Implementing Change Using Best Practice Program Design Principles

INTRODUCTION onsider, only 17% of companies in the United States have health and well-being programs categorized as comprehensive or robust in design according to the most recent NationalWorksite Health Promotion Survey (1). Although this conclusion spotlights a gap, it also provides insight into potential solutions. One clear observation is that program implementations structured according to clearly delineated principles show great potential for successful outcomes. As such, previous work has described the identification of program design principles (2), the implementation of programs designed using these principles by various organizations (3–7), and data-driven validation of results (8,9) that support this observation. The evidence indicates that implementation of well-designed, comprehensive programs generates superior population health outcomes as compared with the implementation of less robust programs. In cross-sectional analyses, we have shown that the more principles of program design are included in the program mix being implemented, the lower the population level of health risks (8). In addition, when comparing work sites implementing health and well-being programs designed at different levels of adherence to best practice program principles, those that incorporate more principles of design experience better current health insurance claims trends through time (9).