“Working on Wellness:” protocol for a worksite health promotion capacity-building program for employers
Abstract Background In the United States, worksite wellness programs are more often offered by larger employers. The Massachusetts Working on Wellness (WoW) program is an innovative, statewide capacity-building model designed to increase the number of smaller employers (200 or fewer workers) adoptin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2019-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-019-6405-1 |
| _version_ | 1818288142450425856 |
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| author | Mari Ryan Lisa Erck Leslee McGovern Kathleen McCabe Kevin Myers Suzanne Nobrega Wenjun Li Wen-Chieh Lin Laura Punnett |
| author_facet | Mari Ryan Lisa Erck Leslee McGovern Kathleen McCabe Kevin Myers Suzanne Nobrega Wenjun Li Wen-Chieh Lin Laura Punnett |
| author_sort | Mari Ryan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background In the United States, worksite wellness programs are more often offered by larger employers. The Massachusetts Working on Wellness (WoW) program is an innovative, statewide capacity-building model designed to increase the number of smaller employers (200 or fewer workers) adopting health promotion initiatives. This article describes the WoW program design and approaches to recruitment, implementation, and evaluation. Methods/design WoW provides employer training, technical assistance and seed funding, utilizing a Wellness Program Development framework based on recognized good practices. For-profit employers with 200 employees or fewer are eligible for and encouraged to apply for a Massachusetts Small Business Wellness Tax Credit. During the phase described in this paper, employer organizations applied to the program and committed to designating a champion responsible for program implementation. Interventions were to include policy and environmental supports, as well as those targeting individual behavior change through raising awareness and education. Supports provided to employers included seed grants for qualifying activities (up to $10,000 with matching required), community linkages, data collection and organization-specific feedback tools, an on-line curriculum supplemented with technical assistance, and an expert webinar series. Data collection at multiple time points, from the initial application through program completion, provides information for evaluation of recruitment, planned and completed activities. Discussion This model is grounded in literature on good practices as well as in local knowledge about Massachusetts employers. It does not directly address the influence of working conditions, which can affect both worker participation and health behaviors. Implementation may be less successful with some organizations, such as those with many workers who are part-time or geographically distributed rather than in a centralized physical location. Program evaluation will assess the extent to which WoW achieves its goals. The data are expected to increase understanding of the needs of smaller employers and industries not traditionally implementing employee wellness programs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T01:51:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fe0d75db0fcf4840a2bad449bb64ec6b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T01:51:41Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-fe0d75db0fcf4840a2bad449bb64ec6b2022-12-22T00:03:31ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582019-01-011911910.1186/s12889-019-6405-1“Working on Wellness:” protocol for a worksite health promotion capacity-building program for employersMari Ryan0Lisa Erck1Leslee McGovern2Kathleen McCabe3Kevin Myers4Suzanne Nobrega5Wenjun Li6Wen-Chieh Lin7Laura Punnett8AdvancingWellnessAdvancingWellnessHealth Resources in ActionHealth Resources in ActionHealth Resources in ActionUniversity of Massachusetts LowellUniversity of Massachusetts Medical SchoolKansas Health InstituteUniversity of Massachusetts LowellAbstract Background In the United States, worksite wellness programs are more often offered by larger employers. The Massachusetts Working on Wellness (WoW) program is an innovative, statewide capacity-building model designed to increase the number of smaller employers (200 or fewer workers) adopting health promotion initiatives. This article describes the WoW program design and approaches to recruitment, implementation, and evaluation. Methods/design WoW provides employer training, technical assistance and seed funding, utilizing a Wellness Program Development framework based on recognized good practices. For-profit employers with 200 employees or fewer are eligible for and encouraged to apply for a Massachusetts Small Business Wellness Tax Credit. During the phase described in this paper, employer organizations applied to the program and committed to designating a champion responsible for program implementation. Interventions were to include policy and environmental supports, as well as those targeting individual behavior change through raising awareness and education. Supports provided to employers included seed grants for qualifying activities (up to $10,000 with matching required), community linkages, data collection and organization-specific feedback tools, an on-line curriculum supplemented with technical assistance, and an expert webinar series. Data collection at multiple time points, from the initial application through program completion, provides information for evaluation of recruitment, planned and completed activities. Discussion This model is grounded in literature on good practices as well as in local knowledge about Massachusetts employers. It does not directly address the influence of working conditions, which can affect both worker participation and health behaviors. Implementation may be less successful with some organizations, such as those with many workers who are part-time or geographically distributed rather than in a centralized physical location. Program evaluation will assess the extent to which WoW achieves its goals. The data are expected to increase understanding of the needs of smaller employers and industries not traditionally implementing employee wellness programs.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-019-6405-1Small employersWorksite health promotionWorksite wellnessIntervention planning |
| spellingShingle | Mari Ryan Lisa Erck Leslee McGovern Kathleen McCabe Kevin Myers Suzanne Nobrega Wenjun Li Wen-Chieh Lin Laura Punnett “Working on Wellness:” protocol for a worksite health promotion capacity-building program for employers BMC Public Health Small employers Worksite health promotion Worksite wellness Intervention planning |
| title | “Working on Wellness:” protocol for a worksite health promotion capacity-building program for employers |
| title_full | “Working on Wellness:” protocol for a worksite health promotion capacity-building program for employers |
| title_fullStr | “Working on Wellness:” protocol for a worksite health promotion capacity-building program for employers |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Working on Wellness:” protocol for a worksite health promotion capacity-building program for employers |
| title_short | “Working on Wellness:” protocol for a worksite health promotion capacity-building program for employers |
| title_sort | working on wellness protocol for a worksite health promotion capacity building program for employers |
| topic | Small employers Worksite health promotion Worksite wellness Intervention planning |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-019-6405-1 |
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