ACSM's Worksite Health Handbook

Book excerpt: Encouraging and maintaining a healthy workforce have become key components in the challege to reduce health care expenditures and health-related productivity losses. As companies more fully realize the impact of healthy workers on the financial health of their organization, health promotion professionals seek support to design and implement interventions that generate improvements in workers' health and business performance. The second edition of ACSM's Worksite Health Handbook: A Guide to Building Healthy and Productive Companies connects worksite health research and practice to offer health promotion professionals the information, ideas, and approaches to provide affordable, scalable, and sustainable solutions for the organizations they serve. Thoroughly updated with the latest research and expanded to better support the business case for worksite programs, the second edition of ACSM's Worksite Health Handbook includes the contributions of nearly 100 of the top researchers and practitioners in the field from Canada, Europe, and the United States. The book's mix of research, evidence, and practice makes it a definitive and comprehensive resource on worksite health promotion, productivity management, disease prevention, and chronic disease management. ACSM's Worksite Health Handbook, Second Edition, has the following features: -An overview of contextual issues, including a history of the field, the current state of the field, legal perspectives, and the role of health policy in worksite programs -A review of the effectiveness of strategies in worksite settings, including economic impact, best practices, and the health–productivity relationship -Information on assessment, measurement, and evaluation, including health and productivity assessment tools, the economic returns of health improvement programs, and appropriate use of claims-based analysis and planning -A thorough discussion of program design and implementation, including the application of behavior change theory, new ways of using data to engage participants, use of technology and social networks to improve effectiveness, and key features of best-practice programs -An examination of various strategies for encouraging employee involvement, such as incorporating online communities and e-health, providing incentives, using medical self-care programs, making changes to the built environment, and tying in wellness with health and safety The book includes a chapter that covers the implementation process step by step so that you can see how all of the components fit together in the creation of a complete program. You'll also find four in-depth case studies that offer innovative perspectives on implementing programs in a variety of work settings. Each case study includes a profile of the company, a description of the program and the program goals, information on the population being served, the results of the program, and a summary or discussion of the program. Throughout the book you'll find practical ideas, approaches, and solutions for implementation as well as examples of best practices and successful programs that will support your efforts in creating interventions that improve both workers' health and business performance. The book is endorsed by the International Association for Worksite Health Promotion, a new ACSM affiliate society. Deepen your understanding of the key issues and challenges within worksite health promotion and find the most current research and practice-based information and approaches inside ACSM's Worksite Health Handbook: A Guide to Building Healthy and Productive Companies, Second Edition. The e-book for ACSM's Worksite Health Handbook, Second Edition, is available at a reduced price. It allows you to highlight, take notes, and easily use all the material in the book in seconds. The e-book is delivered through Adobe Digital Editions® and when purchased through the Human Kinetics site, access to the content is immediately granted when your order is received. Adobe Digital Editions® System Requirements Windows -Microsoft® Windows® 2000 with Service Pack 4, Windows XP with Service Pack 2, or Windows Vista® (Home Basic 32-bit and Business 64-bit editions supported) -Intel® Pentium® 500MHz processor -128MB of RAM -800x600 monitor resolution Mac PowerPC -Mac OS X v10.4.10 or v10.5 -PowerPC® G4 or G5 500MHz processor -128MB of RAM Intel® -Mac OS X v10.4.10 or v10.5 -500MHz processor -128MB of RAM Supported browsers and Adobe Flash versions Windows -Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or 7, Mozilla Firefox 2 -Adobe Flash® Player 7, 8, or 9 (Windows Vista requires Flash 9.0.28 to address a known bug) Mac -Apple Safari 2.0.4, Mozilla Firefox 2 -Adobe Flash Player 8 or 9 Supported devices -Sony® Reader PRS-505 Language versions -English -French -German