Seven-Year Trends in Employee Health Habits From a Comprehensive Workplace Health Promotion Program at Vanderbilt University

Byrne, Daniel W.; Goetzel, Ron Z.; McGown, Paula W.; Holmes, Marilyn C.; Beckowski, Meghan; Tabrizi, Maryam J.; Kowlessar, Niranjana; Yarbrough, Mary

doi:10.1097/jom.0b013e318237a19c

Cited by 46 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…13 The decline in PA levels and the increase in sedentary lifestyles across all age groups is a concern for employers and health professionals alike. The challenge is to effectively promote the potential health and well-being benefits of increasing workplace PA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration of physical activity and wellbeing in university employees

Cooper

Barton

2015

Perspect Public Health

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AimsThe aim was to explore levels of physical activity and mental well-being in university employees, as well as barriers to and incentives for workplace physical activity. MethodsAn electronic survey was distributed to all staff at one UK University. The survey consisted of: Physical activity stages of change questionnaire; international physical activity questionnaire (short-form); Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS); questions on perceived barriers to and incentives for workplace physical activity; questions on methods of enhancing employee well-being; demographics. A self-selected sample participated in two focus groups to explore key themes arising from the survey. Descriptive statistics were reported for survey data; associations between physical activity and well-being were tested for using Kruskal-Wallis with 2 post-hoc Mann-Whitney. Descriptive, thematic analysis was performed on focus group transcripts.Results 502 surveys were completed (34% response rate); thirteen staff participated in focus groups. 42% of the sample reported physical activity below the recommended guideline amount. Females were less active than males (p<0.005). The mean WEMWBS was 49.2 (95%CI 48.3 -49.9). Low physical activity levels were related to lower WEMWBS scores, with statistically significant differences in WEMWBS demonstrated between low and moderate physical activity (p,0.05) and low and high physical activity (p,0.001). Lack of time and perceived expense of facilities were common barriers to workplace physical activity. The main focus group finding was the impact of university culture on workplace physical activity and well-being. ConclusionsUniversity staff demonstrate physical activity levels and a relationship between physical activity and well-being similar to the general population. Carefully designed strategies aimed at enhancing physical activity and well-being in university staff are required. The specific cultural and other barriers to workplace physical activity that 3 exist in this setting should be considered. These results are being used to inform such interventions whose effectiveness will be evaluated in future research.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration of physical activity and wellbeing in university employees

Cooper

Barton

2015

Perspect Public Health

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“…Programs include educational seminars, incentives for adoption or maintenance of positive health habits, behavior change interventions, and a supportive physical and social environment. A detailed description of the program is offered by Byrne, et al 19 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Self-reported health behaviors and risk factors were obtained from answers provided on an annual Wellsource HRA, an assessment instrument that remained consistent throughout the 8-year evaluation period. 19,20 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One exception is a 7-year study of Vanderbilt University employees, whose changes in health risks were reported previously. 19 At Vanderbilt University, researchers found that employees' participation in the workplace wellness program, including the Go for the Gold (GFTG) component, was associated with improved health habits and risk reduction over a sustained multi-year period.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Health Risk Factor Modification Predicts Incidence of Diabetes in an Employee Population

Rolando

Byrne

McGown

et al. 2013

Journal of Occupational &Amp; Environmental Medicine

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Objective To understand risk factor modification effect on Type 2 Diabetes incidence in a workforce population. Methods Annual Health Risk Assessment (HRA) data (n=3125) in years 1 through 4 were used to predict diabetes development in years 5 through 8. Results Employees who reduced their BMI from ≥30 to < 30 decreased their chances of developing diabetes (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.93), while those who became obese increased their diabetes risk (OR 8.85, 95% CI 2.53 to 31.0). Conclusions Weight reduction observed over a long period can result in clinically important reductions in diabetes incidence. Workplace health promotion programs may prevent diabetes among workers by encouraging weight loss and adoption of healthy lifestyle habits.

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“…30 As such, longitudinal observational studies following large cohorts are comparatively rare. 31,32 Increasingly, pragmatic ''real-world'' and applied evaluations of WHP programs are being sought as a complement to controlled studies, 28,33,34 using methods such as epidemiological assessment of the prevalence of disease and risk factors for disease in large groups of employees. 6 Assessing health and health behavior outcomes in large populations-to measure via self-report or objective meansnecessitates a trade-off between feasibility and accuracy.…”

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confidence: 99%

Investigating Employee-Reported Benefits of Participation in a Comprehensive Australian Workplace Health Promotion Program

Kilpatrick

Blizzard

Sanderson

et al. 2016

Journal of Occupational &Amp; Environmental Medicine

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Seven-Year Trends in Employee Health Habits From a Comprehensive Workplace Health Promotion Program at Vanderbilt University

Abstract: This 7-year evaluation, with high participation and large sample size, provides robust estimates of health improvements that can be achieved through a voluntary incentive-based wellness program.

Cited by 46 publications

References 10 publications

An exploration of physical activity and wellbeing in university employees

An exploration of physical activity and wellbeing in university employees

Health Risk Factor Modification Predicts Incidence of Diabetes in an Employee Population

Investigating Employee-Reported Benefits of Participation in a Comprehensive Australian Workplace Health Promotion Program

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