Worksite Health and its implications in public health

8/8/2019 Worksite Health and its implications in public health

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Joy Dixon

11/24/10

Workplace Health and itsimplications in public health



Focus on Worksite health promotion

Target population ± Big Bend area employers

- Resources to provide adequate services and support to employees

± Community members

± Influence local and state employers to provide services

± Can pressure policymakers to advocate modifications in company policy

Subject and population of Interest



Worksite Health is health promotion designed to enable

working people to develop good health and good health-

related behaviors (Thomsson & Menckel, 1997).

Often ignored in the presence of other public health concerns

(i.e. diabetes, HIV/AIDS, etc).

Affect community as nearly one-half of U.S. households

contain working adults.

Problem StatementDefinition and Affected population



Extends beyond employee

Initiatives can positively affect families of participatingemployees by emphasizing better health habits.

Studies by the University of Michigan and Johnson & Johnson

show that employers can save : $269 a year for every employee who progresses from couch potato to fitness enthusiast;

$1,200 a year on employees who reduce their cholesterol levels from 240 milligrams to190 milligrams, and

$177 a year for every employee who goes from obesity (more than 30 pounds

overweight) to a healthy weight.

Problem Statement cont.Issue significance



Health Promotion success stories

COMPANY PROGRAM MONEY SAVED

State-of-the-

art health

clubs

$282.00 for each

employee enrolled

Health risk

appraisals

promoting life

style changes

$3.6 million dollars

per year

Health risk

appraisals

promoting life

stype changes

$20 million dollars

over ten years(estimated)

Health risk

appraisals

promoting life

style changes

$13 million dollars

per year



( Wisconsin,2007)

Assessment of Workplace HealthThree primary components

Phase 1:

Assessment of Current WorksiteEnvironment and

Policy

Phase 1:

Assessment of Current WorksiteEnvironment and

Policy

Phase 2:

Employeesurvey/insight

Phase 2:

Employeesurvey/insight

Phase 3:

Gathering of current data

Phase 3:

Gathering of current data



A committee should be formed to facilitate assessment in developing

potential workplace health promotion programs.

Completing the assessment allows the committee to identify workplace

strengths and improvement areas.

Provides committee more information to recommend changes to workplace

more supportive of healthy habits.

The assessment will serve as a baseline level for the follow-up evaluation in

the future.

Assessment of Workplace Health



Assessment cont.

Teamwork

Subcommittee responsible for completing theassessment

Ideal group contains diversity with representation

from various areas and organizational levels

Big Bend Worksite Health Initiative:

Employees f rom various dept.

HR staff

Onsite Occup. Nurse or Med. Personnel

CEO or their designee, VP, or Exec. Dir.



Materials needed to determine priority

Assessment committee Worksite assessment tool

Employee survey tool

Knowledge and access to additional data

Goal for Big Bend Worksite Health Promotion

Increase Physical activity and positive dietary change among Big bend

employees to reduce prevalence of obesity

Assessment cont.Priority and Goal Setting



The checklist is compromised of 3 components:

Categories General Worksite Components

Health screening and disease prevention and management

Physical Activity

Nutrition

Mental Health and Stress Management

Tobacco Use

Emergency Medical Response Plan

Assessment ComponentsWorksite Wellness Assessment Checklist



The checklist is compromised of 3 components:

Current Status Lets the committee know whether the organization has a wellness

component, is in the process of instituting one, or does not have one at

all.

It serves as a baseline gauge for evaluation in the future

Potential Priorities

Serves to indicate which components the committee might want to

focus on that are either currently in process or do not exist.

Typically used after the assessment, employee input surveys, and the

available data is reviewed.

Assessment ComponentsWorksite Wellness Assessment Checklist



The purpose is to gain insight about the company employees

and their health habits and interests

Are often distributed in paper or electronic form

Focus groups or informal interviews with employees to

another source

Focus groups should also be formed with upper management

to inspect perception differences between senior management

and mid-level and low level employees

Assessment ComponentsEmployee Input



Utilized to accurately evaluate the state of an employer¶s

workplace health

Data includes absentee rate, workers compensation claims,

health claims data, and employee demographic information

Has two fold purpose: Will assist in deciding what major health issues affect the employees to better target

those issues Serves as a reference point to see if the new programming made an impact on the

organizations and its employees

Assessment ComponentsIdentification of available data





Implemented by the Arkansas Department of Health to encourage wellness

among state health employees

Participants completed a health risk assessment at baseline and again after

1 year that assessed diet and physical activity, other health risk factors, and

readiness to make behavioral changes

Utilized web-based wellness program to improve nutritional health

behaviors of public-sector employees

Intervention cont.The Healthy Employee Lifestyle Program (HELP)



Encouraged behavior change through 3 main approaches:

1) providing an overall wellness report with tips for improving health

2) rewarding health behaviors with points redeemable for incentives, and3) providing education and peer support

Arkansas had substantial handle occur during implementation

± Arkansas reformed state policies and organizational structures responsible for health

programs in Arkansas

± Media outlets applauded the state¶s multiple efforts to improve health by promoting

nutrition and physical activity(Philyaw, Phillips, Cornell, Mays, & Adams, 2009)

Such policies would serve employees of Florida well as an incentive

for employers to develop worksite health interventions

Intervention cont.

