Are Workplace Wellness Programs Using Proper Motivational Tools? Workplace wellness programs (WWPs) aim to motivate employees to Irve healihier lifestyles Companies encourage participation by offering insurance premium discounts, cash prizes, healah club memberships, and other fewards to employees who (1) participate in the proerams and (2) teach certaia bealuh goals, incloding imoking cessation. weicht loss, and blood glocose and blood pressure reduction. 218 More than twothinds of U.S employers curfently offer welisess programs 219 Proponents believe WWPs ultimaiely save companies money by making employees healthier, thereby reducing the likelibood that employees will file cosily medical claims 220 This challenge looks at the use of health outcone-based rewards in voluntary WWP: Employees who ehoose to participate in voluntary WWPs provide persoal medical data and undergo periodic health assessments to track their progress. One popular tool is the health risk appraisal, a questionnaire that gathers information about personal medical history, lifestyle choioes, plysioloeical metries (weicht, height), and family disease history, all of which are tised wo create a risk profile and plan of recommendations for the employees no address their bealuh risks. Another commonly used tool, biometric sercenieg. benchmarks and tracks employoe data such as weight, body mass index (BMI), Bhood pressure, cardiovascular fitness cholesterol, and blood givocosc 221 One concera with WWPs is the risk of exposing workers' private medical data. Emplogers are typically prohibited from busing hape wio employment decisions on medical information. The Americans with Disabelities Act and the Genetic Information Noediscrimination Act. requlate how much pervonal medical daa, if any, an employer is allowed to ask foe, and the Healib lnsuraece Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets strict standards for storage and access to indmidual health data But welliness proeram vendors are often exempt from these provisions because many are not considered health eare prowiders. Vendors may even sell bealth data to third parties and thes expore employees to the risk of unlawfal disclosare and usc of their daia 212 Another concern is that WWPs tie employee rewatds to metrics that can be (1) inaceurate and/or (2) uncontrotlable. For example, many WWPs use fitress trackers to monitor employees daly step coubts and exercise frequency. Bet sudies show that fitness trackens provide highly inaccurate and unreliahle data 23 Other popelar incentives include weight loss and blood presturefblood glucose reduction, but these metrics can fluctuate drastically in a single day and also depend on the retiability of the specific instruments uted to measure them. Rceards tied to reductions in BM1 are problematic becase this measurement fails to acecuin for factors such as musclo mass, body frame, and preenancy, leaving otherwise highly fit employeer at risk of being calegorised as overweieht or obese, 214 The meirics used in WWPs also fad to accouat for factors that participants may have litile to Bo cootrol over. Eating bealthict and exercisiag more are positive choices with health bencfits for mamy people, but these practices aren't a surefire way to reduce wcicht and Blood peesure/blood glucose in every participant Certain medical conditions make meeting these gools exiremely diffcule, cen with exemplary lifeutyle choices Treluat bow much penoal medwaldea, if amp, av ceppines in allowed ao as lor, and the Hnath lawerasce Rortakily and SOLWING THE CHALLENGE 4 Invrit ithar epowes Are Workplace Wellness Programs Using Proper Motivational Tools? Workplace wellness programs (WWPs) aim to motivate employees to live healthice lifestyles. Companies encourage participation by offering insurance premium discounts, cash prizes, health club memberships, and other rewards to employees who (1) participate in the programs and (2) teach certain health goals, including smoking cessation, weight loss, and blood glucose and blood pressure reduction 218 More than twothirds of U.S employers currently offer wellness programs. 219 Proponents believe WWPs ultimately save companies money by making employes healther, thereby reducing the likelihood that employees will file costly medical claims.220 This challenge looks at the use of health outcome-based rewards in voluntary WWPs. Emplowees who choose to participate in voluntary WWPs provide personal medical data and undergo periodic health assessments to track their progress. One popular toot is the health risk appraisal, a questionnaire that eathers information about personal medical history, lifestyle choices, physiological metrics (weight, height), and family disease history, all of which are used to create a risk proflle and plan of recommendations for the employees to address their health risks. Another commonly used