Posted by Health Handouts | Posted in Health Handouts, Health Tips | Posted on 16-07-2009
Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments, are an assessment tool or questionnaire scientifically designed to identify health risks and outline information to support individuals in making healthy changes that influence their health and prevent chronic disease.
Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals have four standard elements in worksite settings:
• A Questionnaire
• A Computer Program to Assess Health Risk Factors
• Confidential Individual Reports
• Group Summary Report
Workers complete a lifestyle questionnaire that includes for example diet practices, height and weight, exercise habits, family history, stress perceptions, smoking history, and work satisfaction. Another important feature to consider is readiness to change questions to determine participation interest. Including wellness screenings such as blood lipids and Blood Pressure (BP) results increases the benefits of an Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment by offering a more accurate health assessment and therefore improving lifestyle choice decisions and program options. Nonetheless, it is important to determine if the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment can be used without including this information.
The health risk questionnaire information is entered into a computer program and an individual confidential report is generated that summarizes health risks as well as information on how to cut risk factors. Individual reports are totally confidential. Depending on the reason for launching the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment, it’s significant to consider the type of report the corporation will receive as well. A group report summarizing major risk factors and recommendations for programs to implement in order to cut employee and corporation risks provides significant information for your wellness program.
The Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) are able to be used to:
• Raise awareness to individual employee’s health status
• Motivate workers to make healthier lifestyle changes
• Coach high-risk employees
• Establish Company Health Promotion Programs based on the identified needs
• Review program effectiveness by comparing Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals completed at set intervals such as yearly.