Youth Interest in Employer-Provided Health and Wellness Programs

Background: As part of a dissemination component of an ongoing occupational health research study, we created the Florida Young Employee Health Project website (www.flye.co). The website provides study results, as well as occupational health, wellness and safety information and resources to youths. Methods: To assess and understand what youths would find useful on the website and in the workplace, a 38-item open and closed-ended online questionnaire was completed by a convenience sample of 161 youths ages 14-24 who responded to email, Facebook and flyer invitations. Survey items assessed for acceptability, behaviors, interest and incentives in utilizing health information and an employer-provided health and wellness program. Results: Overall, 72.6% of respondents said they would take advantage of an employer-provided health and wellness program if offered. If the program offered options, 75.0% of respondents would use an onsite gym, while only 13.8% would use weight-loss support. Females were significantly more interested than men in utilizing stress-reduction support (X2=6.7903, p<0.01) and nutrition information (X2=5.413, p=0.02) options. No significant differences in age groups for interest in the wellness program options were found. “Schedule conflicts/timing” (20%) and “getting time off/being allowed to participate in the program” (20%) were cited by non-interested respondents as the most frequent non-motivators and motivators for participation in a wellness program, respectively. Conclusion: Youths participating in this study were strongly interested in workplace wellness programs. Motivational factors for these programs, identified in this study, could provide guidance for the development of targeted occupational health information to youths engaging in work.