tool, biometric screening. benchmarks and tracks employee data such as weight, body maws index (BMI), blood pressure, cardiovascular fitness, cholesterol, and blood glucose 221 One concern with WWPs is the risk of exposine worken' private medical data. Employers are typically prohibited from basing employment decisions on medical information. The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Genetic Information Nondiserimination Act regulate how much personal medical data. If any. an employer is allowed to ack for, and the Health Inswrance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets strict saadards for storage and access to individual health data. But wellness program vendors are often exempe from these provisions because many are not combidered health care providers. Vendors may even sell health data to third parties and thus expose emplosecs to the risk of unlawful disclosure and use of their data.22. Another conecrn is that WWPs tie employee rewards to metrics that can be (1) inaccurate and/or (2) uncontrollable. For example, many WWPs use fitnes trackers to monitor employeer' daily step counts and exercise frequency. But studies show that fitness trackers provide highly inaccurate and unreliable data 223 Other popular incentives include weight loss and blood pressure/blood glucose reduction, but these metrics can fluctuate dratically in a single day and also depend on the reliability of the specific instruments used to measure them Rewards tied wo reductions in BMI are problematic because this measurement fails to account for factors such as muscle mass, body. frame, and pregnancy, leaving otherwise highly fit employces at risk of being categorized as overucieht or obese 24 The metrics used in WWPs also fail to account for factors that participants may have litte to no control over. Eating healthier and evereising more are positive choices with bealth benefits for many people, but these practices aren't a surefire way to reduce weight and blood pressure/blood elucose in cvery participant, Certain medical conditions make meeting these goals extremely ditticult even with exemplary lifesyle choices The challenge is to decide whether oreanizations should tic employec rewards to emplogee health outcomes in voluntary WWP. benchmarks and tracks employee data such as weighb, body mass indec (BMI). blood pressure, candionasculat fitncss, cholesterol, and blood glueose 211 One concern with WWPs is the rikk of expowige worken' private modical data Employers are typically prohibited from toasine. emplonment decisions on medical information. The Americans with Disabilities Aet and the Genetic Information Nondiserimination Act refulate how emoch perional medical data, if any, an employer in allowed to ask for, and the Health Insurance Portabilisy and Aecountability Act (HIPAA) sets strict standards for sorage asd access to individual health data. Bet arllness program vendors are offen evempt feom these provisioms because many are not convidered health care providers. Vendoes may cots selt healh data to third parties and thus expole employess to the risk of enlawful doclosure and use of their data 221 Another coneern is thas WWPs te employse rowards to metrics that can be (1) inaceurate and/or (2) uncontrollable. For caample, macy WWPy use fitnes tackers to monilor empleyees' daily sep counts and esercive frequency Bu studies show that fithess iracien pronide hiehly inaccurate and unreliable data 229 Crher popular iestetives inclode weight loss and blood pressure,blood glucme reduction, but. these metrics can flpetwate dravically in a sinele day and alwo depend on the rehability of the specific instruments uved to measure them Rewands tied to feductions in BMI are problematic because this meaturement fals to account for factors mach as muscle mass, body frame, and preptancy, leaving ceherwise highly ft employees at risk of beint cateporued as overneicht oc obese 214 The mitnis uned in WWPs alwo fall to actoum for fectors that partsipants may have latile lo no control owe. Eating heathier and ectrising more are postive choices with healih benelis for mary prople, but thete prectises arent a wurefire way to rodoce weieht and esemplary Mestle chaces SOLVING THE CHALLENGE their peronal health information, riak profich or healih improvements I wowld kee the programs voluntary and not adminiace rowandi helpung retuce the smploycr's health care costi 3. I think it is a pood lise to tie rew aeds to employec health outcomen, provided thone cutcomes cas tec meavured relubly and accerathly Alw, it in only fair to rrwand peopic for moctine poals thay are actually able to contcol Increanine atreswecheving practices wish ai meditation may be a more realistie goal for someone wuh byperieswoe than Hood prevwor redection. Eimplogers should work wish ingloyecs to come up with realintic, achicrable, fenosalized poelt