Examining the Impact of Wellness Champions on the Effectiveness of a Workplace Health and Well-Being Program.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of Desire2Move (D2M) implementation fidelity by Wellness Champions on program effectiveness. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Years 1, 3, and 5 of D2M; an annual peer support health and well-being initiative for university employees. PARTICIPANTS: D2M participants included 422 employees from 28 teams; however, only 144 provided survey data (34.1% response rate). INTERVENTION: During the 8-week program, departments competed as teams to accumulate the greatest average physical activity (PA) minutes. Each team selected a Wellness Champion who delivered program information. Each team member recorded PA minutes with MapMyFitness. MEASURES: An electronic survey assessed program implementation fidelity and program satisfaction. ANALYSIS: Median split (median [Mdn] = 21.2) categorized teams into "high" (n = 14; Mdn = 24.0, range = 21.4-25.0) and "low" (n = 14; Mdn = 19.4, range = 14.3-21.0) implementation groups. Independent samples t tests evaluated differences between groups on program satisfaction and team program average PA minutes. RESULTS: Groups were significantly different for program satisfaction, t(26) = -2.76, P = .011, and team program average PA minutes, t(26) = -2.40, P = .024. The "high" implementation group reported greater program satisfaction (mean [M] = 12.6, standard deviation [SD] = 1.8) and team program average PA minutes (M = 2104.4, SD = 807.4) than the "low" implementation group (program satisfaction M = 11.1, SD = 1.1; team program average minutes M = 1340.8, SD = 875.8). CONCLUSION: Wellness Champions positively impacted employee PA participation and program satisfaction.

Workplace Well-Being Factors That Predict Employee Participation, Health and Medical Cost Impact, and Perceived Support.

PURPOSE: This study tested relationships between health and well-being best practices and 3 types of outcomes. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design used data from the HERO Scorecard Benchmark Database. SETTING: Data were voluntarily provided by employers who submitted web-based survey responses. SAMPLE: Analyses were limited to 812 organizations that completed the HERO Scorecard between January 12, 2015 and October 2, 2017. MEASURES: Independent variables included organizational and leadership support, program comprehensiveness, program integration, and incentives. Dependent variables included participation rates, health and medical cost impact, and perceptions of organizational support. ANALYSIS: Three structural equation models were developed to investigate the relationships among study variables. RESULTS: Model sample size varied based on organizationally reported outcomes. All models fit the data well (comparative fit index > 0.96). Organizational and leadership support was the strongest predictor (P < .05) of participation (n = 276 organizations), impact (n = 160 organizations), and perceived organizational support (n = 143 organizations). Incentives predicted participation in health assessment and biometric screening (P < .05). Program comprehensiveness and program integration were not significant predictors (P > .05) in any of the models. CONCLUSION: Organizational and leadership support practices are essential to produce participation, health and medical cost impact, and perceptions of organizational support. While incentives influence participation, they are likely insufficient to yield downstream outcomes. The overall study design limits the ability to make causal inferences from the data.

Supporting a Culture of Health in the Workplace: A Review of Evidence-Based Elements.

OBJECTIVE: To identify and evaluate the evidence base for culture of health elements. DATA SOURCE: Multiple databases were systematically searched to identify research studies published between 1990 and 2015 on culture of health elements. STUDY INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Researchers included studies based on the following criteria: (1) conducted in a worksite setting; (2) applied and evaluated 1 or more culture of health elements; and (3) reported 1 or more health or safety factors. DATA EXTRACTION: Eleven researchers screened the identified studies with abstraction conducted by a primary and secondary reviewer. Of the 1023 articles identified, 10 research reviews and 95 standard studies were eligible and abstracted. DATA SYNTHESIS: Data synthesis focused on research approach and design as well as culture of health elements evaluated. RESULTS: The majority of published studies reviewed were identified as quantitative studies (62), whereas fewer were qualitative (27), research reviews (10), or other study approaches. Three of the most frequently studied culture of health elements were built environment (25), policies and procedures (28), and communications (27). Although all studies included a health or safety factor, not all reported a statistically significant outcome. CONCLUSIONS: A considerable number of cross-sectional studies demonstrated significant and salient correlations between culture of health elements and the health and safety of employees, but more research is needed to examine causality.