HEALTH PROMOTION, MEDICAL-CARE USE, AND COSTS IN A SAMPLE OF WORKSITEEMPLOYEES

The relationship between a four-group health promotion intervention pr ogram and the subsequent medical costs were analyzed for a group of 1, 188 employees in a northern California utility company. Results sugges t strong associations between health promotion interventions and the s ubsequent reduction in medical costs related to hospital days, doctor visits, and sick days, based on different cost estimates. As health pr omotion intensified, from group 1 (assessment-only control), group 2 ( low-intensity intervention focusing on self-care), group 3 (medium-int ensity intervention focusing on group support), to group 4 (high-inten sity intervention targeting high-risk individuals), benefits seemed to increase accordingly from $145 per person for group 1 to $421 per per son for group 4, based on the medium cost estimate. Cost-benefit analy sis demonstrates that medium-intensity intervention (group 3) appears to have contributed to a greater level of medical cost reduction, per dollar spent, than all other intervention groups.