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Many health promotion interventions have been developed and tested in recent years. Practitioners and researchers must continue to explore how various program delivery modalities can be used effectively and efficiently to optimize program outcomes. A sample of 6,055 participants was drawn from 10 large employers. Participants self-selected into a mail or telephone intervention. This study compared the demographics of those who selected each modality and assessed differences in program success relative to the modalities chosen. Telephone participants were more likely to be older, female, and salaried. Telephone participants were also more ready, confident, and motivated to make a behavior change, when compared to those in the mail program. Researchers found both the telephone and mail programs to be effective in reducing participants' health risk status, though the telephone program was slightly more effective. These findings demonstrate the importance of offering a variety of interventions when promoting healthy changes. More research is needed to investigate the role of participant choice and the combinations of learning experiences that best facilitate sustainable behavior change. (Contains 4 tables.)

Purpose: To examine the relationship between sleep habits and employee productivity.Design: Cross-sectional health risk assessment analysis.Setting: Employer-sponsored health and well-being programs.Participants: A total of 598 676 employed adults from multiple industries.Measures: Self-reported average hours of sleep, fatigue, absence days, and presenteeism.Analysis: Bivariate analyses to assess the relationships between self-reported hours of sleep and self-reported fatigue and mean and median absence and presenteeism.Results: The relationship between sleep hours and both measures of productivity was U-shaped, with the least productivity loss among employees who reported 8 hours of sleep. More daytime fatigue correlated with more absence and presenteeism. Median absence and presenteeism was consistently lower than mean absence and presenteeism, respectively, for the various hours of sleep and levels of fatigue.Conclusion: Organizations looking to expand the value of their investment in employee health and well-being should consider addressing the employee sleep habits that may be negatively impacting productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Assess the influence of participation in a population health management (PHM) program on health care costs. Methods: A quasi-experimental study relied on logistic and ordinary least squares regression models to compare the costs of program participants with those of nonparticipants, while controlling for differences in health care costs and utilization, demographics, and health status. Propensity score models were developed and analyses were weighted by inverse propensity scores to control for selection bias. Results: Study models yielded an estimated savings of $60.65 per Wellness participant per month and $214.66 per disease management participant per month. Program savings were combined to yield an integrated return-on-investment of $3 in savings for every dollar invested. Conclusions: A PHM program yielded a positive return on investment after 2 years of Wellness program and 1 year of integrated disease management program launch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]