A Study Conducted by Niessen, Essay Example

Introduction

A study conducted by Niessen et.al (2013) addressed the significance of the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) and the ability to conduct health promotion activities in the workplace environment (Niessen et.al, 2013). A number of strategic factors must be considered in this practice, including health behaviors, demographics, self-rated health, and working conditions in order to determine employees’ level of support of an HRA program that is web-based and user friendly to determine effectiveness (Niessen et.al, 2013). Strategic planning is required to achieve these objectives and to fulfill the needs of the organization to improve health promotion for all employees.

Body

The potential adoption of a web-based portal for health promotion in the workplace was evaluated via questionnaire, as 2,686 employees participated in the HRA and 1,564 nonparticipants completed the instrument (Niessen et.al, 2013). Using multivariate logistic regression, the study results indicate that those who recognize that an HRA might benefit them in areas such as stress and physical activity are likely to participate, but for those who smoke and who have unfavorable health perceptions are less likely to demonstrate interest in this type of program (Niessen et.al, 2013). Based upon these conclusions, it is evident that the method of communication that is selected for sharing the HRA program with employees is critical to reach the targeted groups that currently do not participate in the HRA program to facilitate greater health promotion for individuals working at the organization who otherwise might not participate (Niessen et.al, 2013). Health strategies encompass many variables; therefore, they require an understanding of the key elements that impact the workplace and the employees who will be served by the health promotion strategy.

Conclusion

Based upon the information provided in the article and its conclusions, the following questions must be considered for further discussion:

1)Which types of behaviors are likely to prevent employees from participating in an HRA?

2)How much knowledge and education is required to participate in the HRA?

3)How might a targeted communication strategy support the development of an increased level of participation in the HRA?

References

Niessen, M. A., Laan, E. L., Robroek, S. J., Essink-Bot, M. L., Peek, N., Kraaijenhagen, R. A., … & Burdorf, A. (2013). Determinants of participation in a web-based health risk assessment and consequences for health promotion programs. Journal of medical Internet research, 15(8). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3742395/