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. 2011 Jul;53(7):799-805.
doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e318222af67.

The Healthy LifeWorks Project: a pilot study of the economic analysis of a comprehensive workplace wellness program in a Canadian government department

Lydia Makrides  1 , Steven Smith, Jane Allt, Jane Farquharson, Claudine Szpilfogel, Sandra Curwin, Paula Veinot, Feifei Wang, Dee Edington
Affiliations

The Healthy LifeWorks Project: a pilot study of the economic analysis of a comprehensive workplace wellness program in a Canadian government department

Lydia Makrides et al. J Occup Environ Med. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the relationship between health risks and absenteeism and drug costs vis-a-vis comprehensive workplace wellness.

Methods: Eleven health risks, and change in drug claims, short-term and general illness calculated across four risk change groups. Wellness score examined using Wilcoxon test and regression model for cost change.

Results: The results showed 31% at risk; 9 of 11 risks associated with higher drug costs. Employees moving from low to high risk showed highest relative increase (81%) in drug costs; moving from high to low had lowest (24%). Low-high had highest increase in absenteeism costs (160%). With each risk increase, absenteeism costs increased by $CDN248 per year (P < 0.05) with average decrease of 0.07 risk factors and savings $CDN6979 per year.

Conclusions: Both high-risk reduction and low-risk maintenance are important to contain drug costs. Only low-risk maintenance also avoids absenteeism costs associated with high risks.

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