School worksite wellness programs: a strategy for achieving the 1990 goals for a healthier America

Employee health promotion programs, first developed for private business and industry, are being extended to governmental employees. South Carolina established a pilot health promotion program in 1982 for 20,000 state employees in the area surrounding Columbia, the state capital. In 1985, the Carolina Healthstyle program was institutionalized as an employee benefit, extended statewide, and was broadened to include all school district employees and state retirees. This article describes the Carolina Healthstyle program in school worksites as it is being implemented by one pilot school district, with a briefer description of the organization, funding, and evaluation of the overall state employee wellness program. The article describes contributions that schoolsite wellness programs can make to increase positive health behaviors of staff, parents, and community as part of the movement to achieve the health goals of the nation.