title: The Workforce wellness index: a method for valuing US workers' health.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To devise a methodology to create a single health risk-cost score that can be applied to health risk assessment survey data and account for the medical costs associated with modifiable risks.
  
  
  METHODS
  We linked person-level health risk assessment data with medical benefit eligibility and claims data for 341,650 workers for the period 2005 to 2010 and performed multivariate analyses to estimate costs associated with high risks. We used the estimated costs and risk prevalence rates to create a composite Workforce Wellness Index (WWI) score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increasing obesity rates among employees was found to be the most important contributor to increased health care spending and the main reason the WWI score worsened over time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Employers that address employees' health risk factors may be able to reduce their medical spending and achieve an improvement in their WWI scores.
authors.affiliation: Truven Health Analytics, Washington, DC 20008, USA. ron.goetzel@truvenhealth.com
authors.forename: Ron Z
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Goetzel
authors.forename: Gary T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Pickens
authors.forename: Niranjana M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Kowlessar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017281:Cost of Illness; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007344:Insurance Claim Reporting; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018803:Models, Economic; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult