Worksite Wellness as an Environmental Health Promotion Strategy: Lessons from a Community Transformation Grant Initiative

Worksite wellness makes the places in which we work healthier. An ideal healthy worksite has opportunities for employees to be physically active, eat healthy foods, and live tobacco-free. Worksite wellness programs benefit both employees and their employers. As part of its Community Transformation Grant, employers in Illinois engaged in worksite wellness activities and policies. An evaluation study of the worksite wellness effort in Illinois indicated that a total of 170 worksites throughout the state identified the following health priorities as part of their worksite wellness activities: Reducing tobacco use (66%), mental health (59%), increasing physical activity(52%), promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors (51%), improving nutrition (51%), improving environmental health (51%)weight management (41%), reducing chronic conditions (39%), substance abuse (20%) and sleep disorders (11%).  These worksites partnered with 12 local health department grantees spanning 40 countiea  and reaching 57,929 employees.  Worksite wellness grantees implemented 43 worksite wellness policies in 33 worksites and participated in 1,493 wellness activities at the worksites related to 6 broad categories:  General Worksite Wellness; Smoke-Free/Tobacco-Free Workplaces; Physical Activity; Healthy Nutrition;   Family Friendly Supports and Employee Benefit Plans.The most common worksite wellness policies adopted involved the implementation of general worksite wellness policies (n =11) followed by the creation of Smoke and/or/Tobacco Free policies at the worksites (n = 10). Next, 7 worksites implemented policies focused on physical activity, 6 policies on nutrition (including healthy vending), 5 on provision of workplace breastfeeding policy and 4 policies involved employee benefit/deductable savings plans. Worksite wellness is a successful environmental health strategy.