Oral

Healthy People 2010 national objectives aim for 75% of worksites (regardless of size) offering a comprehensive worksite health promotion program. Over 100 million individuals in the U.S. are employed and have health insurance. Although studies show employed and insured persons have better health outcomes and lower mortality, little attention has been directed at the health behaviors of insured workers and whether socioeconomic disparities exist among this group. Measures of presenteeism are increasingly being added to the list of variables that serve as a basis for, and determine the economic benefits of, employee health programs. As an indicator of work impairment and lost productivity of those at work with health problems, presenteeism has been viewed as both a vital new measure of cost effectiveness but also as a construct lacking consistent theoretical and best practices guidelines. Understanding the relationships between health conditions, absenteeism and presenteeism provides only partial insight into the economics of these interactions. There is also an increasing interest in developing multi-level worksite health interventions based on a social-ecological approach to health promotion. In addition to the aforementioned worksite health issues, this session will also include results from a national survey designed to monitor the prevalence of worksite health promotion programs, policies, services and supportive environments.

Session Objectives: At the end of the session, the participant will be able to: (1) Define the 5 key elements of a comprehensive worksite health promotion program as defined by Healthy Workforce 2010; (2) Describe factors that likely increase the likelihood of offering a comprehensive worksite health promotion program; (3) Understand the meaning of presenteeism and its relevance to understanding the cost effectiveness of worksite health promotion programs.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing