A corporate wellness program has sparked encouraging improvements in nutrition, absenteeism and smoking rates, but hasn't managed to reduce obesity or cholesterol levels. Dow Chemical is halfway through a study that hopes to shed light on how the corporate culture can positively influence healthy behaviors. 

Ron Goetzel, director of the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies at Cornell University, says participants have made strides after the second year of the study, although bigger improvements are desired. 

Of the 10,191 Dow employees participating in the "Dow LightenUP Project," 6,610 are involved in an "intense" intervention program, 1,363 are involved in a "moderate" intervention program and 2,218 are part of a control group. Moderate interventions include signs encouraging use of stairs, healthy choices in worksite cafeterias, a weight-management program, labels denoting healthy vending machine items and individual rewards. Intense interventions include senior leadership training, the development of site goals and team leadership recognition. 

Employees at intervention sites saw a 3.6% reduction in poor nutrition, compared to a 1.6% reduction in the control group. Tobacco use decreased 1% in the intervention groups, but increased by 1.5% in the control group. Average absenteeism rates for the intervention groups dropped from 3.6 days in year one to 3.1 days in year two. In the control group, average absenteeism rates increased from 2.4 days to 3.1 days. 

The efforts to reduce obesity and high cholesterol were not as successful, Goetzel notes. The average weight at the intervention sites decreased marginally (0.1%), while the average weight in the control group stayed the same. Cholesterol levels increased slightly among the intervention groups and the control group. "We have not made much progress in obesity and overweight," Goetzel remarks. 

The keys to success for any wellness program include "sensitivity to organizational processes and timelines when planning and implementing" programs, as well as "engagement and support at multiple levels, including leadership and healthy culture focal points," he says.