Eight-Year Health Risks Trend Analysis of a Comprehensive Workplace Health Promotion Program

Barriers and Facilitators to Participation and Key Components of Sleep Health Programs: Perspectives for the Corporate Work Environment

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study is to explore the barriers and facilitators of participation and key components for sleep health programs designed for corporate work environments.

METHODS

Semistructured interviews with corporate executives and occupational medicine specialists in the decision making and management of workplace health promotion programs (WHPP) within their companies were held before and during COVID-19. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic content analysis to identify themes.

RESULTS

Barrier and facilitator themes emerging from the data include sleep health awareness, work culture, work-family balance, and confidentiality. Key components for sleep health programs included the following: identifying the need for a program, incorporating sleep health risk screening to WHPP, and promoting sleep health by raising awareness thereof.

CONCLUSIONS

The identified barriers and facilitators to employee participation and key components of an ideal sleep health program provide guidance for further WHPP.

Prediction of Future Medical Costs by Modifiable Measures of Health

Introduction

Strategies to mitigate rising health-care costs are a priority for patients, employers, and health insurers. Yet gaps currently exist in whether health risk assessment can forecast medical claims costs. This study examined the ability of a health quotient (HQ) based on modifiable risk factors, age, sex, and chronic conditions to predict future medical claims spending.

Methods

The study included 18,695 employees and adult dependents who participated in health assessments and were enrolled in an employer-sponsored health plan. Linear mixed effect models stratified by chronic conditions and adjusted for age and sex were utilized to evaluate the relationship between the health quotient (score of 0-100) and future medical claims spending.

Results

Lower baseline health quotient was associated with higher medical claims cost over 2 years of follow up. For participants with chronic condition(s), costs were $3628 higher for those with a low health quotient (<73; N = 2673) compared to those with high health quotient (>85; N = 1045), after adjustment for age and sex (P value = 0.004). Each one-unit increase in health quotient was associated with a decrease of $154 (95% CI: 87.4, 220.3) in average yearly medical claims costs during follow up.

Discussion

This study used a large employee population with 2 years of follow-up data, which provides insights that are applicable to other large employers. Results of this analysis contribute to our ability to predict health-care costs using modifiable aspects of health, objective laboratory testing and chronic condition status.

Biometrics for Industry 4.0: a survey of recent applications

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, represents the rise of digital industrial technology that is propagating at an exponential rate compared to the previous three revolutions. Interoperability is a basis of production, where there is a continuous exchange of information between machines and production units that act autonomously and intelligently. Workers play a central role in making autonomous decisions and using advanced technological tools. It may involve using measures that distinguish individuals, and their behaviours and reactions. Increasing the level of security, allowing only authorized personnel access to designated areas, and promoting worker welfare can have a positive impact on the entire assembly line. Thus, capturing biometric information, with or without individuals' knowledge, could allow identity verification and monitoring of of their emotional and cognitive states during the daily actions of work life. From the study of the literature, we outline three macro categories in which the principles of Industry 4.0 are merged and the functionalities of biometric systems are exploited: security, health monitoring, and quality work life analysis. In this review, we present an overview of all biometric features used in the context of Industry 4.0 with a focus on their advantages, limitations, and practical use. Attention is also paid to future research directions for which new answers are being explored.

Improvement Predictors in a Workplace Program Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Habits

BACKGROUND

The baseline characteristics of employees to predict improvements in healthy lifestyle habits (LHs) following workplace health promotion programs are underexplored. This study sought to identify predictors of improvements in physical activity (PA), eating habits, sleep habits, and stress management, and health risk factors resulting from healthy LHs.

METHODS

The Activate Your Health program included 3 packages of an increasing number of interventions: light, moderate, and high. Participating employees (n = 506) completed baseline and postintervention questionnaires that collected sociodemographic data, health- and LH-related variables, stress-related variables, and perceptions of general health and life satisfaction. Only those with the potential to improve were included in each improvement outcome analysis.

RESULTS

Being in high and intending to reduce alcohol consumption increased the odds of improving PA. Very good/excellent perceived general health, poor sleep habits, high alcohol consumption, and intending to improve stress management increased the odds of improving stress levels at work. Depression and intending to improve sleep habits increased the odds of improving stress management. Reporting feelings of pleasure increased the odds of improving body mass index.

CONCLUSIONS

Baseline characteristics predicting improvements differed for each LH. A targeted approach may be needed to help employees improve LHs and related outcomes.

Health-Related and Lifestyle Factors as Predictors of Intentions to Improve Lifestyle Habits in Employees Participating in a Workplace Health Promotion Program

OBJECTIVES

To explore employees' intentions to improve lifestyle habits, investigate the health and lifestyle-related predictors of these intentions, and how it translated into behavioral improvement.

METHODS

Employees participating in the Activate Your Health WHPP completed a questionnaire of their demographics, health-related variables, as well as six lifestyle habits and intention to improve them.

RESULTS

At baseline (n = 2729), most employees wanted to focus on physical activity and eating habits. Many predictors were identified for each intention. Majority of intentions were associated with behavioral improvement post-program (n = 525), especially in High.

CONCLUSIONS

In the context of WHPPs, intention to improve may lead to actual behavioral improvement. Exploring employees' intentions to improve various lifestyle habits at the start of the program could improve the effectiveness of these programs.