As the science behind Corporate Health Promotion Programs continues to evolve, so will the need to define the dimensions of a broad-based model of Corporate Health Promotion Programs. A representative model includes the following Corporate Health Promotion Program components; health education programs, staff member health services and benefits, nutrition and physical fitness programs, Corporate Health Promotion Program policies and procedures, counseling and employee assistance programs, a safe and healthy work environment, and the integration of company and community resources. 

A broad-based approach to Corporate Health Promotion Programs will maximize the impact of all initiatives by increasing communication between administrators, workers, and staff member families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite culture and climate. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of staff member wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond programs designed to only reduce healthcare costs, prevent disease, or maintain health. 

A primary factor in the utility of this model is the integration and overlap of responsibilities for Corporate Health Promotion Programs by various departments and individuals outside and inside the company. As the structure of the worksite continues to change, in the future this dynamic model can be used to evaluate and plan for Corporate Health Promotion Programs that are truly broad-based in nature. 

A Comprehensive Model For Corporate Health Promotion Programs 

According to the National Survey of Worksite Health Promotion Activities (1992) 81 percent of corporations in the United States with 50 or more workers have some form of Corporate Health Promotion Programs activity. This result puts us in proximity of the Healthy People 2000 (1990) objective of 85% by the year 2000. Why are employers getting into the business of Corporate Health Promotion Programs? The three most common reasons cited for employer interest in Corporate Health Promotion Programs are the desire to control spiraling healthcare costs, to encourage a healthy productive work force, and as a means of boosting the morale of workers and the image of the company (O’Donnell, 1994). 

As the motivations behind Corporate Health Promotion Programs differ, so do the extent of a Corporate Health Promotion Programs efforts. A program may consist of distributing the occasional health pamphlet on the warning signs of cancer to workers, or it may comprise an elaborate and strategically planned Corporate Health Promotion Program targeted to the specific needs of a company and its workers. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Corporate Health Promotion Programs have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly broad-based model of Corporate Health Promotion Programs consist of? 

Close your eyes and imagine yourself working for the healthiest business possible. What characteristics or Corporate Health Promotion Program strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it from a holistic perspective. What does that business do to enhance the spiritual, emotional, social, physical and intellectual aspects of staff member health? How does that business develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all workers? Finally, how does that business demonstrate its belief that workers are the business’s most valued asset? 

It is unlikely that any one single of a Corporate Health Promotion Program will be responsible for the positive health outcomes of all workers. Corporate Health Promotion Program have evolved from the occasional fitness facility for the exclusive use of business executives, or the sporadic staff member safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and programs. Corporate Health Promotion Program experts often speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Corporate Health Promotion Programs in today’s worksite. This goal can only occur through a broad-based and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.