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Western New York Wellness Works (WNYWW) Project required 13 employers to complete a "health of the working environment" assessment, with only two receiving scores of 60 percent or above.

The $1 million demonstration project is providing matching grants to 13 companies and organizations to develop wellness programs to improve employee health and lower healthcare costs.

The programs which began in June 2005, were evaluated for nutrition education,physical activity promotion, weight management and stress reduction.

The first step was a Heart Check Plus assessment in which employees were encouraged to complete confidential individual health surveys. Nearly 2,800 employees from the 13 participating employers completed the survey.

Results

• 83 percent reported exercising at least once a week, and more than one-fourth exercised four or more times a week
• Three-fourths use their seatbelts all of the time, while 15 percent use seatbelts 90-99 percent of the time
• 15 percent qualify as moderate- to heavy- drinkers
• 83 percent rate their health as excellent, very good or good
• 20 percent are smokers
• 61 percent are overweight to extremely obese
• 23 percent eat three or more servings of high-fat food every day, while another 62 percent have one to two servings
• Only 20 percent got the recommended eight hours of sleep a night and one-third reported sleeping six hours or less

The companies who scored higher on the environmental health assessment had fewer employees who were overweight or obese. They had a lower body mass index, reported fewer days lost to illness and more employees reported exercising at least three times a week.

"The overall goal of the project is to collect valid and reliable data on various wellness programs in Western New York, and to document that worksite-wellness programs can reduce individual health risks and save employers money on escalating insurance costs," said Dr. Joan Dorn, University at Buffalo associate professor of social and preventive medicine and principal investigator on the project.

Participating employers are: Better Baked Foods of Westfield; Mark IV Industries Inc.; the Rehab Center of Olean and Hodgson Russ in conjunction with BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York; Buffalo Niagara MedicalCampus; Clymer School District; Daemen College; Erie Community College; Jamestown School District; Greater Buffalo Savings Bank; Independent Health; Mt. St. Mary’s Hospital/Stella Niagara; Niagara Frontier Auto Dealers; People Inc.; and Greatbatch Inc.

The project is coordinated by the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University at Buffalo.

Address: School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, 435 Kimball Tower, 3435 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14214; (716) 829-3434, www.sphhp.buffalo.edu.