Nutrition education strategies for work-site wellness: evaluation of a graduate course targeted to work-site wellness majors

A course incorporating concepts of wellness with nutrition intervention strategies was developed and targeted to graduate students in the health education and wellness program. Pretest/final test evaluations of course participants indicated significant increases in students' nutrition knowledge and confidence in their ability to perform tasks identified in the course objectives. By offering courses for future wellness professionals that emphasize nutrition education strategies and resource selection, the number and quality of nutrition-related programs offered at work sites might increase.     

Effects of a Dutch work-site wellness-health program: the Brabantia Project.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined a project designed to improve the health and wellness of employees of Brabantia, a Dutch manufacturer of household goods, by means of lifestyle changes and changes in working conditions. METHODS: The workers at one Brabantia site constituted the experimental group, and the workers from two other sites formed the control group. Biomedical variables, lifestyles, general stress reactions, and quality of work were measured identically in both groups at baseline and 1, 2, and 3 years later. During this period, there was continuous registration of absenteeism. RESULTS: The interventions brought about favorable short-term changes in terms of health risks, and there were stable effects on working conditions (especially decision latitude) and absenteeism. CONCLUSIONS: A combination of interventions directed at both lifestyles and the work environment can produce extensive and stable effects on health-related variables, wellness, and absenteeism.     

Work-site wellness: a model hospital-operated program

Work-site wellness programs are hardly new to most US healthcare markets. Emerging out of the 1980s fitness craze, traditional wellness programs usually consisted of classes that encouraged healthy lifestyle practices among company employees. Since the prevalent fee-for-service environment didn't provide an inherent incentive for keeping people well, hospital-operated work-site wellness programs rarely advanced past this basic level of service. Corporations, payers, and hospitals see the economic value of managing health, therefore, these types of programs are becoming a part of hospital delivery systems and a growing revenue center. This article presents a hospital-operated, work-site wellness model that was developed for the WorkingWell Network, the corporate wellness program offered by The Methodist Hospitals, Inc. (Gary and Merrillville, IN).     

Results of the TeachWell worksite wellness program.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether providing a school-based teacher wellness program enhances the impact of a health curriculum on student outcomes and improves cognitive, behavioral, and physiological outcomes among participating teachers. METHODS: Thirty-two elementary schools were randomly assigned to experimental or comparison conditions. Comparison group schools received the Gimme-5 program, a curriculum designed to increase fourth and fifty graders' consumption of fruits and vegetables. Experimental schools received Gimme-5 and the teacher wellness program, which included 54 workshops over 2 years, along with several schoolwide health activities. Physiological, behavioral, and cognitive outcomes were assessed in teachers and students. RESULTS: There was no evidence that the intervention favorably modified any student or teacher end points; nor did intervention teachers deliver the Gimme-5 program with greater fidelity than comparison teachers. CONCLUSION: Confidence in the null results is bolstered by the randomized design, baseline sample equivalence, appropriate mixed-model analyses, and lack of selective or differential attrition. Insufficient participation in the wellness program appears a likely explanation for the lack of teacher and student effects. Factors specific to the school setting and intervention may have diminished participation and, thus, intervention effects.     

The role of dietitians in a work-site health promotion program

Nutrition education has become an integral part of work-site health promotion programs. As more corporations, large and small, become involved in establishing their own programs, the need for qualified nutrition educators will increase. Registered dietitians should have a proactive role in this awareness process and should strive to develop specific skills in the areas of communications, management, and computer literacy. To succeed as nutrition educators at the work site, registered dietitians need to be able to wear many hats and to be organizers, planners, and innovative deliverers of nutrition information, as more and more U.S. corporations "reach out for health."     

The costs and effects of a nutritional education program following work-site cholesterol screening.

OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this study was to assess the costs and impact of a nutrition education program following a cholesterol screening. METHODS. Forty work-sites were randomly assigned to one of two educational interventions: a "usual" intervention of 5 minutes of counseling, or a "special" intervention of 2 hours of behaviorally based education on dietary changes to lower serum cholesterol. Costs were monitored, and cholesterol levels were retested 6 and 12 months later. RESULTS. The total per-person cost for screening and the educational intervention was about $50. Cholesterol levels differed little between the two intervention groups 6 months after screening, but after 12 months those in the special intervention worksites showed a 6.5% drop in cholesterol, whereas those at the usual intervention worksites showed a drop of only 3.0%. Hence a 3.5% cholesterol reduction was attributable to the special intervention. CONCLUSIONS. A behaviorally based nutrition education program following cholesterol screening can have a meaningful impact on long-term cholesterol levels at a low cost. Nutrition education in work-sites may therefore be a useful way to lower the risk of heart disease in communities.     

