, Baun WB. What’s the hard return on
employee wellness programs? Harv Bus Rev 2010;88:104-12, 142.
19. Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ. The health and cost benefits of
worksite health promotion programs. Ann Rev Public Health
2008;29:303-23.
20. Montgomery SL. Building wellness through the implementation of
exercise, nutrition and chronic health education. College of Nursing,
University of South Carolina. PhD Dissertation, 2008. Ann Arbor,
MI: Pro Quest Dissertations and Theses; 2008.
21. Linnan L, Brooks A, Haws S, Benedict S, Birken B, French E, et al.
Community colleges as settings for promoting employee health.
Am J Health Stud 2010;25:86-91.
22. American Time Use Survey. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011.
Available from: http://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/[Last accessed on
2015 Feb 15].
23. Ball T. Selected barriers and incentives for participation in a
university wellness program. Thesis. Logan, Utah: Utah State
University;2009. Unpublished.
24. Barker JW, Glass JC Jr. Perceived wellness needs of university
employees. J Am Coll Health 1990;38:187-9.
25. Eckhart GA, Ebro LL, Claypool PL. Needs, interests, and attitudes
of university faculty for a wellness program. J Am Diet Assoc
1988;88:916-20.
26. Pronk N. Six trends affecting the business case for worksite health
promotion. Worksite Health Promot 2010;14:41-3.
27. Holbrooke K. 5 Best practices for employee health and wellness
programs. ACSM’s Health Fit J 2010;15:38-40.
28. Hunnicutt D, Leffelman B.Welcoa’s 7 Benchmarks of Success.
WELCOA, 2006. Available from: http://www.welcoa.org/wwp/pdf/
aa_6.1_novdec06.pdf.
29. CDC Healthier Workplaces Initiatives. CDC, 2010. Available from:
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/hwi/programdesign/index.
htm.
30. HERO Best Practice Scorecard. Health Enhancement Research
Organization,2009. Available from: http://www.the-hero.org/
scorecard_folder/scorecard.htm[Last accessed on 2013 Feb 15].
31. Ryan RM, Deci EL. Self-determination theory and the facilitation
of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. Am
Psychol 2000;55:68-78.
32. Baun W, Mirabito A, Berry L. Elevating the Discussion-The Value
of Worksite Health Promotion. Worksite Health International:
International Association of Worksite Health Promotion; 2010.
33. Seaverson EL, Grossmeier J, Miller TM, Anderson DR. The role of
incentive design, incentive value, communications strategy, and
worksite culture on health risk assessment participation. Am J
Health Promot 2009;23:343-52.
34. Dennison L, Morrison L, Conway G, Yardley L. Opportunities
and challenges for smartphone applications in supporting health
behavior change: Qualitative study. J Med Internet Res 2013;15:e86.
35. Fogg BJ. A behavior model for persuasive design. captology.
stanford.edu, 2009. Available from:http://www.bjfogg.com/
fbm_files/page4_1.pdf[Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
36. Cowdery J, Konkel J, Wildenhaus K. The emerging use of tailoring
in health promotion. Am J Health Promot 2002;6:1-7.
37. Faghri PD, Blozie E, Gustavesen S, Kotejoshyer R. The role of tailored
consultation following health-risk appraisals in employees’ health
behavior. J Occup Environ Med 2008;50:1378-85.
38. Business in Health. Partnership for Prevention, 2012. Available from:
http://www.prevent.org/Topics.aspx?eaID=1&topicID=52[Last
accessed on 2015 Feb 15].39. Della LJ, DeJoy DM, Mitchell SG, Goetzel RZ, Roemer EC, Wilson
MG. Management support of workplace health promotion: Field test
of the leading by example tool. Am J Health Promot 2010;25:138-46.
40. Anderson DR, Grossmeier J, Seaverson, EL, Snyder D. The role
of financial incentives in driving employee engagement in health
management. ACSMs Health Fit J 2008;12:18-22.
41. Kruger J, Yore MM, Bauer DR, Kohl HW. Selected barriers and
incentives for worksite health promotion services and policies. Am
J Health Promot 2007;21:439-47.
42. Neville BH, Merrill RM, Kumpfer KL. Longitudinal outcomes of
a comprehensive, incentivized worksite wellness program. Eval
Health Prof 2011;34:103-23.
43. Burton WN, Chen CY, Conti DJ, Schultz AB, Edington DW. The
association between health risk change and presenteeism change.
J Occup Environ Med 2006;48:252-63.
44. Mitchell S, Goetzel R, Ozminkowski R. The value of worksite health
promotion. ACSMs Health Fit J 2006;12:23-7.
45. Aldana SG. Financial impact of health promotion programs: A
comprehensive review of the literature. Am J Health Promot
2001;15:296-320.
46. Chapman LS, Lesch N, Baun MP. The role of health and wellness
coaching in worksite health promotion. Am J Health Promot
2007;21:Suppl 1-10, iii.
47. Chapman LS. Meta-evaluation of worksite health promotion
economic return studies:2012 update. Am J Health Promot
2012;26:TAHP1-TAHP12.
48. Spero J. Return on investment models for employee wellness
programs. Corporate Wellness Magazine, 2011. Available from:
http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/return-oninvestment-models.html [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 15].
49. Merrill RM, Aldana SG, Pope JE, Anderson DR, Coberley CR,
Grossmeier JJ, et al. Self-rated job performance and absenteeism
according to employee engagement, health behaviors, and physical
health. J Occup Environ Med 2013;55:10-8.
50. Baker KM, Goetzel RZ, Pei X, Weiss AJ, Bowen J, Tabrizi MJ,
et al. Using a return-on-investment estimation model to evaluate
outcomes from an obesity management worksite health promotion
program. J Occup Environ Med 2008;50:981-90.
51. Serxner SA, Gold DB, Bultman KK. The impact of behavioral health
risks on worker absenteeism. J Occup Environ Med 2001;43:347-54.
52. Edington DW, Yen LT, Witting P. The financial impact of changes in
personal health practices. J Occup Environ Med 1997;39:1037-46.
53. Loeppke R, Taitel M, Haufle V, Parry T, Kessler RC, Jinnett K. Health
and productivity as a business strategy: A multiemployer study. J
Occup Environ Med 2009;51:411-28.
54. Merrill RM, Aldana SG, Pope JE, Anderson DR, Coberley CR,
Whitmer RW, et al. Presenteeism according to healthy behaviors,
physical health, and work environment. Popul Health Manag
2012;15:293-301.
55. Collins JJ, Baase CM, Sharda CE, Ozminkowski RJ, Nicholson S,
Billotti GM, et al. The assessment of chronic health conditions
on work performance, absence, and total economic impact for
employers. J Occup Environ Med 2005;47:547-57.
)