Disease, Chronic, Health Behavior
Conditions
Keywords
Wellness, Prevention
Brief summary
There is great public and private interest in the use of workplace wellness programs to reduce health care spending, improve health outcomes, and enhance productivity for employees. However, there is little rigorous evidence on the effects of wellness programs. This study partners with a large multi-state U.S. employer (BJ's Wholesale Club) and an experienced wellness vendor (Wellness Workdays) to evaluate a multi-prong workplace wellness program, including components such as nutrition counseling, fitness challenges, and stress management workshops. The wellness program will be delivered by a team of experts including Registered Dieticians, and will include financial rewards for participation. The program will be available to employees in initially 20 of BJ's 200 worksites, and later expanded to 25 worksites. These worksites have been randomly selected, allowing a randomized controlled trial evaluation of the effects of the wellness program. Data will be collected on a wide array of outcomes from multiple sources, including on-site biometric screenings and surveys, employment records, and health insurance claims for employees at both treatment and control worksites.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALWorkplace wellness program
Multi-prong workplace wellness program, with components such as nutrition counseling, fitness challenges, and stress management workshops, including supports and incentives.
Sponsors
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
University of Chicago
Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Each worksite (and all employees at that site) randomly assigned to Treatment or Control arm.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Employed in one of BJ's clubs during the period of the intervention
Exclusion criteria
* Not employed in one of BJ's clubs during the period of the intervention
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Physical activity | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Regular exercise, number of hours sitting per day, and actively managing weight, as indicated in responses to survey questions |
| Obesity | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Body Mass Index\>=30, calculated from measured height and weight |
| Absenteeism | Administrative records from 3 years spanning intervention | Number of sick or personal days as a share of total days employed, from employment records |
| Health care spending | Administrative records from 3 years spanning intervention | Dollars spent on health care for employees covered by employer-sponsored insurance, from claims records |
Other
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Health care spending (i.e. dollars spent) | Administrative records from 3 years spanning intervention | Dollars spent on health care and prescription drugs for employees covered by employer-sponsored insurance, decomposed into spending on inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and prescription drugs, from claims records |
| Health care utilization (i.e. number of doctor visits, hospitalizations, or medications) | Administrative records from 3 years spanning intervention | Health care encounters and prescription drugs for employees covered by employer-sponsored insurance, decomposed into inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and prescription drugs, from claims records |
| Nutrition management | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Affirmative engagement in active efforts to improve nutrition, as indicated in responses to survey questions |
| Stress management | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Unmanaged stress and stress at work, as indicated in responses to survey questions |
| Tenure | Administrative records from 3 years spanning intervention | Duration of employment in days, from employment records |
| Tobacco use | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Smoking, as indicated in responses to survey questions |
| Health and wellbeing | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Short form 8 (SF-8) physical and mental summary scores, as indicated in responses to survey questions. Each question of the SF-8 uses a 5- or 6-point Likert scale. Its standardized scoring system combines responses into a score that can be interpreted as a continuous variable (analogous to a 0-100 scale), with higher scores denoting better self-reported health. |
| Blood glucose | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Blood glucose, measured |
| Cholesterol | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), measured |
| Screenings and exams | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Percent of recommended tests received, as indicated in responses to survey questions |
| Job performance | Administrative records from 3 years spanning intervention | Numerical performance rating from annual review, from employment records |
| Blood pressure | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Systolic blood pressure, measured |
| Depression | Primary data collected at 18 months and 30 months after initiation of intervention | Unmanaged depression, as indicated in responses to survey questions |
Outcome results
None listed