Predictors of employee involvement in a worksite health promotion program

Although worksite health promotion programs have proliferated, little is known about the population they reach. This study of employees of a large utility company compared whether the same characteristics which predict recruitment also predict extended participation. The study also prospectively assessed how risk factors are related to employees' on-going extended participation. The findings demonstrate that sociodemographic predictors of recruitment are almost mirror images of the predictors of extended participation. Over time employees who are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease participated in on-going sessions less frequently. Data suggest that referral to targeted sessions does not result in higher rates of attendance by employees with a particular risk factor, although there is no evidence of selective avoidance. Organizational influences on participation evident from the beginning are sustained through four sessions. Programs targeting higher risk employees nested within worksite-wide programs may be useful to increase the extended participation of individuals at elevated risk for heart disease.