A Systematic Review of the Health Impact of Employer-sponsored Wellness Programs

The CDC has identified the four modifiable health risk behaviors of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and alcohol use as being responsible for much of the illness and early death associated with chronic disease. The purpose of this review to is analyze the literature on existing employer sponsored lifestyle management wellness programs targeted at these risk factors and their associated biometric measures, the characteristics of these programs, and the demonstrated health impact. A literature review was conducted using PUBMEB and CINAHL for studies published from 2009-2013 within the United States. The employer characteristics, characteristics of the wellness program, incentives used within the wellness program, employee characteristics of those who participated in the wellness program, and outcome of the intervention were extracted from the studies. The review yielded five relevant studies with a total of 47 outcomes assessed. The studies indicated that employer sponsored wellness programs can be successful with the proper level of resources, incentivizing, and commitment by the employer, however additional future studies with comparison groups are recommended