The State of Wellness in Universities Across the United States: Implications for Practice and Research

Purpose: Although the overarching purpose of worksite wellness programs is to provide a positive return on investment (ROI) by reducing absenteeism and lowering health insurance premiums, the altruistic benefit is the creation of a healthier work force, which translates into a healthier and engaged population.  It is recognized that a worksite culture of health, defined as a body of organizational factors that promote healthy lifestyle behaviors, is important in enhancing the health and wellness of employees. Academic institutions have lagged behind corporations in describing and enhancing wellness cultures and environments. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the state of wellness programming in Universities across the United States.

Methods: A descriptive survey was conducted with health promotion professionals from Universities across the United States attending the second National Summit on Building Healthy Academic Communities for the purpose of determining their state of wellness and programs offered to facilitate health and wellness in their faculty and staff.

Results: Professionals from 66 institutions across the United States participated in the survey; 74% were from large institutions, comprised of over 10,000 students. Thirty-four percent of the institutions reported having an on-campus health center for faculty and staff. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said that their institutions offer a personalized health assessment. Twenty-five percent of respondents reported that their institutions have a wellness scorecard; 35% of respondents reported that their institutions track faculty/staff health status or health outcome metrics. Sixty-eight percent of the institutions had no smoking/tobacco free policies; 61% had flex time policies. Blood pressure screening was offered by 47%; blood sugar/diabetes screen was offered by 32%. 

Conclusion:

Although Universities in the United States are beginning to place an emphasis on enhancing the health and wellness of faculty and staff, the wellness movement is still in its infancy. Experimental studies are urgently needed to determine the best interventions for enhancing the health and wellness of University faculty and staff.