title: The Healthy LifeWorks Project: a pilot study of the economic analysis of a comprehensive workplace wellness program in a Canadian government department.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between health risks and absenteeism and drug costs vis-a-vis comprehensive workplace wellness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven health risks, and change in drug claims, short-term and general illness calculated across four risk change groups. Wellness score examined using Wilcoxon test and regression model for cost change.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed 31% at risk; 9 of 11 risks associated with higher drug costs. Employees moving from low to high risk showed highest relative increase (81%) in drug costs; moving from high to low had lowest (24%). Low-high had highest increase in absenteeism costs (160%). With each risk increase, absenteeism costs increased by $CDN248 per year (P < 0.05) with average decrease of 0.07 risk factors and savings $CDN6979 per year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both high-risk reduction and low-risk maintenance are important to contain drug costs. Only low-risk maintenance also avoids absenteeism costs associated with high risks.
authors.affiliation: Creative Wellness Solutions Inc, Nova Scotia, Canada. lmakrides@wellnesssolutions.ca
authors.forename: Lydia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Makrides
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Allt
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Farquharson
authors.forename: Claudine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Szpilfogel
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Curwin
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Veinot
authors.forename: Feifei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dee
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Edington
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002170:Canada; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood / Q000191:economics; D016527:Drug Costs; D005260:Female; D006077:Government Agencies / Q000191:economics*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D055105:Waist Circumference / Q000187:drug effects; D017132:Workplace / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol