News

Workers say wellness programs improve health, lower costs

Posted on Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Achieving better overall health is the top reason American workers (43%) report they participate (or would participate) in a wellness program, according to the latest Principal Financial Well-Being Index.

Other reasons include reduced personal health care costs (33%) and a greater chance of living longer and healthier lives (31%).

The index, which surveys American workers at growing businesses with 10-1,000 workers, was conducted in October 2010 by Harris Interactive.

The survey also found that more than half (53%) of workers use weight management programs offered by their employers, a 25-percentage-point increase over the previous year.

This trend is echoed by a 21-percentage-point increase in workers’ use of personalized action plans for high risk conditions to 68%, and an 18-percentage-point increase in workers’ use of blood sugar screenings to 84%.

Nearly half (48%) of workers surveyed said that wellness benefits encourage them to stay in their current employment situation, and 43% said that wellness benefits motivate them to work harder and perform better.

More than a quarter (28%) of workers surveyed believe they have missed fewer days of work as a direct result of participating in a wellness program, and 38% of workers attributed wellness programs to improved energy and productivity at work.

Employer Benefit News

Published: February 22, 2011