Arbeitsmedizin und Gesundheitsangelegenheiten

Abstrakt

Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Worksite Health Promotion Programs: A Brief Review

Kolbe-Alexander TL and Lambert EV

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) accounted for nearly two-thirds of global deaths in 2008. The aim of this literature review is to examine current evidence for the role of worksite health promotion programs’ role in the prevention of NCD’s. The prevalence of risk factors for NCD’s among employees and the clustering of risk behaviors among employees will be discussed. In addition, the role of health risk appraisals as an entry for worksite health promotion programs is discussed. Methods: The search strategy included using Pub Med to find relevant manuscripts. Manuscripts that were published within the last 10 years, as well as systematic reviews and meta-analyses were given priority due to the limited scope of this review. Results: Worksite health promotion programs have been shown to result in economic benefits both for the employer and employee. In addition to the economic benefits, previous research has shown that worksite health promotion programs are effective in reducing the risk for NCD’s among employees. Comprehensive worksite health promotion programs which include tailoring the program according to the company’s and employees’ needs have been found to be most effective. In addition, worksite intervention programs that have had the greatest impact on improving employee health were those targeting the employees at highest risk for NCD’s. The Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is one of the most frequently implemented worksite health promotion programs and has been implemented in more than 50% of large companies in the USA by 2004. The HRA is beneficial to identify employees who might be at increased risk for NCD, and could be considered as the first step towards improved health. Conclusion: Worksite health promotion programs have the potential to play a role in reducing the prevalence of NCD’s and their risk factors and both health and economic benefits.