Using Tailored Emails to Motivate Healthy Behavior Among Employees

Using Tailored Emails to Motivate Healthy Behavior, Improve Health Status, & Reduce Health Care Costs in Employee Populations: A Randomized Trial

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the efficacy of a multi-component email health promotion program on employee adoption of health promoting behaviors and secondarily on health status, work productivity and health care costs.

The Specific Aims are:

• To demonstrate the feasibility and assess the acceptability of email health promotion among diverse employee groups;
• To evaluate short and intermediate-term changes in health behaviors (e.g., daily fruit/vegetable intake, weekly physical activity) at 6 and 12 months;
• To assess change in health status (SF-12), work productivity, and healthcare costs among email program users and controls;
• To identify person predictors of sustained voluntary participation in a 6 month email health promotion program among the workforce population;
• To disseminate the results to maximize influence on e-health promotion, employer health promotion programs, health insurance policy, and research.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult employee of participating worksite
• Access to desktop computer

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under 18 years of age