Health Handouts : Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals

Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals, are an assessment tool or questionnaire scientifically designed to identify health risks and outline information to support  individuals in making healthy changes that influence their health and prevent chronic disease.

Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) have four standard elements in workplace settings:
• A Questionnaire
• A Computer Program to Evaluate Health Risk Factors
• Confidential Individual Reports
• Group Summary Report

Employees complete a lifestyle questionnaire that includes for example nourishment practices, height and weight, exercise habits, family history, stress perceptions, smoking history, and work satisfaction. Another important 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. Nonetheless, it is important 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 cut risk factors. Individual reports are fully confidential. Depending on the reason for launching the Health Risk Appraisal / Health Risk Assessment, it’s valuable to consider the type of report the organization will receive as well. A group report summarizing major risk factors and recommendations for programs to enable in order to cut employee and organization risks provides valuable information for your wellness program.

The Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) can be used to:
• Raise awareness to individual employee’s health status
• Encourage employees to make healthier lifestyle changes
• Coach elevated-risk workers
• Develop Employee Health Promotion Programs based on the identified needs
• Evaluate program effectiveness by comparing Health Risk Appraisals / Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) completed at set intervals such as yearly.