A Health Promotion Program without objectives and objectives is somewhat akin to taking a family trip without any planning; you won’t know where you’re going, how to get there, what you want to do once you have arrived, or even whether or not you have arrived!
The trip may end up ok, or it may end up disastrously. Yet, with a little thoughtful planning, you increase your chances for a successful experience. Clear objectives and objectives are needed to plan your health promotion program for ensure success!
Wellness program objectives and objectives are different from one business to another depending on the population, needs, interests and resources. Nonetheless, well thought out objectives based on your company’s needs assessment will form the foundation of a successful health promotion program!
Health Promotion Program Mission Statement
The first consideration is a mission statement for your Wellness Program. The mission statement is the overall expression of what the Wellness Committee wants to accomplish by starting a wellness program.
It is crucial to consider how your Wellness Program fits in with the company mission statement, contributes to the overall mission and supports the company bottom line. This will integrate your efforts throughout the company operations.
Here are some examples of Health Promotion Program mission statements -
At XYZ Business, maintaining an environment that supports staff member health and safety is our underlying value. It is the mission of the Health Promotion Program to assist in developing wellness services that fosters and upholds that value.
It is the mission of the XYZ Health Promotion Committee to foster healthier lifestyle options to reduce health risk factors, improve overall well-being, and maintain a productive, active work force.
Health Promotion Program Goals
The goals and goals further define your mission and are based on your needs assessment. Depending on the needs assessment, upper-level management expectations and worker interests, examples of goals can include -
The goal(s) of XYZ Wellness Program in year XXXX is to – (one or more of the following examples)
o Reduce absenteeism by one day per employee
o Lower musculoskeletal injuries by 10%
o Decrease unnecessary emergency room visits
o Decrease or contain health care costs
o Improve dietary habits of employees
o Reduce health risk factors
Wellness Program Objectives
Specific Wellness Program goals help meet your long-term goals and vision. Both short term and long term goals ought to be created as the stepping stones to accomplish the goals and mission.
In addition to goals for the expected participant outcomes, process goals should also be developed for the wellness program process itself. For instance, process goals may include how many personnel you want to take part in the wellness programs, how many sessions on a topic will be offered, the type of wellness sessions that’ll be implemented, etc.
Goals need to be easily measurable within a set time frame. Attempt using the SMART formula to develop both your long and short-term objectives and objectives -
o Specific (one behavior or outcome)
o Measurable (one result that may be observed or assessed),
o Attainable (but also challenging),
o Realistic (do you’ve the resources to achieve?), and
o Time specific (within 3 months â.” up to 5 years)
This is the who, what, when, where, why, and by how much method. For example, an objective for a losing weight program that has an overall goal of bettering healthful eating and promoting a healthful weight is that -
Participants (who) will lose an typical of .5 â.” 1 lbs per week (specific what that is measurable) at the end of the 12 week lunchtime program (time specific what, when and where) for a minimum of 6 lbs losing weight per participant (attainable and realistic).
Or -
Participants (who) will attend 11 of the 12 sessions (specific what that is measurable) and name at least one healthier eating change at the end of the program (specific what, when, where)
An example of an objective for coaching staff with elevated cholesterol may be -
To reduce the total cholesterol (specific what) of high risk personnel with cholesterol over 240 mg/dl (specific who) to 200 mg/dl (measurable how much) through one-on-one counseling sessions offered at the workplace (where) by X date (ex, after 6 months) (attainable, realistic and time specific when) to lower the risk factor for heart illness (why).
And one last example of a process objective for a smoking cessation program with an overall goal to assist participants in committing to quit for life -
By the end of the 4-week use of tobacco cessation program, 10 percent of the participants will have quit use of tobacco. Each participant will be contacted at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months from the program’s end to determine quit status (process objective) and 10 percent of those who quit will still be smoke free after one year.
You have now completed Steps 1 through 4, including establishing your Health Promotion Committee. It is now time to plan your wellness activities!