Employee Wellness : Workplace Health Promotion Program Ideas: Wellness Screenings

Job Site health screenings can take a variety of forms. Common evaluation components may include:

• Blood Pressure and pulse rate.
• Cholesterol (typically a finger-stick total cholesterol test, either fasting or non-fasting).
• Blood glucose (diabetes screening).
• Height and weight.
• Percent body fat and/or BMI (body mass index).
• Fitness level.
• Bone density.
• Posture assessment.

Considerations when offering worksite screenings:

• Wellness screenings must be conducted by qualified, and at times, licensed individuals.
• Wellness screenings must be conducted in a location that allows for privacy and confidentiality.
• Time for discussion and explanation screening results must be allowed as part of the screening process.
• A process must be in place for referral for participants whose results are indicative of a need for further medical evaluation.
• Screenings can be very costly to the overall wellness budget OR there may be no cost to the program if participants are willing to cover the cost of the assessment themselves. For example, blood lipid and glucose testing usually expenditures twenty to twenty-five dollars per person, per exam. Employees may be willing to pay for evaluation in exchange for the convenience of having the evaluation at work.
• It generally works best to have scheduled appointments at intervals sufficient to allow time for the assessment and a brief discussion of results. Therefore, a registration and scheduling process must be devised.
• Some types of evaluation, such as fitness testing, require participants to bring casual clothes in which to do the testing. Workers ought to be notified of the need to dress in a specific manner for the evaluation.
• To ensure high attendance at screening activities, it is advisable to start promotion of the event with reminders to employees.
• Supply workers with “screening preparation” standard procedures to remind them how to prepare for the most accurate evaluation results.

Resources for workplace screenings:

1. Consult with a wellness consultant or health screening company.
2. If employee participation is meager for on-Site health screenings, or if offering additional workplace assessment is an option, check with the neighborhood health or outreach department of your local hospital, health education department, occupational health department or worksite health department as to screenings they might offer.
3. Local health clubs may also offer qualified employee for some types of screenings, such as fitness testing or body fat measuring.