Corporate Wellness Program

Stress continues to drive workers’ work-related health concerns, which is probably why most respondents (78 percent) in a recently published survey claim they would participate in a Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative to help their overall health and wellness.

In a recently published study commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Inc. (AAOHN), 500 full-time workers nationwide were interviewed telephonically.

“Today’s workers are clearly dealing with a lot of pressures such as the effects of 9/11, an unstable economy, national security threats and work/balance issues. There is a real opportunity for organizations to serve as an ally to their workers by providing them with resources to better manage their physical and emotional health – anything from stress management seminars to nutrition and physical fitness counseling,” says Deborah V. DiBenedetto, president of AAOHN.

Nearly 80 percent of respondents believe their health would improve if they were offered the right information and tools through a viable Workplace Wellness Program.

Topping the list of most interesting Workplace Wellness Programs cited by workers is stress management (85 percent), closely followed by testing initiatives (84 percent), exercise/physical fitness initiatives (84 percent), health insurance education (81 percent) and disease management seminars (80 percent).

More than 50% of workers (61 percent) would prefer to receive health and wellness information from a healthcare consultant or on-site nurse, compared to pamphlets or brochures (18 percent) or human resources staff (15 percent).

Effective Workplace Wellness Programs include the use of data sources in support of Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative planning, implementation, and evaluation. Information sources can be used to complete a community needs assessment, develop realistic Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative goals and objectives, and gain Upper Management support.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Information and statistics
• http://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/
• Information and statistics are available by topic (i.e., asthma, injuries, MRSA).
• Information access tools are available to customize information tables and query datasets (i.e., Healthy People DATA2010, smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs).
• Nationwide survey information is available (i.e., National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)).

CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
• http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.htm
• BRFSS is the world’s largest, ongoing telephone health survey system. BRFSS has been tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the US yearly since 1984.
• Chronic Disease Indicators are divided into seven categories: physical activity and nutrition, tobacco and alcohol use, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, overarching conditions, and other disease and risk factors.
• Prevalence information is also available (i.e., weight classification by Body Mass Index and age).