ABSTRACT
Worksite wellness programmes provide a unique opportunity for employers and health plans to collaborate in creating opportunities to improve the health of employees and health plan enrollees. We describe the steps in design, implementation and prospective evaluation of a worksite wellness programme to reduce cardiovascular risks. The context for this study was a partnership between Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc. (KPGA) and a small professional services corporation in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Programme design involved extensive preparatory discussions between KPGA and the firm’s leadership about organizational readiness for change, implementation policies and procedures, and involvement of a research and evaluation component. Programme participation consisted of an enrolment session, a six-month period of worksite wellness programme activities, and a disenrolment session. The evaluation design was a pre-/post-cohort design, with each participant acting as his/her control. The primary outcomes were changes in activation, lifestyle (physical activity and dietary intake), and biometric markers (body mass index, blood pressure, total serum cholesterol).
