Drug Education and Intervention in the Workplace

Employers are expected to be responsible in every way. They protect the environment, contribute to local area projects and pay taxes. They also are concerned about the health of their staff members.

One of the benefits of wellness programs is they give workers every opportunity to improve their quality of life both at their job and after their job.

Wellness is not just about doing a few exercises. It is a complete service-oriented program that takes into account diet, overall fitness and job fitness.

Benefits of Company Wellness Programs

The Benefits of Worksite Health Promotion Programs form a long list.

• Improvedemployee work rate
• Greateremployee concentration
• Better morale
• Lower absenteeism

The benefits of wellness programs can’t be miscalculated. With one-on-one consultation and group programs, workers learn to handle stress in a productive demeanor.

This not only betters life at work, it betters customer service and the quality of life with family and friends. Everyone who works has experienced those days when the stress of the job goes home with you because of the significance stress has on physical and mental wellbeing.

Stress generates a chemical that expands fat creation in bodies.

A wellness program empowers employees to deal with stress in such a manner they 1. reduce stress caused illnesses and 2. don’t carry the stress of work with them throughout non-work activities.

The advantages of a wellness program are the outcome of the use of exercise and nutrition planning to teach workers how to stay personally fit.

It is much easier for the body to manage stress when the whole body is in-shape. staff members who are not active directly cost the corporation a lot of money in absenteeism, improved healthcare costs and lost productivity.

Employee relations can also suffer as a result of employees who feel daily stress of the job.

Advantages of Worksite Health Promotion Programs – Satisfaction Guaranteed

The Advantages of wellness programs are both tangible and intangible.

• Existing chronic illnesses are addressed to prohibit further physical deterioration
• Preventive Corporate Wellness Programs keep medical costs lower over time
• Workers experience greater energy which expands work rate
• Unhealthy snacking in the worksite is addressed
• Ergonomics are studied to cut employee injury potential
• Employee flexibility is better
• Self-image of employees is improved
• Employee cooperation developed through physical activity programs
• Answers to health and fitness topics are given

The advantages of business physical activity programs cover onsite and off-site services customized to match business objectives. Even if a program is in place, it can be modified or expanded to meet the needs of the business and its employees.

Routine assessments, health education, health management and health consulting services are some of the many benefits of wellness programs monitored by Workplace Wellness Program experts. Among the many choices available, a company program normally will provide the following as a minimum.

• Aerobics
• Core muscle strengthening
• Muscle strengthening
• Improved flexibility
• Dietary examination and modification

Wellness programs vary depending on the size of the company, accessability to fitness equipment and budget. But no matter what shape the Company Health Promotion Program takes, the Advantages of Company Health Promotion Programs will enhance overall employee satisfaction. This reaps big benefits for the company.

Help your employees be the very best they can be mentally and physically, by realizing the Advantages of Employee Health Promotion Programs.

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Rewards of Employee Wellness Programs – Life on Loan

It is simple for workers to ignore the facts about their health when they are involved in just getting the work done. One of the big rewards of Worksite Health Promotion Programs is they bring health to the forefront of employer awareness.

Obesity is a big issue and getting worse every day. But it is just one issue among many. Employee health maintenance has become so expensive that it is the fastest rising component of many corporate budgets.

An effective Corporate Wellness Program can slow down the rate of increase and help employees realize they have a responsibility to themselves and their families to care for their own Health Promotion. Each individual is given a gift of life and it is imperative that life be cared for carefully.

Advantages of Company Health Promotion Programs

The rewards of wellness programs comprise of the following:

• Increased awareness of detrimental conduct such as smoking
• Cut back in employee obesity and subsequent ailments
• Convenience of programs for business and staff members
• Tracing of employee physical activity program results
• Accessability of a fitness consultant

Workers are evaluated one-on-one at the business or where there is business membership. Expert Workplace Health Promotion Program instructors create a custom fitted plan that insures the employee will have a physical activity program that fits their current physical condition and lifestyle.

One of the big reasons that physical activity programs fail is because people set unrealistic expectations. They are always ‘in debt’ to their program, unable to meet the requisites. A employer personal trainer can help each individual set realizable goal and design a program that is progressive.

The advantages of wellness programs are well documented in reports and can be seen in lower healthcare costs and higher productiveness.

Advantages of Company Wellness Programs

Sometimes a high interest rate can be a good thing for a company – like when there is high employee interest in a Corporate Wellness Program.

