Topic: Obesity, Nutrition/Diet, Physical Activity, Alcohol/Drugs/Tobacco
Target Population: Adults
Sector: Work Site
This program is for state employees in Arkansas.
Arkansas Healthy Employee Lifestyle Program (AHELP), a work site program, is designed to improve participant's general health by encouraging them to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, develop better physical activity levels, complete annual health screenings, achieve or maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI), and stop or avoid tobacco use.
No peer-reviewed publications evaluating the effectiveness of this program were located.
AHELP intends to help participants improve nutrition/diet, increase physical activity patterns, decrease tobacco use, achieve or maintain a healthy BMI, and seek annual health screenings. Before the program begins, a Wellness Committee must be established that includes employees who are interested in helping to implement the program, have influence on upper management, and are familiar with budgeting. An individual at each worksite serves as the AHELP coordinator to encourage employees' engagement in program, plan activities and workshops, distribute incentive prizes, and complete quarterly reports. The following methods are used to accomplish these goals:
Public policy (Act 724 of 2005) is utilized to increase participation in AHELP, which states that an employee may be granted up to 3 days of paid leave per calendar year for participating in AHELP and may earn target levels of points for engaging in healthy behaviors. Participants enroll by completing an online Health Risk Assessment (HRA) and are encouraged to complete follow-up HRA's at 1-year intervals. Employees report their progress around their physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables, tobacco cessation, completing annual wellness screenings, and participating in program events and educational workshops through a web-based system. Employees earn points and receive incentives for engaging in positive health behaviors and attending events and workshops. Incentive prizes include exercise resistance bands, t-shirts, gym bags, pedometers, recognition in the employee newsletter, and passes for lodging at state parks.
AHELP was pilot-tested from 2005 to 2008 in 200 worksites that serve 10,000 state employees. As of November 2012, AHELP had expanded to 30 state agencies and more than 500 worksite locations with over 23,000 employees participating in the program.
Site Coordinators at the state, regional, and site levels implement the program and are required to complete coordinator training. Each worksite must have an individual who serves as the AHELP coordinator. For additional training information, please contact the developers using the details in the Contact section.
Considerations for implementing this program include obtaining participant buy-in; recruiting Wellness Committee Members (i.e., 0.016 full-time equivalent per member) and site Coordinators (i.e., 0.025 full-time equivalent per site); purchasing program materials and incentives; acquiring state-level and upper management support; finding spaces for classes, the fitness room, and walking paths; and ensuring employees have access to the web-based tracking system.
The Clearinghouse can help address these considerations. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
If you are interested in implementing AHELP, the Clearinghouse is interested in helping you!
Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Information about program implementation time was not located.
HRA initial purchase costs $1.05 to $4.19 per employee per year; HRA data analysis costs $24,900; website initial set-up costs are $235,000; evaluation costs $10,000 for the first year; incentives cost approximately $4,100. Intervention materials are available for free to download at http://centertrt.org/?p=intervention&id=1005
To move AHELP to the Promising category on the Clearinghouse Continuum of Evidence, at least one evaluation should be performed demonstrating positive effects lasting at least one year from the beginning of the program or at least six months from program completion.
The Clearinghouse can help you develop an evaluation plan to ensure the program components are meeting your goals. Please call 1-877-382-9185 or email Clearinghouse@psu.edu
Contact the Clearinghouse with any questions regarding this program.
Phone: 1-877-382-9185 Email: Clearinghouse@psu.edu
You may also contact the Arkansas Department of Health by mail 4815 W. Markham, Little Rock, AR 72205-3867, phone 1-800-462-0599, or visit https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/worksite-wellness
http://centertrt.org/?p=intervention&id=1106; https://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/programs-services/topics/worksite-wellness; and Perez, Phillips, Cornell, Mays, and Adams (2009).
Perez, A. P., Phillips, M. M., Cornell, C. E., Mays, G., & Adams, B. (2009). Promoting dietary change among state health employees in Arkansas through a worksite wellness program: The healthy employee lifestyle program (HELP). Preventing Chronic Disease, 6(4), A123-A130.
