Barriers to participation in a worksite wellness program

Area of Science:

• Worksite Health Promotion
• Occupational Health
• Nutrition Education

Background:

• Employee wellness programs are crucial for promoting healthy lifestyles in the workplace.
• The "Wellness Wednesdays: Eat & Meet" program at East Carolina University aimed to improve employee health knowledge.
• Understanding participation barriers is key to optimizing worksite wellness initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify barriers hindering employee participation in the "Wellness Wednesdays" program.
• To assess the effectiveness of the program in increasing employee knowledge of nutrition and health.
• To provide recommendations for improving future worksite wellness program engagement.

Main Methods:

• A 10-week "Wellness Wednesdays" program was conducted for East Carolina University ARAMARK employees.
• Weekly nutrition and health classes were led by a Registered Dietitian, followed by knowledge quizzes.
• Qualitative interviews with participants, non-participants, and the program organizer identified participation barriers.

Main Results:

• Only 10.4% of eligible employees participated in the "Wellness Wednesdays" program.
• Employees demonstrated high knowledge retention, scoring an average of 71-100% on quizzes.
• Key barriers included insufficient incentives, inconvenient locations, time limitations, and lack of interest in topics.

Conclusions:

• Employee wellness programs can effectively enhance health and nutrition knowledge.
• Addressing identified barriers such as incentives, location, and scheduling is vital for increasing participation.
• Future worksite wellness programs should incorporate strategies to overcome these common barriers for greater impact.