Assessment of employee perceived awareness and utilization of the wellness programs offered by

Virginia Hospital Center

Jessica Kozar, Aramark Dietetic Intern
ARAMARK Distance Learning Dietetic Internship Program
ABSTRACT

METHODOLOGY

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of chronic diseases in the United States continues to increase year after
year and the cost of healthcare is steadily increasing right along with it. Because of the
connection between these two, the government has begun to focus on and incorporate a more
preventive approach to public health and wellness. In doing so it has been determined that the
workplace is the perfect place to implement wellness and health promotion programs and so
employers are being encouraged to provide them. After all the first step in solving any problem
has to be awareness and what better place to initiate this awareness than in an environment
where people spend a large quantity of time together and can relate to one another. Registered
Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) are one of the key components of such a program and provide
evidenced based information to assist with the behavioral changes that are necessary to achieve
a change in lifestyle. Although the benefits are well known, the challenge has been how to
increase participation. This study examined the overall utilization of the worksite wellness
program at Virginia Hospital Center (VHC) and explored some of the barriers potentially
preventing participation. Subjects were recruited from a sample of employees working at VHC or
under an Aramark contract for the hospital. A short survey was created, sent out by blast email to
all of the employees and was completed by 559 participants. Results showed that employees are
aware that there are wellness programs and although there is an interest, overall participation is
low. There were some common barriers uncovered as well as topics of interest for future
programs. Limitations and recommendations for future studies are discussed in detail.

Cross-sectional research study design was used and subjects were recruited for the study from a convenient sample of employees working at Virginia Hospital Center
A survey was constructed with the help of the Health Promotions Department and sent to all VHC employees
included a questionnaire regarding the utilization of wellness programs/events that are offered, as well as questions pertaining to participation frequency and why
Inclusion Criteria:
Full and part time employees working in any department as well as volunteers who work for the hospital on site.
Aramark employees who work for the hospital, but through a subcontract

Results of this research study support those of previous studies , less than 50%
of employees participate in worksite wellness programs that are offered by their
employers
Worksite wellness programs require an interdisciplinary team because of the
wide array of events and programs that are offered
Utilizing RDNs as the professionals in the field of health and nutrition in such
programs aligns with the goals set for Healthy People 2020 and the ACA for
addressing the epidemic of chronic diseases in the U.S. by focusing on
prevention and wellness.

INTRODUCTION
Prevalent diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, chronic pulmonary
conditions and stroke lead to a decreased quality of life and account for 1.7 million deaths in
the U.S. every year.
In 2013, 66 million adults in the U.S. were defined as being obese, having a body mass
index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30, which equates to one in four people.
Currently about three in ten adults have high blood pressure and around one in ten have
diabetes.4
Chronic disease and healthcare cost, which is rising at an average of 7% annually over the
last four years, are connected and employers are adapting by seeking more preventative
approaches such as wellness programs.2
Research shows that worksite health promotion programs can be used to promote better
employee health behaviors, reduce sickness and absenteeism, prevent disease, reduce
healthcare costs, enhance employee morale and increase productivity. 6
Government programs such as Healthy People 2010 & 2020 and The Affordable Care
Act (ACA) are implementing worksite wellness programs as part of a national public
health strategy addressing the epidemic of chronic diseases in the U.S. to support a focus
on prevention and wellness.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) identified four behaviors that are the main
contributors to these diseases in the United States: poor nutrition, inactivity, tobacco use
and frequent alcohol consumption.3
Wellness programs can include health fairs; educational classes; online resources; nutrition
counseling; coaching; gym memberships or discounts; stress management; biometric testing
and screening; smoking cessation programs; and immunization programs.9
Worksite wellness programs can be very diverse and require an interdisciplinary team.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) are one of the key components of such a program
and provide evidenced based information to assist with the behavioral changes that are
necessary to achieve a change in lifestyle.10

RESEARCH QUESTION / OBJECTIVE

What is the hospital employees perceived awareness and utilization of the wellness programs
offered by Virginia Hospital Center?

Approval from the appropriate departments of Virginia Hospital Center was provided for this study. The study was deemed exempt by the Virginia Hospital Centers Institutional Review Board.

RESULTS
579 total participants in the study, 96.5% (n=559) completed the online survey
79.3% (n=459) female ; 12.8% (n=74) male; 7.9% (n=46) unknown
92.6% (n=536) aware that VHC offered wellness benefits while 7.4% (n=43) were not
63.7% (n=369) never participated in an event over the last year
36.3% (n=210) employees participated in an event in the last year
29.5% (n=171) an average of 1-3 times
4.7% (n=27) an average of 4-6 times
1.6% (n=9) an average of 7-9 times
0.5% (n=3) an average of 10 or more times
Time of day most likely to participate in wellness programs
35.7% (n=203) after 5 pm, 27.5% (n=156) lunch, 18.8% (n=107) afternoon,
18% (n=102) morning

Possible barriers that prevent participation in wellness programs

64.9% (n=368) lack of time
18.3% (n=104) timing of events not coinciding with schedules
10.9% (n=62) lack of knowledge of events/programs
4.9% (n=28) lack of interest
1% (n=5) concern for privacy/confidentiality
Possible incentives to increase participation
34.9% (n=198) PTO awarded as a prize
34.3% (n=195) lower insurance premium
17.2% (n=98) improved personal wellness
13.6% (n=77) raffle for prizes

DISCUSSION
Study examined the awareness and utilization of the wellness programs offered at VHC. Barriers that were possibly affecting the prevention of utilization of these
programs were also explored so that these could be addressed to potentially increase future participation
On average the rate of participation in worksite wellness programs is currently less than 50%
Government recognizes the potential of utilizing such programs for implementation of behavior changes within an environment where people can relate to one another
and has included them as part of a national public health strategy.7,8
VHC is one of the many employers today that values having such a program for its employees to assist with health and wellbeing
Generally employees are aware that there is a worksite wellness program available and there is an interest to participate, but there are some barriers preventing
participation.
Limitations:

Majority of participants were female, 79.3%

579 total participants but only represents about 21.4% of the sample size
Study takes place in one private facility
Generalized, making comparison of the specific results to other studies difficult

Future research:
assess the barriers that are preventing current participation
address ways to improve participation

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CONTACT INFORMATION
For additional information, please contact:
Jessica Kozar
Dietetic Intern
Aramark Healthcare Distance Learning Dietetic Internship
Virginia Hospital Center
1701 N. George Mason Drive Arlington, VA 22205-3698
kozar-jessica@aramark.com
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