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The workplace, particularly small businesses, has been greatly affected by the increasing costs of health insurance. Employers are the largest purchaser of health insurance and have the most to benefit from improvements in employee health and productivity. Risk factors for chronic diseases, which are believed to be responsible for a large portion of health care costs, can be modified and costs can be contained through well-designed health promotion programs. Studies have shown that worksite health promotion decreases absenteeism and reduces employee health risks, leading to lower health care costs.
The Fund for Public Health in New York (FPHNY) is supporting the administration of a grant-funded project that is piloting worksite health promotion activities aimed at improving the health of employees at participating worksites. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has partnered with Cornell University to compare the effects of high-intensity worksite health promotion interventions with moderate intensity interventions. Ten organizations with a total of 27 work sites and 32,535 employees are participating in the project.
The goal of this study is to help guide employers in choosing the most effective health promotion strategies for the workplace. Recommendations will be developed based on an assessment of the following: 1) improvements in health behaviors and health risk factors of employees; 2) reductions in self-reported health care utilization and associated medical expenditures; 3) improvements in employee productivity measured by self-reported absenteeism and on-the-job presenteeism; 4) improvement in key organizational cost measures, employee attitudes toward work, satisfaction with the work environment, and improvement in overall well-being; and 5) the cost-benefit of a worksite health promotion intervention. Early analysis shows that participants in the high intensity intervention experienced significant reductions compared to participants in the moderate intensity intervention in the following risk categories: physical inactivity, low fruit and vegetable consumption, high fast food consumption, and smoking. For more information on Worksite Wellness, please visit the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Worksite Wellness Resource Center. |
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