Tools for setting up

Active for Life

The Active for Life programme is an initiative of the State of Victoria's cancer and heart offensive. This resource explains how to assess and evaluate the overall health of your organisation and describes each step you should take to develop an effective programme.

• Active for Life

Workplace Physical Activity Framework

The Alberta Centre for Active Living 'Workplace Physical Activity Framework' provides a blueprint for a workplace physical activity programme. It targets the workplace at multiple levels. The programme provides a standard for best practice, describes a step-by-step process for getting started, and explains the audit process.

• Workplace Physical Activity Framework

Workplace Health Activity Toolkit

British Heart Foundation. 

• Email ds-bhf@mail.dataforce.co.uk

Business Case for Active Living at Work

This internet resource was set up by the Canadian Council for Health and Active Living at Work. It sets out the benefits of being active in the workplace, summarises research that has been done, provides information about what works and what has been done in the past. Most importantly it describes in detail how to get started with setting up a worksite wellness programme and provides a template for practitioners to use in developing a business case for active living in the own organisations.

• Active Living at Work

Back to Top

Worksite Health Promotion

Chenoweth, David H. (1998). Worksite Health Promotion. Human Kinetics.

This book has been written primarily for undergraduate and graduate students planning careers in the field of workplace health promotion and for those who plan, implement, and direct workplace health programmes for their companies. The book is separated into 10 chapters that fall into four key categories:

1. Introduction to worksite health promotion

• The case for worksite health promotion

2. Planning and implementing worksite health promotion

• Identification and assessment
• Planning worksite health programmes
• Implementing worksite health programmes
• Evaluating health promotion efforts

3. Worksite health promotion programmes

• Building a health work environment
• Health lifestyle programmes and resources
• Model worksite health programs

4. Other considerations in worksite health

• Worksite health promotion for small and multi-site businesses
• Professionally preparing for the worksite

A Guide to Effective Health & Wellness Programmes

Davidson-Rada, J. & Davidson-Rada, M. (1992).
Beyond Bandaid: A Guide to Effective Health & Wellness Programmes in New Zealand Workplaces.
GP Books, Wellington: Davidson-Rada. ISBN: 0-477-07588-6.

This book is a guide to health promotion in New Zealand workplaces and is written specifically for people in a position to implement programmes. The guide contains information from overseas literature and experience, and New Zealand organisations active in health promotion. It is based on the authorsâ study investigating the extent of health promotion activities within New Zealand workplaces, and contains tested ideas and a range of suggestions from no-cost through to Îbig-spenderâ options. The appendix to this book lists a vast array of contacts throughout New Zealand that can assist with workplace health objectives.

Back to Top

Mental Health and Productivity in the Workplace

Kahn, J. P., & Langlieb, A. B. (eds). (2002).
Mental Health and Productivity in the Workplace: A Handbook for Organizations and Clinicians.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

How to Design Workplace Health Promotion Programs

O'Donnell. (2001). How to Design Workplace Health Promotion Programs.
American Journal of Health Promotion.

This workbook describes a comprehensive three-step process for designing workplace health promotion programmes:

1. Preparing for the design process
2. Collecting the appropriate data to plan the programme including conducting a prospective cost benefit analysis
3. Selecting programme content, developing the administrative structure and outlining the evaluation plan.

Programmes are described in the context of the dimensions of optimal health:

• Physical health
• Emotional health
• Social health
• Spiritual health
• Intellectual health

and recognise the three levels of a programme:

1. awareness
2. behaviour change
3. supportive environments.

It also recognises seven major programme models:

1. traditional
2. neo-traditional
3. incentive focused
4. mail-based
5. pleasure-based
6. technology-based
7. hybrid model

Back to Top

Health Promotion in the Workplace

O'Donnell. (2000). Health Promotion in the Workplace.
American Journal of Health Promotion.

This updated, revised third edition offers students and practitioners a framework for studying work place health promotion, as well as reviewing the significant conclusions that have been reached in this field over the past decade.

Various interventions are examined, including:

• health assessment
• physical activity in the workplace
• worksite nutrition programmes
• worksite weight management
• tobacco control and cessation
• medical self-care
• stress management
• employee assistance programmes
• social health in the workplace.

The book incorporates a range of perspectives:

• Workplace health promotion in small business
• Ageing and worksite health promotion
• Global perspectives in workplace health promotion
• Connecting the workplace to the community
• The future of workplace health promotion.

A Review and Analysis of the Health and Financial Outcome Studies

Pelletier, Kenneth R. (2000).
A Review and Analysis of the Health and Financial Outcome Studies of Comprehensive Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Programs at the Worksite.
American Journal of Health Promotion.

This series of reviews provides a tabular summary of the purpose, study design, sample size, sample description, sampling protocols, study duration, outcome measures, results and reference citations of 77 studies which have examined the heath and financial impact of comprehensive workplace health promotion programmes. For the later article, the focus changed to cite only articles that examined both the clinical and cost outcomes of the programmes. Each of the three articles also includes an editorial commentary by Dr Pelletier on forces influencing the future of this field and issues critical to programme evaluation, and research.

Readers have used these articles to provide evidence to programme funders that health promotion programmes do indeed have positive health and financial impacts. Dr Pelletier points out that there is more evidence supporting health promotion programmes than there are for many commonly practised medical procedures, and for virtually all employee benefit programmes.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

This website describes the steps to take in setting up a drug-free workplace. It provides resources and tools for designing effective programmes and places a strong emphasis on employee education.

• SAMSHA

The Worksite Health Promotion Sourcebook

Washington Business Group on Health. (1993).
The Worksite Health Promotion Sourcebook. WBGH, Washington DC.

This workbook provides the reader a hands-on guide for developing a plan to evaluate health promotion programmes. The guide assists the programme co-ordinator to obtain the hard data necessary for justifying successful programmes and for improving marginal ones. The workbook takes a look at key questions for evaluating health promotion programmes:

Why should programmes be evaluated?

• Can results be generalised from one programme to another?
• Why do health promotion programmes fail?
• Are there arguments against programme evaluation?
• What should be evaluated?
  Who gives agreement on programme objectives achieved?
• Should the focus be on a few or many success measures?
  What are the basic questions of research?

General principles of applied research are covered in four major steps:

1. Design
2. Measurement
3. Sampling
4. Analysis

Other resources

Chenoweth, D. H. (2002).
Evaluating Worksite Health Promotion. Human Kinetics, Illinois.

Goetzel, R. (2000). How to Evaluate Workplace Health Promotion Programs.
American Journal of Health Promotion.

Goetzel, R. Z. (1997, Fall). Essential Building Blocks for Successful Worksite Health Promotion Programs.
Managing Employee Health Benefits 6:1.

Back to Top

Updated | 28 Aug 2007.

Skip page tools.

• Go to top