Efficacy of Wellness Programs in Organizations Examined Through Health Screening Measurements and Lifestyle Behavior Changes

Theoretically, wellness programs are intended to educate and motivate individuals about lifestyle changes that can improve health and reduce the risk or presence of disease. However, researchers in the field suggest that despite a plethora of studies, there is little empirical evidence that these programs affect any measurable change, and there is little return on investment. This study was predicated on a longitudinal comparison study that potentially uncovered evidence regarding the existence of a potential relationship between participation in a structured wellness program and the health status of participants. This quasi-experimental study directly addressed the problem of the absence of valid evaluation studies of workplace wellness programs by analyzing the national wellness program results of a longitudinal dataset collected from participants at the sites of a large national corporation by Cigna Healthcare. A quantitative research method focused on measuring longitudinal changes in behaviors was executed. In addition, screening results from an existing dataset using linear mixed effects analysis for four repeated measurement events occurring annually between 2010 and 2013 were used, controlling for gender, age, and geographic location. A sample size of 652 was drawn, resulting in a statistical power of .95. Change scores on a range of validated health outcomes were modeled using a quantitative approach based on linear mixed effects while controlling for a host of confounds not previously controlled for in other studies. This study possibly produced longitudinally-derived comparison based evidence on the efficacy of a nationwide structured wellness program. The results indicted a potential relationship between participation in a structured wellness program and improvements in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein, and blood glucose. In contrast, there did not appear to be a relationship between participation in a structured wellness program and improvement in the sample population's body mass index. While this study may contribute to the theories related to PAPM and the potential relationship or effect of participation in a structured wellness program, additional analysis is necessary to better understand the possible relationship or effect of specific strategies executed during the program and effectiveness related to the treatment of specific health risks to further advance this research.