Online tailored weight management: Do they make a difference in bi-annual HRA data in a worksite setting?

Objective: This nation's obesity epidemic poses cost-related challenges to employers. Improved employee health is associated with improved productivity and decreased health care costs (Haltom, 2005). Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) often serve as a foundation for decision-making about worksite health program offerings. Given the evidence supporting the efficacy of tailored health programs, some worksites now provide commercially available tailored programs to employees. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a commercially available online tailored weight management program on employee health. The study aimed to answer: Do overweight employees who participate in a online tailored weight management program improve their health biometrics and physical activity more than overweight employees who do not participate? Methods: Data were gathered from over 37,000 employees of a large Fortune 500 company who participated in HRAs twice during the study period (April 2005- March 2008). Biometrics of overweight or obese employees who did and did not participate in the tailored program were compared to assess effectiveness. Results: Of the 3305 overweight and obese employees who took both HRAs, 103 participated in the tailored program (70 men and 31 women). The control group contained 85 men and 52 women. Two-sample t-test indicates that there was a statistically significant relationship between the participants in the web-based tailored program and weight, BMI, HDL cholesterol, and physical activity frequency. These results will be elaborated and implications discussed.