Want some health promotion program ideas and wellness policy ideas to get you started? Or maybe you want to jump start or improve upon your current health promotion program?
The list below provides “best practices’ that can help meet any health promotion program budget! the Health Promotion Program ideas are divided into topic areas.
General Health Promotion Progam Ideas
• Policy – Conduct an Employee Needs and Interest Survey
• Policy – Create a management/employee Health Promotion Committee
• Policy – Select health plans that cover costs for weight control and use of tobacco cessation
• Policy – Waive co-pay or reimburse for preventive health care visits
• Program – Display flyers on a selection of wellness topics for staff members to take
• Program – Establish a wellness resource center or library with videos, books, magazines, DVD’s on a variety of topics of interest to employees
• Program – Identify employees who are mentors or champions for healthful activities and ask them to present or to list as a contact for other employees
• Program – Plan and promote periodic or regular educational sessions.
• Program – Plan monthly educational sessions on the national health observance topic
• Program – Post a Health Promotion Bulletin Board and update it monthly
• Program – Promote messages from national health observances during the month
• Program – Publish and/or post healthy tips in newsletters, paycheck stuffers, bulletin boards, etc.
• Program – Sponsor a benefits fair
• Program – Sponsor corporation fitness and healthful eating challenges
• Program – Sponsor company health fairs or other onsite events
Nutrition Programs
• Policy – Offer free, healthy snacks for employees (fruit, nuts, popcorn)
• Policy – Give healthy meal options in cafeterias and at corporation events
• Policy – Give information to workers about the nutritional content of food served in the cafeteria
• Policy – Start a fresh fruit “snack basket” in the breakroom or cafeteria
• Policy – Stock vending machines with healthier options
• Policy – Subsidize healthful foods in the cafeteria or vending machines (10¡ apples may be more appealing than $1.00 candy bars)
• Program – Coordinate a weekly or monthly healthful lunch club
• Program – Have brochures available on a variety of healthy consuming topics
• Program – Include nutrition articles in corporation newsletters
• Program – Schedule a healthful food tasting contest Free
• Program – Schedule educational sessions at lunch-time on a variety of nutrition topics of interest
• Program – Sponsor an staff member healthy food cookbook. Either sell the cookbook and use profits for programs, or buy a cookbook for all employees
Weight Loss Programs / Weight Management Programs
• Policy – Consider flexible work schedules so that employees can participate in weight-loss programs
• Policy – Subsidize registration costs for weight-management programs
• Program – Form a support group to help workers who are attempting to lose weight
• Program – Locate registered dieticians near your worksite as a resource for staff members who want information on healthy consuming, meal planning or weight control
• Program – Offer individual counseling for staff members attempting to lose weight
• Program – Offer onsite fitness and weight-management programs through your local hospital, Weight Watchers, TOPS or local, registered dietician
• Program – Schedule an educational session on diet myths and healthful eating
Physical Activity Programs
• Policy – Allow flexible work schedules to encourage exercise
• Policy – Create a fitness space with aerobic equipment, and weights
• Policy – Develop accessible walking paths, trails, and/or bike routes
• Policy – Make certain to encourage staff members to walk more by parking farther away from the entrance
• Policy – Establish a health club with aerobic equipment, weights, aerobics classes, fitness specialists
• Policy – Hold walking meetings
• Policy – Make the stairwells more appealing (carpet, fresh paint, artwork, posters)
• Policy – Offer lowered fitness center membership fees to all staff members
• Policy – Give facilities for workers to secure bicycles
• Policy – Schedule 5 – 10 minute stretch breaks during the day
• Policy – Subsidize fitness center membership for staff members who participate a minimal number of days per week (ex., 3 days per week)
• Policy – Support lunchtime walking/running clubs or corporation sports team
• Program – Be certain to encourage stairwell use and incentives
• Program – Install a basketball hoop outside
• Program – Promote and support community walks or fitness events
• Program – Promote walking during breaks and other off-time periods
• Program – Provide periodic fitness incentive programs to encourage exercise
• Program – Schedule educational sessions on fitness activities
Tobacco use Cessation Programs / Tobacco Cessation Programs
• Policy – Develop a tobacco-free grounds
• Policy – Develop a tobacco-free workplace
• Policy – Make sure to encourage the use of 1-800-QUIT-NOW, North Carolina’s free Tobacco Use Quitline. Or check www.QuitlineNC.com
• Policy – Reimburse for tobacco replacement products
• Policy – Subsidize the cost of smoking cessation workshops
• Program – Provide pamphlets and information on health effects from tobacco use and smoking cessation
• Program – Schedule awareness sessions to motivate employees to attempt to quit tobacco use
• Program – Schedule onsite tobacco use cessation workshops
Employee Health Screening
• Policy – Discount medical insurance premiums or reduce co-payments for employees who participate in screenings and who participate in managing their risk factors
• Policy – Install blood pressure (BP) monitoring equipment
• Program – Offer flu shots for employees and family members
• Program – Offer Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s to all employees, including counseling and follow-up
• Program – Offer periodic blood pressure (BP) screenings and follow-up
• Program – Offer periodic screenings for cholesterol, blood sugar, body composition, etc.
Stress Management Programs / Make sure to work Life Balance Programs
• Program – Allow flexible schedules for family/work life balance
• Program – Offer and promote an staff member assistance program
• Program – Give information on substance abuse prevention
• Program – Provide pamphlets and information on stress management and mental health
• Program – Provide brochures and information on work life balance, like financial planning, childcare, parenting, elder care, etc.
• Program – Provide supervisor and manager training on communication, relationship building, organizational stressors, etc.
• Program – Review company policies and work schedules to identify organizational stressors
• Program – Review the worker assistance program to ensure it is meeting the needs of the employees and company
• Program – Schedule educational sessions on stress management and work life balance
• Program – Schedule seminars on relaxation, stress management, and work life balance topics
Corporate Wellness Companies