The benefits of Workplace Health Promotion Programs apply to the corporation and the employees.

• Lesshealthcare claims as employee health progresses
• Fewer cases of obesity
• Fewer cholesterol rates
• Greater cardiovascular health
• Fewer incidences of high Blood Pressure (BP)
• Less use of sick time
• Better stress management
• Active employees are less likely to be injured
• Fewer disability claims

Today, you can frequently discover a fitness room in an office building for employee convenience. That is an indication of the level of effectiveness of a fitness program.

The advantages of wellness programs include avoidance of common medical care conditions that once were considered rare.

The improvement in employee health nets the business a reduction in healthcare costs and that savings flows directly to the bottom line of the monetary report. There are really no negatives to a Wellness program.

The advantages of wellness programs are so outstanding; it is hard to understand why any employer would choose not to put together a fitness plan for their workers. Look on the web and see for yourself the world of opportunity to enhance the health of your workers and your employer.

Information to evaluate your program comes from regularly gathered screening and follow-up data of your program that look at process and outcomes of your program.

The Worker Health Program has available a computerized case-management system which includes queries that allow easy assessment of process and outcome results at any point in time.

Process Evaluation

Process assessment looks at the  Worksite Wellness Program’s influence as seen at various points in time.

Information that is gathered from the various forms that wellness workers fill out ought to supply you with the following:

• How many staff members were screened?
• How many employees who were referred to a doctor went?
• How many employees who expressed interest in health improvement programs went?
• How many employees who were referred to health improvement programs went?
• How many workers who went to health improvement programs completed them?
• How many workers are in follow-up caseload?

You can use this type of process evaluation to evaluate and learn about the health of your program.

Outcome Assessment

A central goal of the program is to improve the health of employees. Information on how to judge how well your program is meeting this goal is called “outcome assessment” because you are evaluating the end results or outcome of your program.

In wellness programs, objectives are gauged by specific (outcomes) behavior changes and reductions in health risk levels. Have workers lowered their Blood Pressure (BP)? Have they lost weight? Are they exercising more? Is alcohol consumption at a safe level? By way of example these are the types of questions you can ask to learn if you are reaching your objectives:

• For employees with high Blood Pressure (140 / 90 or higher or on medication) at evaluation, what percentage have it under control (below 140 / 90) a year later?
• What is the shift in average Blood Pressure levels among all staff members with elevated Blood Pressure 1 year after screening? Two years later?
• For staff members with elevated blood cholesterol levels (above 240) at screening, what percentage has reduced their cholesterol to borderline-high levels (200-239)?
• For workers with borderline-elevated blood cholesterol levels, what percentages have reduced their cholesterol to the desirable range (below 200)?
• What is the shift in average cholesterol levels among all staff members with high and borderline-high blood cholesterol levels 1 year after assessment? Two years later?
• For employees who were overweight at evaluation, what percentage have lost 20 pounds or more a year later? Ten pounds or more? What is the average weight loss?
• For employees who were tobacco users at assessment, what percentages have quit smoking? For at least a year?
• For employees whose level of alcohol consumption put them at-risk at screening, what percentage have quit drinking alcohol? Are consuming alcohol at levels considered safe by CDC guidelines? Have reduced their drinking, but are still at-risk?
• For workers, what percentages are exercising at least three times a week for at least 20 minutes?
• If fitness levels were gauged, what percentages have improved fitness?

Set a regular time such as every 6 months to look at which employees your program is reaching and how effective it is at assisting them decrease their health risks. Use this information to make new decisions about how to direct your program efforts. Then make the shift you need to better your program.

Some may feel that an assessment is a frill; it is not. Screening is a crucial part of a wellness program. You will need to know what is working and what is not. Decision-makers who fund the program need to be updated on the success of the program. Evaluation will provide you with crucial data to maintain and expand the program and convince management to continue to support the program.

Counselors must follow up on staff members at least every 6 months throughout the career of the employee at the workplace. The goals and objectives of follow-up are to:

• Involve employees who have health risks in treatment and risk reduction programs.
• Involve all employees in health improvement programs and worksite-wide wellness activities.
• Support workers in carrying out the risk reduction or health improvement activities they have chosen.
• Help workers comply with their treatment regimens.
• Prevent relapse.
• Prevent staff members from dropping out.
• Help workers maintain behavior changes.

