title: Weight Loss Associated With Employee Income in an Incentivized Employee Wellness Program.
abstract: We examined the relationship between the type of incentivized wellness program and employee weight loss and the effects of participant income.
  
  
  
  We retrospectively examined employees who participated in one of six weight loss wellness programs, which were categorized for the present analysis: reweigh/body mass index, Coaching, and Weight Watchers/Meal Replacement. Those who participated were eligible for a $350/year insurance premium discount.
  
  
  
  Employees in the low-income category of $45K or less participated at a higher rate, however, did not lose as much weight as those participants in the higher income categories of $70K or more. We found a positive association with weight loss in two of the categories, reweigh/body mass index, and Weight Watchers/Meal Replacement programs.
  
  
  
  Wellness programs have a significant impact on employee weight loss, but this relationship may vary across the income level of participants.
authors.affiliation: Aurora Health Care, Inc. (Drs Fink, Smith, Singh, Ms Sutton, Drs Mueller, Cisler), Center for Urban Population Health (Drs Fink, Cisler), Zilber School of Public Health (Drs Rich, Cisler), Department of Health Informatics & Administration, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Dr Fink, Ms Skalla, Dr Cisler), Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Dr Cisler), Department of Public and Nonprofit Administration (Dr Ihrke), and Urban Studies Program, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Dr Ihrke).
authors.forename: Jennifer T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Maharaj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Doug M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Ihrke
authors.forename: Jessica L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Skalla
authors.forename: Ron A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cisler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015431:Weight Loss; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs