What are Health Risk Assessments?

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 disease.

Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals have four standard elements in workplace settings:

• A Questionnaire
• A Computerized Program to Review Health Risk Factors
• Confidential Individual Reports
• Group Summary Report

Workers 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 valuable feature to consider is readiness to change questions to determine participation interest.

Including health screenings such as blood lipids and Blood Pressure results increases the advantages of Health Risk Assessment by providing a more accurate health assessment and therefore improving lifestyle choice decisions and program options. Still, it is valuable to determine if the 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 reduce risk factors.

Individual reports are totally confidential. Depending on the reason for implementing the Health Risk Assessment, it’s important to consider the type of report the organization will receive as well.

A group report summarizing major risk factors and recommendations for programs to start in order to reduce employee and organization risks supports important information for your wellness program.

Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) have the potential to be used to:

• Raise awareness to individual employee’s health status
• Motivate employees to make healthier lifestyle changes
• Coach elevated-risk employees
• Plan Corporate Health Promotion Programs based on the identified needs
• Evaluate program success by comparing Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals completed at set intervals such as yearly.