TAKE HEART - RESULTS FROM THE INITIAL PHASE OF A WORK-SITE WELLNESS PROGRAM

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the short-term e ffects of a low-intensity work-site heart disease risk reduction progr am using a matched pail. design with work site as the unit of analysis . Methods. Twenty-six heterogeneous work sites with between 125 and 75 0 employees were matched on key organization characteristics and then, randomly assigned to early or delayed intervention conditions. Early i ntervention consisted of an 18-month multifaceted program that feature d an employee steering committee and a menu approach to conducting key intervention activities tailored to each site. Results. Cross-section al and cohort analyses produced consistent results. At the conclusion of the intervention, early and delayed intervention conditions did not differ on changes in smoking rates, dietary intake, or cholesterol le vels. There was-considerable variability in outcomes among work sites within each condition. Conclusions. Despite documented implementation of key intervention activities and organization-level changes in terms of perceived Support for health promotion, this intervention did not produce short-term improvements beyond secular trends observed in cont rol work sites. Research is needed to understand determinants of varia bility between work Sites.