Perception, Interpretation, and Impact of Health Risk Appraisal Feedback: Pilot Studies of an Assessment Tool

Abstract

One mandate of the Affordable Care Act is continued support of workplace wellness programs. A tool used to encourage behavior change is a health risk appraisal (HRA). However, research indicates there is limited benefit to HRAs unless supported by additional health interventions. The purpose of these two pilot studies was to examine effects of the individual HRA personalized feedback, including the perceived value of the feedback and its influence on behavior change. Six months after completing and receiving HRA personalized feedback, participants in two separate Indiana organizations answered survey questions about the HRA value, motivational influence, and ability to prompt behavior change. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, analyses of variance, and factor analysis were used to analyze the influence of various factors and test the relationship between HRA generated feedback and these characteristics. The majority of respondents indicated the HRA was helpful with 69% (Study 1, n = 51) and 63% (Study 2, n = 116) of the respondents reporting an attempted behavior change. Preliminary results indicate that completion of an HRA with feedback alone may be beneficial in prompting behavior change.