Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s)
Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s), are an assessment tool or questionnaire scientifically designed to identify health risks and outline information to support people in making healthy changes that effect their health and prevent chronic conditions.
Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) have four standard elements in worksite settings:
• A Questionnaire
• A Computer Program to Evaluate Health Risk Factors
• Confidential Individual Reports
• Group Summary Report
Workers complete a lifestyle questionnaire that includes for example nutrition practices, height and weight, exercise habits, family history, stress perceptions, smoking history, and work satisfaction. Another significant feature to consider is readiness to change questions to determine participation interest. Including wellness screenings such as blood lipids and Blood Pressure (BP) results increases the advantages of an Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment by providing a more accurate health assessment and therefore improving lifestyle choice decisions and program options. However, it is significant to determine if the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment can be used without including this information.
The health risk questionnaire information is entered into a computer program and an individual confidential report is generated that summarizes health risks as well as information on how to lower risk factors. Individual reports are completely confidential. Depending on the reason for implementing the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment, it’s significant to consider the type of report the business will receive as well. A group report summarizing major risk factors and recommendations for programs to implement in order to lower employee and business risks provides significant information for your wellness program.
The Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) have the potential to be used to:
• Raise awareness to individual employee’s health status
• Encourage employees to make healthier lifestyle changes
• Coach high-risk employees
• Plan Employee Wellness based on the identified needs
• Evaluate program performance by comparing Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) completed at set intervals such as yearly.
