Western New York Wellness Works Regional Resource Center (WNYWW-RRC): Measuring and Evaluating the Health of Rural, Minority and Underserved Worksites in Western New York

In 2005, a 2-year longitudinal study of the effectiveness of worksite health promotion programs to decrease health risks and contain health care costs was commenced among 13 organizations representing 19,889 employees. This study population underrepresented the minority, rural and underserved workforces in Western New York. To address this deficiency, an ancillary study, the WNYWW-RRC project was designed as a cross-sectional, community-based study with three main aims: 1) to assess the health risks of underrepresented populations in Western New York by offering free Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) to regional employers, 2) to promote awareness of individual-level health risks among employees, and 3) to provide employers with aggregate reports of employee health risks for the purpose of planning specific health promotion programs for the respective employee populations. Organizations responded to targeted mass mailings, publications, community presentations, and word of mouth advertising. Over 18 months, 967 HRAs were collected from 21 HRA administration sessions conducted within 14 organizations. 14.9% of the sample self-identified as non-white, 6.1% as African American and 4.0% as Latino. 57% of HRA administrations occurred in organizations located in rural areas. 35.9% of the sample was classified as overweight and 28.1% as obese. 75% of the population did not know their cholesterol, and 54.8% did not know their blood pressure. The results of this study serve as valuable health indicators of populations typically underrepresented in health studies. Public schools were the predominant workplace sector that participated in the project, suggesting their potential as prime intervention sites for future studies.