Evaluation of Employee Behaviors, Perceptions, and Attitudes Regarding Worksite Wellness in an Urban Environment

Worksite wellness programs continue to demonstrate a high return on investment by controlling and reducing employer shares of health care expenditures. Health risk assessments (HRA) are commonly used to establish priorities. This crosssectional study utilized an online HRA grounded by constructs from the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior. An online anonymous survey was disseminated to employees at an urban academic-medical institution, n=816 responses were obtained for a 12% response rate. The majority of respondents were female. Seventy-one percent (71%) of employees believed they were at-risk for pre-diabetes/diabetes, 49% perceived they were at risk for high blood pressure, and 43% indicated they were at risk for depression. Less than 10% reported their health status as being excellent. One in five respondents were unable to see a primary care provider (PCP) due to challenges in their life and 14% did not have a PCP. The average employee exercises 3-4 times per week and consumes on average 12.41 servings of fruits and vegetables per week. Self-efficacy was associated with intention (r(702) = 0.45, p =