INCREASING LOW-INCOME EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION IN A WORKSITE HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAM - A COMPARISON OF 3 COMMON STRATEGIES

The relative effectiveness of three common strategies to increase part icipation in worksite health promotion programs was assessed, The inte rventions, designed for low income employees, were (1) written informa tion, (2) written information and an informational meeting, and (3) wr itten information, an information meeting and a group contest, Thirty teams of low income employees were randomly allocated to receive one o f the three interventions, Participation was measured at baseline and at follow-up, Team participation did not vary by strategy but individu al participation was more likely for those offered the contest than fo r those provided only written information or written information and a meeting, Even under the most intensive recruitment condition, however , few teams and housekeepers participated in the health promotion prog ram, Interviews were conducted with housekeepers to obtain reasons for participation and non-participation, and to identify suggestions for facilitating participation.