Worksite Wellness Ideas: Health Screenings

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

• Blood Pressure (BP) and heart 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 Mineral Density(BMD).
• Posture assessment.

Considerations when offering workplace screenings:

• Health screenings must be conducted by qualified, and at times, licensed individuals.
• Health 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 assessment 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 expense to the program if participants are willing to cover the expense of the assessment themselves. By way of example, blood lipid and glucose testing usually expenditures twenty to twenty-five dollars per person, per exam. Staff Members may be willing to pay for assessment in exchange for the convenience of having the assessment 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 assessment, such as fitness testing, require participants to bring casual clothes in which to do the testing. Staff Members must be notified of the need to dress in a specific manner for the assessment.
• To ensure high attendance at assessment events, it is advisable to start promotion of the event with reminders to employees.
• Supply employees with “screening preparation” standard procedures to remind them how to prepare for the most accurate assessment results.

Resources for workplace screenings:

1. 1. Consult with a wellness consultant or health assessment organization.
2. 2. If employee participation is meager for on-Site health screenings, or if offering additional workplace assessment is an option, check with the community 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. 3. Local health clubs may also have qualified employee for some types of screenings, such as fitness testing or body fat assessment.