The history and impact of worksite wellness

Employers now pay an estimated 30% of the national health care bill. Wellness is defined as "a composite of physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, occupational, and social health; health promotion is the means to achieve wellness." Worksite wellness programs have developed largely in response to cost-containment efforts combined with the worksite health promotion movement. Worksite wellness efforts require the use of a model that targets reversible or alterable behaviors such as smoking, weight management, blood pressure monitoring, and stress management. Most employers in the health care arena are seen as doing too little to promote wellness among its own employees.