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Date of Graduation
5-6-2021
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Department of Health Professions
Second Advisor
Jennifer Walsh
Third Advisor
Aimee Johnson
Fourth Advisor
Beth Cochran
Abstract
Effective employee wellness programs require an adequate understanding of the needs of employees. An employee wellness needs assessment was created to target the understanding of specific topics of interest, incentives and barriers to participation, and general health status of university employees. The majority (74.1%) of the 639 survey respondents (15.3% response rate) were female (age 45.7 ± 11.7 years), full-time employees. Employees were most interested in participating in programs involving physical activity, nutrition, and lifestyle wellness. Stages of change related to these topics include physical activity (pre-action: 42.3% and action: 44.7%), nutrition (pre-action: 37.4% and action: 42.2%), and work/life balance (pre-action: 44.9% and action: 23.9%). Flexible time off from work was the greatest incentive to participate while time, scheduling conflict, and location were the greatest barriers to participation. The majority of employees designated that they were in good health, of note, 33% of respondents were overweight and 22.7% were obese. Depressive disorders were the most commonly indicated diagnosed disorder, followed by high cholesterol, asthma, and high blood pressure. There were significant correlations between employees having been diagnosed with a specific health condition and their likelihood to participate in a corresponding program. For example, high blood pressure diagnosis was significantly associated with likelihood to participate in a blood pressure management program (Cramer’s V=0.407, p
