Employee Health Promotion

Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments, are an assessment tool or
questionnaire scientifically designed to identify health risks and outline information
to help people in making healthy changes that influence their health and prevent
chronic conditions.

Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments have four standard components
in worksite settings:

• A Questionnaire
• A Computerized Program to Evaluate Health Risk Factors
• Confidential Individual Reports
• Group Summary Report

Employees complete a lifestyle questionnaire that includes for example nutrition
practices, height and weight, exercise habits, family history, stress perceptions,
smoking history, and work satisfaction. Another important feature to consider
is readiness to change questions to determine participation interest. Including
health screenings such as cholesterol and Blood Pressure (BP) results increases
the benefits of an Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment by offering
a more accurate health assessment and therefore improving lifestyle choice decisions
and program options. However, it is important to determine if the Health Risk
Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment can be used without including this information.

The health risk questionnaire information is entered into a computer program
and an individual confidential report is generated that summarizes health risks
as well as information on how to reduce risk factors. Individual reports are
totally confidential. Depending on the reason for launching the Health Risk
Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment, it’s important to consider the type
of report the organization will receive as well. A group report summarizing
major risk factors and recommendations for programs to enable in order to reduce
employee and organization risks supplies important information for your wellness
program.

The Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments can be used to:

• Raise awareness to individual employee’s health status
• Motivate employees to make healthier lifestyle changes
• Coach high-risk employees
• Plan Employee Health Promotion based on the identified needs
• Evaluate program effectiveness by comparing Health Risk Appraisals / Health
  Risk Assessments completed at set intervals such as yearly.