title: The effect of participation in a Fitness Rewards Program on medical care expenditures in an employee population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In 2008, the University of Minnesota began offering the Fitness Rewards Program (FRP) that provides a monthly credit toward fitness center dues for individuals who exercise at a participating facility at least 8 times per month. This study evaluates whether participation in the FRP is associated with a decrease in medical spending.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a difference-in-differences approach, we estimate multivariate regression models of average monthly medical expenditures for 2006 through 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We find positive benefits from reduced medical spending among highly persistent FRP exercisers. However, the results are sensitive to the inclusion or exclusion of individuals who had very high medical expenditures in any year.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Offering exercise-focused wellness initiatives may have economic benefits for employers, but further research is needed to understand the sensitivity of results to the inclusion of outliers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. abrah042@umn.edu
authors.forename: Jean M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nyman
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Feldman
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Barleen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017059:Models, Econometric; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016272:Occupational Health; D010809:Physical Fitness; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012044:Regression Analysis