An evaluation of RMH Health Club: Worksite wellness

The purpose of this study was to provide a formative evaluation of the recently established wellness program (RMH Health Club) at Richland Memorial Hospital. The evaluation determined whether the program, after being implemented for one year, was having an impact on the participants by reducing their relative health risks based on self-reported and biometric measures taken at the annual health risk assessments. Also compared were various health measures in relation to participation level (active, enrolled or new) in the program.; The evaluation included 419 employees who chose to participate in the program. Members were classified as active if they had earned incentives during the first year of the program, or as enrolled if they had not, and new members were employees who joined the program after it's first year. Both the Health Profile 500 and the Perceived Health Status Inventory (PHSI) were used. The Health Profile 500 included self-reported health behaviors and biometric measures, and the PHSI measured self-efficacy related to exercise and stress management and determined if Perceived confidence levels related to these behaviors were different among participants based on member status.; Based on the overall findings, biometric health risk measures used to assess health status were not reduced after one year of participating in the program. It was shown that members who actively participated in the wellness program had fewer at risk health status measures than first year participants who did not participate in the incentives portion of the program. Most members (84%) were overweight, according to 1997 federal guidelines measuring BMI. Furthermore, few members spent time doing physical activities, besides walking. The majority of members were moderately confident in their abilities to stretch, manage stress, and participate in aerobic activity based on self-efficacy scores. Finally, incentives were found to be used 2.5 times more often by members paid on an hourly basis and as confidence in self-efficacy for aerobic exercise increased members were less likely to use incentives.