Date of Award
1999
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Business
First Advisor
Pam DeLotell
Second Advisor
Laura DeRigne
Third Advisor
Michael Kramer
Abstract
Cost containment of health care cost is an extremely significant issue to employers today. Many employers have used strategies such as cost shifting and managed care to control costs with limited success. Many are using wellness programs with the idea of promoting healthy lifestyles to decrease the risks and demand for health care services. Other benefits which employers look for are an increase in employee productivity and morale, and decreasing absenteeism and turnover. The purpose of this thesis is to determine how effective wellness programs have been at achieving these goals.
Some form of wellness program has widely been used by employers. These programs emphasize regular exercise, proper nutrition, weight control, health care screenings, pre-natal care, stress reduction, safe behaviors, and avoidance of substances such as tobacco that are harmful to them. Some wellness programs are small in scale and may just give health screenings and educational materials on health issues. Others are larger in scale and may have their own fitness center and/or use outreach and follow-up counseling. The literature has produced many positive testimonials on the use of wellness programs among employers. Some employers have claimed a return of two, Three, or more dollars for every dollar invested in their wellness program.
There has been some very good research studies published that show that wellness programs do achieve their objectives when done properly. The literature shows that in order to maximize the success of a wellness program, it needs to recognize where the bulk of the health care claim dollars go, who are the most at risk for incurring these costly health care claims by giving employees personalized health risk appraisals, and to do outreach and follow-up counseling.
Recommended Citation
Lonigro, Paul, "The Benefits of Corporate Wellness Programs" (1999). Theses. 1020.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1020
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