You’ve already done your data analysis and identified some health habits 
that need to be changed in your population. Now you are tasked with engaging them in wellness. That's great! And potentially frustrating. How do you get individuals to engage in behavior change?
There are a few things you should know first. Although a company might be ready to change the health of their workforce, change isn't always quick. A health plan might want members to adopt a healthy lifestyle right away, but it certainly isn't always easy. It takes time and effort.
Engagement is key to a successful wellness program. But how exactly do you get users engaged? The answer isn't always clear cut.
The good news is that wellness engagement can be improved. Here are 5 health engagement strategies that can help you get your population interested and actively involved in healthy habits.
1. Know what they are ready to change
You're ready to change the culture and make the population healthier. But how do you know if they are ready?
When it comes to behavior change, you can be sure that not everyone will be ready. And if they aren't ready to adopt new and healthier behaviors, then the wellness program will struggle.
One way to understand where individuals in your population stand is through change readiness assessment. If you want to know whether someone is ready to make a needed change, ask. An individual might or might not be ready yet to change one certain behavior. But by identifying the stage of change they are in, you can target messaging to help move them through the change process.
By meeting people where they are rather than where you want them to be, you will improve wellness engagement in the long-term.
2. Start at the top
According to Gallup’s 2015 State of the American Manager study, employees who are supervised by highly engaged leadership teams are 39 percent more likely to be engaged themselves.
Want employees to adopt healthy habits at home and at work? The answer is simple: Get C-Suite execs and middle managers to lead by example. It all starts at the top. When leaders foster a culture of wellness and exemplify it, employees notice and are more likely to follow suit.
Have wellness plans for a geographic population? Work with local health departments and community leaders to increase neighborhood gardens or walkability, for example. Take a cue from the consumer model of behavior change. Identify the leaders in your population and work with early adopters – individuals who will quickly adopt and champion healthy habits.
3. Make it easy for individuals to say yes to change
Getting the incentives right is a vital part of a successful wellness program. To do that, you need to figure out what motivates individuals to participate.
There are two ways to incentivize change: Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Effective wellness programs align change readiness to motivators of each individual.
When you use extrinsic motivation to get people to change, you are offering them items such as cash rewards and gifts. Or, you are penalizing them monetarily when they fail to reach a certain standard. This is the "carrot and stick" model of motivation. Be careful though, because some extrinsic incentives might violate EEOC regulations.
Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, relies on internal factors unique to each person. These can be less tangible items, like "living a healthier, more vibrant lifestyle" or "avoiding heart disease." One way to identify an individual’s motivation is by looking at how much enjoyment and satisfaction they have in an activity. Using a health risk assessment that asks individuals about their change readiness can also help you identify individuals who are self-motivated to change.
Nebraska Medicine used both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation strategies to boost wellness program engagement. For example, when employees said they were ready to exercise more, the healthcare system decided to eliminate the small fee employees were charged for accessing on-site fitness facilities. The result? They’ve had a 400% increase in fitness center use. It’s just one of the steps Nebraska Medicine took to boost engagement after reviewing population health data.
4. Support change
New fitness habits and healthier behaviors can be hard in the beginning. How can you support your population to adopt new behaviors faster and improve program engagement?
One way to make sure your workforce stays on track is to connect to existing programs such as employee assistance programs (EAP). Linking a wellness program to an EAP makes it easier for employees to deal with change and get support for physical and mental situations affecting their work.
Another way to help individuals stick with healthy habits is to empower them to track their own progress. Giving individuals access to mobile applications and web-based programs can both engage them and let them monitor their progress on the way to wellness.
Lastly, have conversations with individuals to make sure they are receiving the support and tools they need to reach their wellness goals. Identify roadblocks and brainstorm solutions. Clinicians can involve patients in the behavior change process by asking open-ended questions, affirming progress, listening reflectively, and summarizing the conversation. Giving members access to their electronic health records can also help them be actively engaged.
When individuals feel cared for and supported, they will find it easier to care about their health.
5. Take health to them
According to a survey by Optum and the National Business Group on Health, having access to employer health and wellness programs is positively correlated with employee engagement.
This study named several program categories that improved engagement, including:
- Health risk assessments
- Wellness coaching
- Telemedicine
- Health biometric screenings
- Gym membership discounts
- On-site medical clinics
- Fitness challenges
The results of this study found that 46 percent of employees at companies offering seven or more categories strongly agreed that they are proud to be a part of the company, compared with only 14 percent of employees whose employer offered no programs.
The message is clear: Taking health to employees leads to more engaged, loyal, and healthy behaviors.
These same approaches also engage other populations in healthy behaviors. By working collaboratively with community and government agencies, you can bring health to populations through mobile health clinics, 24-hour advice lines, and cell phones; eliminating food deserts; and improving access to green spaces like parks.
There are many health engagement strategies, but it all starts with asking the right questions
The benefits of engagement are endless. But without the right approach, you're unlikely to see them.
Wellness programs that focus on the five strategies above will experience higher levels of engagement and all the benefits that come with it. And it all starts with asking the right questions.
Interested in learning more about health engagement strategies?
Download your free Emerging Trends for Wellness Programs report today.
