A Health Promotion Program is an organized wellness program to assist and support staff in establishing healthier life choices.  This can include increasing worker awareness on health topics, scheduling behavior modification programs, and/or establishing organization policies that support health-related goals.  

Programs and policies that promote increased physical activity, smoking avoidance and cessation, and healthful food selections are several examples.  

Wellness Dimensions

Health Promotion is more than fitness.  In addition to fitness, the dimensions of optimal health include

• Spiritual Wellness Dimension

• Emotional Dimension of Wellness

• Social Dimension of Wellness

• Intellectual Dimension of Wellness

These Wellness Dimensions are often depicted as a “life wheel” with examples of health components that include –

• fitness,
• nutrition,
• purpose in life,
• financial planning,
• social connections and support systems,
• stress management,
• mind-body health,
• career planning and
• continued learning.  

The key for individual health is keeping the “life wheel” in balance.  A extensive wellness program addresses most, if not all, of these dimensions.

Why Employee Wellness?

Staff Members spend a great deal of time on the job, and the fact is that our traditional work-week is increasing. In fact, the average American now works about 47 hours per week.  

Plus, technologies such as modems, laptops, cellular phones, voice and email have blurred the work-life boundary.  These realities lower the amount of time that the typical individual can devote to wellness pursuits, and yet workforce are expected to be at top performance when at work.

A recent published study  by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses found that employee wellness or wellness programs are successful in helping staff make positive health changes due to a few factors like convenience, environmental support, and coworker or social acceptance.  

What is the Link between Health Promotion and the Workplace?

Programs and policies that promote healthful behaviors can make a big difference on worker health promotion AND have an impact on the organization’s bottom line.   Studies have shown that for every dollar invested by businesss in employee health promotion/health promotion programs, there were savings ranging from $1.49 to $4.91 with a median savings of $3.14*.  

In organization terms, that is more than a 3 – 1 minimum return on investment – a number that is hard to ignore, and a best practice that should warrant serious consideration from businesses.  

Indeed, a employee wellness literature review posted in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal found –  

• 19 studies found a 28.3% reduction in sick time

• 16 studies demonstrated a 5.6 – 1 return on investment

• 23 showed a 26.1% reduction in health care costs

• 4 found a 30% reduction in direct medical and workers’ compensation claims

There’s little doubt that a comprehensive health promotion program targeted to meet a corporation’s specific needs can reduce costs by lowering absenteeism, lowering health care expenditures, lowering worker turnover, and increasing productivity.

• United States Department of Health and Human Services, 2003