Pregnancy protection program in a large chemical company: design and initial survey results

OBJECTIVES: To describe the BASF pregnancy protection program and provide initial results regarding selected pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: Pregnancies (n=1148) occurring between 1997 and 2002 were identified and outcomes were documented by questionnaires administered after the pregnancy announcement, end of pregnancy, and one year later. Potential maternal exposures were assessed via job histories, workplace inspections, and questionnaire. RESULTS: Participation was 90% overall and was consistently high across employee subgroups. Pregnancy losses (11.5%) did not differ significantly by type of work. Among pregnancy symptoms vaginal bleeding was weakly associated with two exposure measures. Preterm births (8.7%) were in agreement with general population norms and did not vary by maternal exposure category. CONCLUSIONS: High participation rates and a structured approach to employee education and documentation of reproductive outcomes may be of value in addressing reproductive health issues in the workplace.     

University wellness program: the effectiveness of students as nutrition counselors

The Whole Body Health Program at San Jose State University was designed for employees who were interested in improving their general nutritional intake and fitness. This university wellness program furnishes students in nutrition and other health-related fields with valuable training and experience while also providing university employees with a work-site wellness program. As part of the wellness program and under faculty supervision, nutrition students conduct the Dietary Assessment Program by interviewing, assessing, and counseling clients. To determine whether the program was effective in improving participants' dietary habits, 16 previous participants were contacted by telephone. Fourteen agreed to be reinterviewed, and new dietary data were collected. Both the original (pre-program) and current (post-program) 24-hour recalls were evaluated according to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), polyunsaturated to saturated (P:S) fat ratio, and percent of energy from fat and from carbohydrate. Reported mean consumption of cholesterol decreased from pre- to post-program for all subjects (pre = 383 mg, post = 242 mg; p less than or equal to .05). Those originally consuming more than 300 mg achieved a greater decrease in reported cholesterol consumption (pre = 487 mg, post = 234 mg; p less than or equal to .01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The impact of financial incentives on health and health care: Evidence from a large wellness program

Workplace wellness programs have become increasingly common in the United States, although there is not yet consensus regarding the ability of such programs to improve employees' health and reduce health care costs. In this paper, we study a program offered by a large U.S. employer that provides substantial financial incentives directly tied to employees' health. The program has a high participation rate among eligible employees, around 80%, and we analyze the data on the first 4 years of the program, linked to health care claims. We document robust improvements in employee health and a correlation between certain health improvements and reductions in health care cost. Despite the latter association, we cannot find direct evidence causally linking program participation to reduced health care costs, although it seems plausible that such a relationship will arise over longer horizons.     

Dietary intakes of police department employees in a wellness program

A 12-month nutrition program was developed and implemented as a project of the Wellness Department of the Austin Police Department (APD). Forty APD employees began the program; 24 completed the dietary portion of the study. A comparison of 7-day dietary intakes recorded before and after the program indicated a decrease in energy intake from a mean of 2,273 +/- 694 kcal/day to 1,379 +/- 364 kcal/day (p less than .001). Percentage of energy from protein increased from 16% to 21% (p less than .001), and energy from fat decreased from 42% to 36% (p less than .05). Percentages of energy from carbohydrate and alcohol were not significantly different from the beginning to the end of the study. Daily intakes of cholesterol decreased from 405 +/- 188 mg/day to 295 +/- 132 mg/day (p less than .05). Phosphorus and iron intakes decreased significantly (p less than .01 and p less than .001, respectively), while intakes of calcium remained constant. Mean consumption of thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin decreased significantly (p less than .01, p less than .05, and p less than .01, respectively). The changes in vitamin A and ascorbic acid intakes were not significant. Results indicated that a nutrition education program can effect positive changes toward better food choices. However, dietitians working with similar populations should stress eating patterns that include foods dense in micronutrients.     

The economic value of a wellness and disease prevention program

The objective of this study was to determine the economic impact of the Hawaii Medical Service Association's health promotion/disease prevention program. A retrospective analysis of health risk, health claims, and cost was performed using a mixed model factorial design for the years 2002-2005 that compared program participants to nonparticipants. All analyses were adjusted for preexisting observed differences based on sex, age, baseline morbidity, and health care costs between participants and nonparticipants using propensity score matching method and/or covariates as appropriate. After analyzing data from more than 166,000 HMSA members over a 4-year period, participants were found to incur consistently lower costs. Predictive modeling of upward cost trajectories relative to actual health care costs for participants and risk-matched nonparticipants indicated a savings of $350 per participant per year. Those who participated in additional wellness programming demonstrated additional cost savings. This study illustrates the economic value of a comprehensive health promotion program.