Better health at work? An evaluation of the effects and cost benefits of a structured workplace health improvement programme in reducing sickness absence

Braun, T.; Bambra, C.L.; Booth, M.; Kasim, A.; Milne, E.

doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdu043

Better health at work? An evaluation of the effects and cost benefits of a structured workplace health improvement programme in reducing sickness absence

Braun, T.; Bambra, C.L.; Booth, M.; Kasim, A.; Milne, E.

Authors

T. Braun

C.L. Bambra

M. Booth

A. Kasim

E. Milne

Abstract

Background This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the Better Health at Work Award—a structured regional workplace health programme which combined changes to the work environment with lifestyle interventions. Methods Baseline and follow-up data on sickness-absence rates and programme costs were collected retrospectively via a web survey of all participating organizations. Changes over time were calculated using 95% confidence intervals of the mean, supplemented by hypothesis testing using a t-test. The indicative cost–benefits of the intervention were also calculated. Results Participation was associated with a mean reduction in sickness absence of 0.26–1.6 days per employee per year depending on the length and level of participation in the programme. The estimated cost for the programme was £3 per sickness-absence day saved. Conclusions These results suggest that the Better Health at Work Award could be a cost-effective way of improving health and reducing sickness absence particularly in the public sector. However, controlled evaluations of future interventions are needed.

Citation

Braun, T., Bambra, C., Booth, M., Kasim, A., & Milne, E. (2015). Better health at work? An evaluation of the effects and cost benefits of a structured workplace health improvement programme in reducing sickness absence. Journal of Public Health, 37(1), 138-142. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdu043

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Mar 1, 2015
Deposit Date	Sep 10, 2014
Publicly Available Date	Oct 9, 2014
Journal	Journal of Public Health
Print ISSN	1741-3842
Electronic ISSN	1741-3850
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	37
Issue	1
Pages	138-142
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdu043
Keywords	Health improvement, Health promotion, Intervention, Occupational, Sickness absence.

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This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Public Health following peer review. The version of record Braun, T., Bambra, C.L., Booth, M., Kasim, A. and Milne, E. (2014) 'Better health at work? An evaluation of the effects and cost benefits of a structured workplace health improvement programme in reducing sickness absence.', Journal of public health, 37 (1): 138-142, is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdu043.