"Health Promotions in the Workplace" Review

Yup, another book review!  However, this one leans more towards the textbook category.  I was a bit skeptical of what I was going to receive when I bought a used edition off of Amazon for about $0.75 when it retails for $80+.  But, I thought I would give it a shot and was really pleased as to what I received.

The book outlines all of the design phases of wellness initiatives, the maintenance, management, evaluation, strategies, intervention programs, and perspectives of health promotion in different settings (small business, elderly, global and the future of workplace health promotion).  Overall, it seems to cover just about anything you need to implement an effective program.  Here's my gripe, however:

The latest edition was published in 2001.

I consider research evidence to be "old" when it reaches the 10 year mark.  While much of the information is good in this book, it is outdated.  The previous edition to the current was published 8 years prior, so I'm not sure why they are taking so long to publish a new edition.  If and when they do, I will most likely be finding myself buying it to get the latest information.  Here's why I do like this book:

It is fair about its assessment of health promotion and workplace wellness.  If evidence is clear enough, it will tell you so.  It tells you when there is enough evidence to support an idea and when there is enough to proceed with caution.  It also uses evidence and research to recommend different types of wellness program and activities.  Take the weight management, as an example.  There are many different ways to implement, from financial incentives, lay vs. professional help, weekly interventions vs. intensive, worksite vs. clinic and to top it all off, the cost/effectiveness of each.  Not only that, but the book goes into detail why such an intervention is necessary in the workplace, citing research that shows the prevalence of obesity and it's health risks.  Basically, it goes from the start - convincing upper management that this intervention is necessary - to finish.

This really isn't a book you can read front to back and be done with.  I read the first several chapters, and that was about all I could consume and make use of.  The remaining parts are reference, atleast to me, and will be used when these situations come up on planning.  There aren't many reviews on Amazon, but I distinctly remember one wellness coordinator saying they use this book all the time and come back to it as reference.  Hope you can find it useful, too!