To promote the health of school age children, prevention specialists have found that an integrated broad-based approach is the most effective strategy. Relying solely on health education or Physical Education programs to foster children’s health has demonstrated limited effectiveness. Consistent health messages delivered by numerous agents increases the possibility of attaining health goals and objectives. A similar model is essential if Corporate Health and Wellness Programs are to impact positively on the health and performance of all staff members.

A broad-based model of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs includes the following components; Health Education Initiatives, employee Health Services and Benefits, nutrition and physical fitness Initiatives, Corporate Health and Wellness Program Policies and Procedures, Counseling and Employee Assistance Programs, a Safe and Healthy Work Environment, and the Integration of Company and Community Resources. This model can be used to evaluate and plan for Corporate Health and Wellness Programs that are truly broad-based in nature, focusing on primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies for staff members.

One value of a truly broad-based model is that it is possible to promote a holistic philosophy of employee health. A healthy, productive employee is one who is given the opportunity to develop physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. In addition, this model supports the ideals of wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond programs designed to only reduce health care costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

A primary factor in the utility of this model is the integration and overlap of responsibilities. Design and implementation are dependent upon the cooperation and motivation of qualified – and ideally – credentialed professionals throughout the administrative structure of a business. Such a model requires consistent communication between health educators, medical staff, human resource managers, physical therapists, industrial hygienists, physical fitness physiologists, ergonomic engineers, dietitians, occupational therapists, psychologists and independent consultants. Planning must also incorporate active involvement of workers, administrators, family members, and business retirees at all stages of the development, implementation and evaluation stages. All must be committed to the development of a healthy organization where staff members are happy and proud to work.

Various professional groups are working to advance the science of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs. Health educators have the expertise and training to be leaders in this field. On the basis of theoretical foundations of behavior and the results of empirical research, we must start to articulate a clear vision of what optimal programs should consist of. Components of this model are included below for reference and will be discussed individually in coming posts.

• Health Education
• nutrition and physical fitness Initiatives
• employee Health Services and employee Benefits
• Counseling & Employee Assistance Programs
• Health and Safe Work Environment
• Health Related business Policies and Procedures
• Integration of business and Community Resources

A broad-based approach to Corporate Health and Wellness Programs will maximize the impact of all initiatives by increasing communication between administrators, staff members, and employee families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite climate and culture. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of employee wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond programs designed to only reduce health care 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 and Wellness Programs by various departments and individuals inside and outside 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 and Wellness Programs that are truly broad-based in nature.

A Comprehensive Model For Corporate Health and Wellness Programs

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

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

Close your eyes and imagine yourself working for the healthiest business possible. What characteristics or Corporate Health and Wellness Program strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it from a holistic perspective. What does that business do to enhance the physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual aspects of employee health? How does that business develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all staff members? 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 and Wellness Program will be responsible for the positive health outcomes of all staff members. Corporate Health and Wellness Program have evolved from the occasional fitness facility for the exclusive use of business executives, or the sporadic employee safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and programs. Corporate Health and Wellness Program professionals frequently speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Corporate Health and Wellness Programs in today’s worksite. This goal can only occur through a broad-based and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.