Follow-up can be conducted in person, by phone, mail, and via computer if the technology is available. Most preferable is an in-person contact. Computer programs which can do case load management are available to help counselors track information and perform follow-up.

Priorities for Follow-Up

People with multiple health risks ought to be at the top of the list. People in key positions such as union leaders or department heads with health risks ought to also be contacted early so that they learn what the program is about and can share the information with others.

People who need a health care evaluation for elevated Blood Pressure or cholesterol must also be targeted early. Many staff members will have seen their doctors as a result of the evaluation, but some will need more encouragement to do so. Those with no health risks can be followed up annually.

A follow-up counseling session can take 20 to 45 minutes. At minimum, follow-up must include those who were told to seek medical assessment for elevated Blood Pressure readings, elevated blood lipid readings, or borderline elevated blood cholesterol readings with 2 or more other risk factors.

It may include those who were identified as at-risk for one or more of the other primary risk factors: at-risk levels of alcohol consumption, being overweight, and having low HDL.

Follow-Up With Physicians

A letter (see forms) ought to be sent to the physician or clinic of each employee who has elevated Blood Pressure, elevated cholesterol, or is under a physician’s care.

The letter should explain the program and should include the employee’s relevant, current health measurements.

Along with the letter, send a self-addressed return envelope. Follow-up with the physician ought to be repeated every 6 months until it is demonstrated that the employee is under satisfactory control.

Contacting the physician is significant for three reasons:

• The doctors receive staff members’ health measurements taken at the workplace.
• You receive the Blood Pressure and cholesterol readings the doctor takes and information on the treatment the doctor prescribes. Many times the employee does not have this information or does not remember it. The information can be used when counseling the employee.
• Follow-up encourages physicians to pay closer attention to heart disease risk factors among their patients.

The menu approach offers workers a range of options to support lifestyle changes. It allows people to choose the kind of help that suits their schedules and preferences.

The four basic types of programs include:
• Classes
• Minigroups
• Guided self help
• Individual counseling

Classes

Classes (8 or more) can be an effective means of providing education and social support for behavior change. The length of a class can vary depending on topic requirements. It is not sufficient to offer only classes at a worksite.

Many staff members are under time constraints with after work commitments and although they may be interested they simply can’t participate because of their schedules.

employees may be very eager to start a program but because of lack of participants to meet class quotas, the program is canceled. Many national employers such as the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Weight Watchers, etc. offer classes; you must have little trouble in identifying a provider for class type programs.

You may want to contact your local hospital, health department, or YMCA for possible options. For selecting a vendor to offer a program you may want to review the section on program structure.

Minigroups

When there is not sufficient interest to set up a class, those who are interested in a given health topic can be formed into a minigroup (2 to 7).

The minigroup can cover the same content as a class but do so in a less formal manner. Presentation of information and discussion is the primary format of the minigroup.

Guided Self-Help

Most employees do not want formal help in making health changes; they prefer to do it on their own. In guided self-help, the wellness counselors support support, materials, and encouragement.

Meeting times can be arranged and contact can be made either in person, by phone, or computer. Materials can be made available at the worksite, or mailed to the individual. Some worksites now make information available via intranets or the Internet.

Individual Counseling

One of the most successful ways to help people change and better their health status is counseling (or coaching) on a one-on-one basis.

In published research studies, wellness programs which incorporated individual counseling as part of the program process achieved significantly higher participation rates and achieved greater risk reduction/risk elimination than standard group programs. Studies have shown that individual counseling is both cost effective and cost advantageous.

A wellness counselor ought to be trained in evaluation techniques, for in certain situations, they may be necessitated to both screen individuals and counsel them. They ought to know how to do the following:

• Review employee health risks
• Contact employees who have health risks.
• Counsel workers on a one-on-one basis, helping them set goals and objectives, solve problems, and get professional help when they need it.
• Help workers follow their treatment recommendations and make lifestyle and health behavior changes.
• Recruit employees into health improvement programs, such as weight loss and tobacco cessation.
• Work with workers on a one-on-one basis using guided self-help.
• Conduct classes and minigroups if necessary.
• Work with Workplace Wellness Program Committee participants to plan and conduct worksite-wide wellness activities.

Wellness counselors are health generalists; they must have basic knowledge about a wide range of health issues and health risks.

Counselors must be able to talk with employees about their health care issues and the treatments prescribed by their doctors. They must have a good overview of diet, exercise physiology, pathophysiology of disease, pharmacology, psychology, and behavior change skills.

