Workplace wellness programs offer little clinical benefit

Workplace wellness programs have been hotly debated — even the subject of lawsuits — and a new study adds to the growing body of evidence that the programs don’t result in clinical improvements in health. Researchers looked at 160 companies — 20 of which had a program — and found that more people who worked in a company with a wellness program reported exercising regularly and actively managing their weight. But people in this group also had similar rates of high cholesterol and obesity as those who were employed by companies without a workplace wellness program. The results were also mixed when it came to costs: Those in offices without a wellness program paid less in prescription costs but more in other health care spending.