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Employee characteristics and participation in a worksite wellness programme

University of Iowa, USA

John B Lowe

University of Iowa, USA, john-lowe{at}uiowa.edu

N Andrew Peterson

University of Iowa, USA

Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the underlying structure of participation in a worksite wellness programme, and to examine the relationship between the demographic and quality of life (QOL) characteristics of employees, and the wellness programme offerings in which they choose to participate.

Design The cross-sectional design of this study involved gathering data from individuals at one point in time, following their decision to participate (or not participate) in a worksite wellness programme.

Setting This study involved county government employees in a Midwestern United States community.

Method Surveys were mailed to a random sample of 329 county government employees. The survey included demographics and measured QOL via the Short Form-36 (SF-36). One-week and three-week follow-ups were conducted in attempt to increase the survey response rate.

Results Two dimensions of wellness programme participation were identified to exist among wellness programme participants: (1) medical offerings; and (2) health education offerings. Certain employee characteristics were associated with participation in each of the two dimensions of participation.

Conclusion Findings suggest demographic and QOL characteristics may predict the type of employees a programme might expect to participate in wellness offerings. Results may be useful for worksite wellness programme coordinators regarding tailoring programme offerings, participant recruitment, and education efforts, based on the characteristics of the employee population.

Key Words: quality of life • worksite wellness References

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Health Education Journal, Vol. 65, No. 4, 308-319 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0017896906069367


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Joslin, B. Articles by Peterson, N A. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?