The educational program ought to include approaches to stress awareness/reduction at the environmental level and at the individual level.

Social, physical, and employer stressors must be explained and methods to ease or elevate stressors must be presented. At the individual level how changes in attitudes and behaviors help one to cope with stressors; learning techniques to minimize stress response, such as meditation, relaxation response, and exercise.

Content of the program ought to support the following:
• Identifying sources of stress
• Relationship of stress to health
• How the individual experiences stress, personal, family, work
• Solutions for coping and managing stress
• Techniques for lowering stress
• Value of stress, both detrimental and positive
• Practical steps of incorporating stress reduction into lifestyle

Personnel conducting stress management programs should have training in psychology, behavioral sciences, or related disciplines such as mental health professionals, counselors, health educators, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Training in a reputable program on how to instruct the stress management course including group process skills is a must.

A nutrition education program must include a nutritional needs assessment, education counseling, and referral as essential.

Educational sessions and materials must include the following information:

• The relationship of nutrition and chronic diseases
• Improving eating patterns
• Relationship of diet and proper weight maintenance
• Exercise
• Stress
• Blood Pressure (BP)
• Cholesterol
• Diabetes and other chronic diseases.
• Nutritionally accurate information regarding the relationship of health to diet, including cholesterol, fats, fiber, alcohol, carbohydrates, salt, sugar, and vitamin/mineral supplementation.

Methods for identifying healthier foods and incorporating low-calorie, high nutrient foods into eating habits. Guidelines for improving eating habits should be based on or consistent with national recommendations such as The Food Guide Pyramid.

Instructor should be a registered dietitian, registered nurse, or have a baccalaureate degree or higher in health education with training in diet. If an allied health professional instructs the program, a consultation and review of the program design by a registered dietitian is recommended.

It is recommended that smoking cessation programs subscribe to the Code Of Practice for Smoking Cessation Programs.

Smoking cessation programs ought to be multi-component with a focus on skills to build positive voluntary behavior change practices. Useful techniques include adopting reasons for quitting, understanding the smoking habit, various techniques for stopping and remaining a non-smoker, overcoming the concerns of quitting, short-term goal setting, weight control, stress management, significance of exercise, relationship of alcohol consumption to urges to use tobacco. Use no aversive or scare tactics.

In programs that use aids such as the “patch” or medications such as “Zyban” appropriate consultation must be available on the usage of these aids.

The instructor must have formal training in smoking cessation from a nationally recognized business such as American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, or a nationally recognized commercial program such as Smoke Enders.

Evaluation of success is sometimes very dubious in tobacco cessation programs. Measurement of success ought to include participation rate, including the number beginning the program, the number completing the program, and the average number per session. Also included, number and percent who stopped smoking at the end of the program, and the number and percent who had not resumed smoking by the end of one year.

Participatory physical activity programs should include education on benefits of regular exercise and risks of a sedentary lifestyle, its impact on cardiovascular health and diseases, its relationship with weight control and stress management, and aerobic exercise options. Discussion and practice of safe principles of exercise – warm up, cool down, frequency, intensity, duration, flexibility and strength components. The program follows instructions by the American College Of Sports Medicine.

Safety precautions must include the following:

• Informed consent prior to beginning exercise with clear and complete written and verbal guidelines of possible risk, purpose of exercise, exercise format to be followed, opportunity for questions, and a signed informed consent with date.
• A screening/evaluation of participants to determine if medical care evaluation is necessary for exercise such as the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q, see forms).
• Measurements of Blood Pressure and resting heart rate are useful evaluation information to determine exercise readiness.
• Members who fail screening are medically referred and must obtain a written clearance from their physician to exercise.
• The basic content of an aerobic exercise program must include:

Warm up   5 – 10 minutes
Aerobic exercise   20 – 40 minutes
Cool down   5 – 10 minutes

Exercise instructors should have education and training in exercise physiology, physical education, physical therapy or comparable discipline, or possess a current certification by a nationally recognized sports medicine or exercise association, and be CPR certified.

