Participation in a workplace web-based health risk assessment program.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Web-based health risk assessment (HRA) programs are vital for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
• Understanding participation determinants can enhance workplace HRA implementation.
• Workplace wellness programs aim to improve employee health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing participation in a web-based HRA.
• To explore reasons for non-participation among employees.
• To optimize HRA strategies in corporate settings.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire surveyed 5125 employees across four Dutch companies.
• Compared participants and non-participants on demographics, health, and work factors.
• Investigated reasons for non-participation.

Main Results:

• HRA participation rate was 37%.
• Participants were older and reported better self-rated health and lower absenteeism than non-participants.
• Key non-participation reasons included lack of time (39%) and unawareness (11%).

Conclusions:

• Self-rated health and absenteeism differentiated HRA participants from non-participants.
• Improving HRA accessibility (less time-consuming) and communication is crucial.
• Targeted strategies are needed to engage employees with less favorable health profiles.