27 Oct Can you think of any wellness programs you have witnessed or experienced (e.g. at work, at school) that demonstrate that the planner or planning agency

Question: Can you think of any wellness programs you have witnessed or experienced (e.g. at work, at school) that demonstrate that the planner or planning agency, thought about one or some of the following considerations we learned about in Unit 8.

Reference: Level of Interventions*

*not to be confused with “Level of Influence”

Michael O’Donnell, author, and long-time expert in the field of workplace health promotion, identified a hierarchy at which interventions needed to be designed so that they would be successful.  He referred to these as the “Levels of Interventions,” and were as follows (Lindsay, G.M., 2000):

Level I: Awareness

Level II: Lifestyle Change

Level III: Supportive Environment 

[They are now called “Levels of Impact,” and levels II and III are referred to as “Skill Building” and “Opportunities” accordingly (O’Donnell, 2017, p. 130)].

At Level I, O’Donnell highlights the importance of educational-based resources and activities to increase awareness of the priority population, but stipulates that these will not be enough to evoke change on their own.  Examples of interventions in this level are: email campaigns, posters, online health libraries, health fairs, and individual learning opportunities (e.g. lunch and learns).

Level II encompasses activities which offer opportunities for participants to practice and experience modifying their behaviour, which will hopefully lead to lifestyle changes long-term.  Activities at this level are most effective when they are combined with those of Level I.  Smoking-cessation programs, an experiential stress management series and a physical activity challenge are all examples of activities at this level.

Level III is a simplified version of some of the concepts learned in the Levels of Influence in the Ecological Model, where the environment is modified so that the “healthy choice is the easy choice.”  This could be done via policy change, changes to the physical work environment itself (e.g. showers and locker rooms put in to encourage physical activity), a corporate culture that promotes and supports employee mental health, or healthy food options offered at a discount in the company cafeteria.

Not all corporate wellness programs will have the three levels accounted for, but those that are comprehensive in nature are most likely to be successful at accomplishing their goals and objectives.