Program provided is consistent with scientific and medical recommendations for weight loss, reflects a multi-disciplinary approach which offers four components: behavioral, exercise, nutrition, and maintenance, and is in accordance with the document Guidance For Treatment Of Adult Obesity. It includes:

• Screening to verify that the participant has no medical or psychological conditions which would make weight loss inappropriate, and to identify the participant’s level of health risk, classifying participants not only on excess body weight, but also on the basis of associated medical conditions and central heath risk.
• Referral for participants who are morbidly obese who would require health care guidance for weight loss.
• Informed consent, explanation of potential physical and psychological risk from weight loss and regain, likely long-term success of program, full cost of the program, credentials of the employee.
• Identification of contributing factors to attendant’s weight status, serving as the basis for an individualized weight loss plan which includes the weight objective and plans for nutrition, exercise, and behavioral components.
• Weight goal of participant is reasonable based on personal and family weight history not solely on height and weight charts; initial weight loss goal does not exceed loss of 10 percent of body weight, 1-2 pounds per week.
• Explanation of unsafe weight loss methods.
• Daily calorie level is adjusted to meet each attendant’s recommended rate of weight loss.
• Daily caloric intake is not less than 1,000 calories; if less, physician monitoring is needed.
• Food plan designed so participants can select foods which meet 100% of all the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) except for calories. Nutritional supplementation can be used to achieve RDAs, however must not greatly exceed RDAs.
• Nutrition education encouraging permanent healthful eating habits based on The Food Guide Pyramid.
• Participant involved in meal planning and meal selection.

The protein, fat, carbohydrate, and fluid content of the food plan meet safety recommendations:

Protein   Between 0.8 and 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of objective body weight, but no more than 100 grams of protein a day.
Fat   10 – 30% calories as fat.
Carbohydrate   At least 100 grams per day.
Fluid   At least one liter of water daily.

• Exercise component ought to be a important portion of the program and be both didactic and experiential.
• Participant is appropriately screened for exercise using a assessment questionnaire such as the Par-Q Readiness Assessment (see forms). Instruction on recognizing untoward responses to exercise.
• Members work towards 30-60 minutes of exercise 5-7 days per week.
• No appetite suppressant prescription drugs.
• Maintenance plan offered for continued reinforcement.
• Weight control programs must be conducted by a registered dietitian or by degreed health professionals with training in diet with consultation by a registered dietitian.
• Trained lay leaders may assist  if supervised by nutrition professional.

Note: There’s an interactive version of Guidance for the Treatment of Adult Obesity at e-Guidance for the Treatment of Adult Obesity.

A program is required to support appropriate interpretation of blood lipid assessment results, including a caution that a single measurement neither excludes nor establishes a diagnosis of their blood cholesterol.

Follow national ground rules:

Total Cholesterol
Desirable cholesterol   < 200 mg/dl
Borderline cholesterol   200 – 239 mg/dl
High cholesterol   > 240 mg/dl

HDL
Desirable HDL    > 35 mg/dl
Low HDL    < 35 mg/dl

Refer blood lipid screening participants to medical as follows:

Total Cholesterol
< 200 mg/dl    Recheck cholesterol in five years, if history of coronary heart disease or if two or more CHD risk factors are detected refers to risk reduction program or health professionals, as appropriate.
200 - 239 mg/dl    If history of CHD or if two or more other risk factors are detected, refer to healthcare or risk reduction service within two months; if no stated history of CVD or less than two other risk factors, reassess cholesterol status within 1-2 years.
> 240mg/dl    Refer to health care within two months.

HDL
> 35 mg/dl   If fewer than 2 risk factors and borderline total cholesterol, refer to risk reduction service, as appropriate. Reassess HDL in 1-2 years.

Offer the following:
• The relationship of blood cholesterol, high Blood Pressure (BP), and other risk factors.
   o Risk factors include: high Blood Pressure 140/90 or higher or on hypertension medication; current tobacco use; family history of premature CHD; diabetes mellitus; age – male > 45 years, female > 55 years or premature menopause without estrogen replacement therapy.
   o Negative risk factor: high HDL 60 mg/dl or greater (subtract one risk factor).
   o Risk factors such as family history, smoking, high fat or other unhealthy diet, and lack of exercise lead to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Definitions and causes of high blood cholesterol and HDL, desirable levels, the meaning and limitations of a single measurement, the cause of variability, and the need for multiple measurements prior to diagnosis.
• Wide range of treatment options, including diet (e.g., effect of controlling fat intake less than 30 percent of total calories from fat, less 10 percent saturated fats), less than 300 mg. of cholesterol per day, well-balanced diet, weight maintenance or reduction, exercise, and medication.
• Importance of following prescribed treatment and professional advice.