Employee dependents: the future focus of worksite health promotion programs and the potential role of the allied health professional

The prevalence of health promotion activities has increased in worksites over the last five years. Many companies that have offered health promotion programs in the past have done so primarily for their employees. In the last several years, programs have extended to employee dependents by opening current employee programs to dependents. However, employee health promotion programs may not be relevant or accessible to employee dependents, particularly when children or elderly parents are taken into consideration. This paper outlines several reasons for expanding health promotion benefits to include dependents, suggests a working construct for dependent programs, and discusses the possible roles of allied health professionals in these programs.