The Healthy Employee Lif estyle Program (HELP) cont.



Will utilize components from Assessment of Health Risks with Feedback

(AHRF) and Healthy Employee Lifestyle Program

Handle: Governor Crist issued an executive order which encouraged the

development and implementation of worksite health promotion programs

( Executive order # 07-52, Section 3. K-O)

Tactics to garner employer support: empowerment activities, education, and

incentives.

Intervention cont.

Big Bend Worksite Health Initiative



Online component : To maintain communication and empowering participants to be proactive in

modifying health behaviors.

Incentives and Rewards component: Participants report health behaviors using a Web-based

reporting system, accumulate points for healthy behaviors, and redeem points for incentives.

Education component : Will be provided with bimonthly healthy cooking demonstrations, wellness

workshops, and ³One Step At a Time´ signage encouraging stair usage.

Program components and tools

Big Bend Worksite Health Initiative

11

22

33



Purpose : To determine the efficiency of health promotion in the workplace and its

impact on decreasing absenteeism turnover and healthcare costs to the company.

All organizations will contractually commit to the participatory evaluation process

and the use of resources to not exceed over $25,000 for a three month period.

Businesses that can not afford $25,000 will offer in-kind resources, such as people,

skills, and time.

Evaluation and MaintenanceStep 1: Identification of Evaluation Purpose and Commitment to

ParticipatoryEvaluation



An independent, outside team will conduct the evaluation.

Team will consist of 3 faculty members from the Florida A & M University

Institute of Public Health from the division of Environmental Health, as well as

Health Education and Behavioral Science.

These individuals will be ex pected to objectively determine whether the program¶s

goals were met.

Their role will be to analyze the worksite health program and provide feedback on

their findings.

Evaluation and Maintenance

Step 2: Build and Evaluation Team



The goals will be illustrated through the following logic model:

Evaluation and MaintenanceStep 3: Articulate the Organizing Effort¶s Goals and Objectivesand Identify indicators of Change and Progress

Inputs

Management Support

Communication System

Work group

Advisory Committee

Activities

Early Activities

F ormative Research:

y Employee assessment

y Policy audit

y Environmental

y assessment

y Medical claims info

Later Activities

Employee interest

documented

Program developed with

intervention selected

Policies developed

Evaluation plan

Outputs

Policies

implemented

and promoted

Program launched

and

interventions

Implemented

% of total

employees

participating in

program

Outcomes

S hort- term

Indicators

Increased

awareness of

program, risk

factors and

related health

Conditions

Improved health

and work-related

attitudes

Change in

knowledge,

attitudes and

beliefs

Increased

organization

commitment

Outcomes

Intermediate

Indicators

Self-report of

risks

Modification

Increase in

physical activity

Decreased

Absenteeism/

% Turnover

Outcome

Long- term

Indicators

Improved

physiological

measures

Blood pressure

Weight/BMI

Body fat

Blood cholesterol

Decreased health

care utilization

Decreased health

care costs

Flexible time for

exercise policy



Survey will distributed to employees to track their weight maintenance

before and after the Big Bend Worksite Health initiative.

The human resources staff will work with the evaluators to determine anyvariance in absenteeism or turnover rates.

Evaluation and MaintenanceStep 4: Collect Data and Track Progress



Evaluators will analyze the findingsfrom the employee surveys as well as

absenteeism/ turnover rates

to ascertain whether program

met its goals.

Evaluation and MaintenanceStep 5. Analyze and Interpret Data Collectively



Data will be presented to:

± Senior management of the participating businesses, as stakeholders.

± Organizations like the Wellness Council of America to highlight the

work being done in North Florida, given results are positive

±Institutions such as Florida A&M University and Florida StateUniversity should be aware of the findings for academic purposes.

Evaluation and MaintenanceStep 6: Communicate Results to Relevant Audiences



Big Bend Worksite Health Initiative¶s subcommittee will redefine

objectives, adjust the intervention design, or alter methods to develop a

better worksite program, as needed according to evaluation team¶sfindings.

It is hoped that the employers will adapt company policy for flexible

time to allow employees an opportunity to perform physical activity

onsite or attend a wellness workshop.

Evaluation and MaintenanceStep 7: Translate Findings into Actions, Systems, or Policies



Maintenance is necessary for sustainability after the initial organizers have

moved on

Plan consists of continuous monitoring of sick leave at most worksites and

regular (yearly) health check-ups of employees to be incorporated in

company health policy.

Recommended that small set of biological indicators and/or a questionnaireshould be included for continuous health monitoring.

Maintenance Plan



Gives insight into long term in health changes

Automatically measures health changes due to newly implemented policy or intervention

elements Can be utilized as a bench-mark of company¶s health policy.

Contributes to the employee¶s and societal perception of the company¶s commitment to

occupational health management

Creation of Big Bend Worksite Health Coalition

Will involve participating organizations, local health insurers, and Big Bendemployees to continue the Big Bend Worksite Health initiative

Provide resources to organization interested in the implementation of worksite

health programs.

Maintenance Plan cont.



THANK YOU!

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Worksite Health and its implications in public health