To examine whether Army community members participating in a best-practice based workplace health promotion program (WHPP) experience goal-moderated improvements in health-related outcomes.
Design:
Pretest/posttest outcome evaluation examining an autonomously participating client cohort over 1 year.
Setting:
Army Wellness Center facilities on 19 Army installations.
Participants:
Army community members sample (N = 5703), mostly Active Duty Soldiers (64%).
Intervention:
Assessment of health risks with feedback, health assessments, health education classes, and health coaching sessions conducted by health educators at a recommended frequency of once a month for 3 to 12 months.
Measures:
Initial and follow-up outcome assessments of body mass index (BMI), body fat, cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure, and perceived stress.
Analysis:
Mixed model linear regression testing for goal-moderated improvements in outcomes.
Results:
Clients experienced significant improvements in body fat (−2% change), perceived stress (−6% to −12% change), cardiorespiratory fitness (+6% change), and blood pressure (−1% change) regardless of health-related goal. Only clients with a weight loss goal experienced BMI improvement (−1% change). Follow-up outcome assessment rates ranged from 44% (N = 2509) for BMI to 6% (N = 342) for perceived stress.
Conclusion:
Army Wellness Center clients with at least 1 follow-up outcome assessment experienced improvements in military readiness correlates and chronic disease risk factors. Evaluation design and follow-up-related limitations notwithstanding results suggest that best practices in WHPPs can effectively serve a globally distributed military force.
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