Conceptual framework, critical questions, and practical challenges in conducting research on the financial impact of worksite health promotion.

A conceptual framework to guide research on the financial impact of health promotion programs is described. Important questions that must be answered within this framework are discussed and brief summaries of the research addressing these questions are summarized. Key issues and challenges that are encountered in designing and implementing financial outcome research are reviewed.

The impact of behavioral health risks on worker absenteeism.

The relationship between behavioral health risks and worker absenteeism was investigated. Data on absenteeism and on 10 behavioral health risk areas were collected from 35,451 employees. Analyses examined whether higher health risks are associated with higher absenteeism, and whether a reduction in health risks translates into a reduction in absenteeism. Results revealed that a significant relationship existed between health risks and absenteeism in 8 of the 10 risk areas examined. Individuals who are at risk are more likely to be absent than individuals at low risk. Additional analyses revealed that individuals who reduce their risks in the areas of mental health, stress, and back are absent less often than individuals who remain at risk. These findings suggest that absenteeism, and the costs associated with it, may be controlled by health promotion programs and the reduction of health risks.

Impact of a telephone-based intervention on the reduction of health risks.

PURPOSE: Evaluate the long-term impact of telephone-based interventions that target high risk, ready-to-change individuals. DESIGN: Quasi-experimental design with pre/post comparisons of lifestyle-related health risks between participants and nonparticipants. SETTING: Six organizations from the private and public sectors. SUBJECTS: Subjects were 607 intervention participants who were compared with a control group of 1134 eligible nonparticipants. MEASURES: Health risk assessment at baseline and at an average of 2 years later measured risk in 13 lifestyle areas. INTERVENTION: Programs were offered in seven areas: back care, cholesterol control, eating habits, exercise and activities, stress management, tobacco use, and weight control. Each program was conducted by a trained health educator who provided information and counseling to facilitate change in the area selected by the participant. All counseling was done by telephone and included three to five contacts over a 1-year period. RESULTS: Binary logistic regression models controlling for gender and age revealed both specific and general effects. Participants were 1.8 to 3.5 times as likely as nonparticipants to reduce the targeted risk in six of seven risk areas. In addition, participants were 1.7 to 3.5 times as likely as nonparticipants to reduce their risks in nine of 13 areas not targeted by the intervention (i.e., general effect). Overall, participants significantly reduced their number of risks, whereas nonparticipants significantly increased their risk (difference of .85 risks). CONCLUSIONS: Results show that at-risk participants make long-term improvements in health risks directly related to the intervention in which they participate. Results also suggest that this intervention may help individuals develop behavior-change skills they can apply to other lifestyle issues.

Fanning old flames: emotional and cognitive effects of suppressing thoughts of a past relationship.

Cognitive and electrodermal effects of suppressing thoughts of an old flame were examined in 2 experiments. Participants were asked to think aloud about an old flame--a past close relationship that either was or was not still desired--as their skin conductance level (SCL) was measured. Participants continued to think aloud as they were instructed either not to think about their old flame or to perform a comparison task. Participants were then asked to think about the old flame again. Participants who had suppressed thoughts of a no-longer-desired relationship were inclined to think aloud more about it afterward whereas those who suppressed thoughts of a still-desired relationship did not show such a rebound but evidenced increased SCL.