When employers are measuring the impact of their wellness programs on employee health, don't just check the generalized box, "did it" or "did not." Rather, delve deeper to understand what's really happening.

So say researchers of a study published in the American Journal of Health Promotion, who broadened the metrics used to determine how participation in wellness programs decreased the health risks of nearly 40,000 workers from six companies over a three-year period.

The team, led by researchers at wellness program provider, StayWell, leveraged measurement standards developed by the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) and Population Health Alliance to expand the scope of their study. A "more granular" definition of participation was created, based on activity within nine different program components, the sum of which established the total "participation index."

The researchers then reviewed whether there were changes in the workers' health risks by analyzing their annual health assessments during the 2014 – 2016 study period.

The researchers found that the more workers participated, the more likely they were to have their number of health risks reduced, as each unit increase in participation yielded a reduction of 0.038 risks. Moreover, workers with more health risks decreased their risk scores by a greater degree than those with lower program participation levels.

"People have predispositions for specific types of program participation that persist and guide how they'll get involved with their well-being," StayWell's senior director, research and evaluation Erin Seaverson writes on the company's blog. "Participation happens on a continuum, which goes in contrast to the black-and-white categories of measurement that are often used in well-being programs."

Employers should keep this perspective in mind when reviewing how they're communicating with employees about well-being, Seaverson writes.

"The results can be used to recommend specific programs to individuals that will have the greatest possible health impact, ultimately making well-being programs more targeted, effective and valuable," she says.

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Wellness program success: Change your view of participation

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