Seven-year trends in employee health habits from a comprehensive workplace health promotion program at Vanderbilt University

Objective: To assess long-term changes in health risks for employees participating in Vanderbilt University's incentive-based worksite wellness program. Methods: Descriptive longitudinal trends were examined for employees' health risk profiles for the period of 2003 to 2009. Results: The majority of risk factors improved over time with the most consistent change occurring in physical activity. The proportion of employees exercising one or more days per week increased from 72.7% in 2003 to 83.4% in 2009. Positive annual, monotonic changes were also observed in percentage for nonsmokers and seat belt usage. Although the largest improvements occurred between the first two years, improvements continued without significant regression toward baseline. Conclusions: This 7-year evaluation, with high participation and large sample size, provides robust estimates of health improvements that can be achieved through a voluntary incentive-based wellness program.