But, a slim majority, 48.3 percent, believe that wellness programs are not adequately delivering enough wellness and health promotion information to their organization’s work force, according to the results of the exclusive survey by Wellness Program Management Advisor and WellnessJunction.com.

"We need to do a better job of managing employee expectations and providing resources for all healthcare issues," one company wellness program manager said.

And, agreeing more needs to be done, a hospital health and wellness specialist said "we are a very diverse group, but finding time to hear the message can be very difficult."

"In my workplace, too many people hear the wrong message, even though we consistently send out correct info. It leads to confusion and then frustration," she added.

On the other hand, Julie McDowell, health promotion coordinator for a non-profit association of municipalities, believes that "with the Internet and increased media coverage of health issues, there is so much health information available to employees."

"Our challenge," she said, "is to teach them to look for credible information and not jump on the bandwagon of every health fad they hear about."

A nurse care manager, for a manufacturing company, also agrees that programs are succeeding. "At our site we have seen a paradigm shift in this area where people are choosing a year long health goal and we have seen lives changing as they pursue their goal."

Employee information needs are being met, according to another survey participant who said, "Employees often access much of this information at home. We do not need to recreate the wheel, just provide a base for employees to build upon targeting common high risk issues."

"Workplace wellness programs are typically well informed and up-to-date," offered Margarita Chapman, executive director of Creating Healthy Lives. "Since they have a vested interest in healthy practices, they’re more involved in the process."

But, Connie Peterson, prevention specialist, with a managed care organization thinks otherwise. "We need to branch out into other avenues more, for example, Internet-based education and tele-classes in the evening."

Similarly, a corporate occupational health nurse believes, "There needs to be more ways to get the information out there that will entice people to read."

Another obstacle is that "nutrition is at the top of the employee’s agenda while the data is too conflicting," believes Christopher A. Sylvain, PD. "The low fat, low carb battle is distracting us from meaningful progress on the nutrition front."

According to Philip G. A. Leake, program coordinator for a hospital preventive health and wellness center, "Some programs focus on one or two issues such as nutrition or exercise. They need to broaden to include information on when to have preventive checks as well."

"We need less fun and games programs and more specific screenings with follow-ups that will empower the individual to make lifetime changes," a hospital wellness coordinator said.

"We Are Doing Better"

Randy Jones, director of health and lifestyle management for a managed care organization, acknowledges that "we are doing better, especially with the advent of Internet accessibility. There is a wealth of knowledge out there, my challenge is to drive my membership through to the information that is there."

"Lots of time and effort is spent searching. I think health plans owe it to their membership to identify what is good and useful and continuously market the information to them," Jones added.

"More varied approaches to information dissemination need to be explored and utilized," argues the EAP director for a government agency, "particularly for reaching the part-time, temporary, contingent or shift worker, or those other permanent employees working alternate work schedules."

Among those who believe wellness managers are succeeding in reaching employees is Jan Renner, a hospital supervisor of community education and wellness. "We are beginning to add the medical self care and health cost management issues into programming."

"In a certain sense," said a corporate case manager "by communicating to employees how the employer is trying to control costs in order to keep existing levels of benefits," wellness programs are succeeding. "Also, by giving employees a number as to what their total compensation value is (wages + benefits)."

Another participant in the "yes" column said "Heck, wellness issues of all types are addressed in many different ways: Internet; signage; payroll stuffers; seminars; you name it."

"And just about every subject is covered," the proposal manager, wellness services company, observed.

Likewise, "we are going back to the basics," said a senior staff specialist with a government agency. "Walking, weight management, smoking cessation and good nutrition underlie it all."

Also in agreement, Nancy A. Haller, manager of a state wellness program said, "Our information is more tailored to our population."

"Yes and no," according to two participants. "I believe the programs are putting out lots of information but people are more likely to use Internet-based sources because of convenience, perceived expertise and anonymity," observed a hospital director of wellness services. While a wellness program manager for a university said, "I think we need to educate more on ‘self-responsibility’ for healthcare needs."

The survey was conducted online at the WellnessJunction.com Web site among subscribers to Wellness Program Management Advisor and Wellness Manager Professional Update as part of the ongoing Workplace Wellness Management Leadership Surveys.