Wellness Program Incentives : Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments
Posted by Wellness Incentives | Posted in Company Wellness, Program Ideas, Wellness Program Incentives | Posted on 28-05-2009
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Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments, are an assessment tool or questionnaire scientifically designed to identify health risks and outline information to assist people in making healthy changes that influence their health and prevent chronic conditions.
Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments have four standard components in worksite settings:
• A Questionnaire
• A Computerized Program to Evaluate Health Risk Factors
• Confidential Individual Reports
• Group Summary Report
Staff Members complete a lifestyle questionnaire that includes for example nourishment practices, height and weight, exercise habits, family history, stress perceptions, smoking history, and work satisfaction. Another important feature to consider is readiness to change questions to determine participation interest. Including health screenings such as blood lipids and Blood Pressure (BP) results increases the advantages of an Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment by providing a more accurate health assessment and therefore improving lifestyle choice decisions and program options. Still, it is important to determine if the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment can be used without including this information.
The health risk questionnaire information is entered into a computer program and an individual confidential report is generated that summarizes health risks as well as information on how to cut risk factors. Individual reports are fully confidential. Depending on the reason for launching the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment, it’s significant to consider the type of report the employer will receive as well. A group report summarizing major risk factors and recommendations for programs to start in order to cut employee and employer risks supplies significant information for your wellness program.
The Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments have the potential to be used to:
• Raise awareness to individual employee’s health status
• Motivate employees to make healthier lifestyle changes
• Coach high-risk staff members
• Plan Company Wellness Programs based on the identified needs
• Assess program effectiveness by comparing Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) completed at set intervals such as yearly.
Wellness Proposals
Incentives
I have heard anything from beach towels to water
bottles. The world is your oyster when it comes to gadget gifts and there are catalogues galore to choose from. You can have your programs
logo added to many of them; it is usually a budgetary item. Of course nothing works better than cash. Whether it comes from your
budget or from the benefit plans budget. Many groups will offer a $100.00 deduction in premiums to participants; after all, they will benefit the
most from a healthier population. Check w/ your plan about making it mandatory. But sometimes the incentive can be as simple as two free movie tickets or a $20.00 Target-Gift-Card’! Also, pooling your budgetary money into a pot and offering one ‘BIG’ incentive such as a ‘Caribbean Cruise’ or a ‘California Spa Package Getaway’, (keep it with a healthy theme) is always quite effective (and in the big picture does not cost much per employee). If your location has a central spot such as a lobby or cafeteria, a big’ol’ flat screen T.V. might get there attention. A ‘WIN THIS’ can increase your participation and add excitement to your program. If possible, always give separate incentives to department heads for the highest participation between departments. This builds increased excitement for your program (and most department heads do not like to lose anything). And be sure to get ‘buy in’ from your CEO/President with a note/memo that states “I am all for a healthier population and I want to see full participation etc.”