Measuring Wellness Part II: What and How

 

In the last issued, it was said that trucking companies must measure a wide variety of health related metrics to realize notable success with their wellness initiatives. It was also emphasized that there should be individual as well as company wide measures. This issue will provide some of the measures and metrics mentioned last month, and also offer some guideposts for obtaining the data. Largely, this issue will not read like a narrative in order to maximize the information on metrics within the scope of this newsletter.

Wellness Measures and Metrics

Program Participation

Company Metrics – % employees participating; % participation improvement

Individual Metrics – length of time participating to goal; (This metric is sometimes best served by giving drivers the option to pick one aspect they wish to participate in, and then incenting active engagement.)

Blood Pressure Improvement

Company Metrics – # of employees participating to goal; % company wide improvement in blood pressures; # of employees who are able to discontinue medications to goal (The goals should obviously be adjusted to encompass the employees who need to improve blood pressure.)

Individual Metrics – % improvement in individual blood pressure; success in reducing or eliminating medication; (obviously approved by physician); # of other health improvements made by reducing blood pressure

Smoking Cessation Success

Company Metrics – # of smokers participating to goal; % reduction in smoking; employee $ saved by not smoking

Individual Metrics – % (or time) progress toward quitting; # of other individual health problems linked to smoking that improves; individual $ saved through quitting. (Companies may wish to offer incentives for continuing to be engaged, even if immediate success is not achieved.)

Exercise Goals

Company Metrics – # of employees participating in exercise programs; hours per week exercising to goal; overall usage of exercise clubs or facilities; total hours drivers spend exercising while on the road to goal (Yes this will involve some self-reporting and reliance upon the honor system. However the benefits outweigh the number of erroneous reports that may come in.)

Individual Metrics – hours exercising per week to goal; walking or running distance to goal; time spent exercising at target heart rate; (Obviously this may involve some education on how to calculate target heart rate.) % improvement in other health measures that correlate to exercise progress.

Weight Loss

Company Metrics – pounds lost to goal; % employees reporting on weight loss; % body fat improvements to goal; (There should be a system to maintain a degree of anonymity in order to encourage reporting).

Individual Metrics – pounds lost to goal; # or % improvement in related health problems to goal;

Nutrition Improvements

Company Metrics -# of employees reporting on nutritional choices to goal; ratio of healthy food choices to unhealthy choices made on the road (again an honor system reporting consideration); # of employees participating in nutritional educational campaigns to goal.

Individual Metrics – The individual metrics for nutrition are the same as company metrics, however they should be tailored to individual goals and correlations with improvements in other areas of health.

Measures for alcohol use reduction, sleep apnea resolution, cholesterol improvement, and diabetes control are structured similar to their related counterparts; i.e., blood pressure, smoking cessation, etc.

Working with the Data

Obviously obtaining and analyzing the data for the metrics provided here is easier said than done. Also, not all of the measures given here will be practical for every company. Therefore, companies should start with a strategic few measures, and then gradually grow the program. This key strategy will help maintain the integrity of the program and keep its coordinator from pulling his or her hair out.

Because the information necessary for some of these measures have confidentiality concerns, it can, and should be obtained and maintained in a legally sound manner. It can be tricky to get employees to participate in screenings that are not essential to evaluating fitness for duty or compelled by regulation. So, it is always a good idea to consider making participation in screenings and surveys as voluntary as possible. Employees should have assurance (beyond a verbal promise) that the system limits information on their individual wellness to the program’s gatekeeper (a person that is not involved in making hiring, firing and promotion decisions).

Employee surveys, routine health fairs where screenings are conducted, DOT physicals, and even new clinics being setup at truck stops around the country are all potential sources for generating the necessary data.