Employer wellness programs could benefit families

But they don't, as this study demonstrates.

Researchers from IBM and the University of Michigan found that a relatively inexpensive short-term intervention program can pay off particularly big for children's health, and even for a company's bottom line.

Whether or not participants would stick to their new healthy behaviors after the program ends remains unclear.

In 2008, IBM launched an Internet-based "children's rebate program" that let employees and their families choose from a selection of goals revolving around healthy eating, group physical activity, reduced "screen time" and positive parental role-modeling. A $150 check was offered as incentive to complete the 12-week program.

More than 22,000 employees signed on to participate, representing about half of all employees with children covered by IBM's health plan. Approximately 12,000 finished the program and received the rebate.

Note how half of the parents do not care enough about their children to even complete the program - though the program would not have helped, anyway. (You could argue that this group was smart enough to bail on a losing proposition that paid only $150 for 12 weeks "work.")

In the IBM study, the families' activities and progress were self-reported. Sepulveda and his colleagues intentionally avoided requiring participants to weigh-in or provide other body measurements to the company, to minimize privacy concerns that might put off anyone from joining.

The team found that employees were more likely to complete the program, as well as make substantial progress toward their goals, if they were female and had young children.

The largest improvements seen at the end of the study were in physical activity, with an average increase of 17 percent for families and 16 percent for children, the researchers report in the journal Pediatrics.

Physical activity is the absolute worst way to shed pounds.

The benefits of such an intervention also extend to the employer. For example, children who are obese and have type 2 diabetes incur five times the health care costs of a child that is neither obese nor diabetic, noted Sepulveda. He added that unhealthy kids also substantially slow a parent's productivity.

Further, the researchers note that a Web-based program, such as the one implemented at IBM, could be cost-efficient for employers, as well as convenient for employees.

"On a per capita basis, this is really cheap. The most expensive part was the rebate," Sepulveda said. The program itself was only one third the cost of the rebate, he pointed out, and such incentives may not even be necessary for companies that have already succeeded in engaging their employees in workplace health programs.

Sepulveda and his team do recognize some limitations to their study. Employees who volunteered for the program may have been more motivated to make healthy changes than those who did not participate. And without a comparison group, the researchers were unable to determine if the intervention was the true source of the health improvements.

Note, there WERE NO IMPROVEMENTS.

There were only self-reported data that they engaged in more physical activity.

But, no results documented.

If it worked, the results would have been published. You can bet on that.

For a workplace wellness program that has a chance of succeeding, go here.