Quantifying Value of Worksite Well-Being Programs With a Health Equity Lens: It's Time to Raise the Bar

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Health Services Research
• Health Equity Studies

Background:

• Workforce health inequities persist despite increased well-being programming.
• Current programming lacks assessment of relevance and evaluation of equity outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• Summarize current practices and gaps in evaluating well-being programs.
• Provide evidence for the need for broader participation in well-being offerings.
• Recommend incorporating health equity measures into employer and vendor planning and evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Commentary synthesizing existing literature and practices.
• Analysis of current gaps in program evaluation.
• Development of recommendations based on evidence.

Main Results:

• Existing well-being programs often fail to address health equity.
• There is a need for broader employee participation in well-being initiatives.
• Current evaluation methods are insufficient for assessing equity-related outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Employers and vendors must integrate health equity into well-being program design and evaluation.
• Key recommendations include data sharing, expanded measurement, rigorous evaluation, and goal alignment.
• Addressing differential participation is crucial for achieving health equity in the workplace.