The document discusses well-being programs and their focus on physical wellness alone. It summarizes research from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index showing that thriving in all five elements of well-being (purpose, social, financial, community, physical) leads to better health outcomes than physical wellness alone. Adults thriving across all elements were more resilient, adaptive, charitable, and less likely to miss work or change jobs than those thriving only in physical wellness. The research emphasizes the need for well-being programs to address all elements to improve outcomes.

1. What Your Wellness Programs
Aren't Telling You
Dan Witters
Gallup

2. 1. Public Opinion and Well-Being
2. U.S. Employers and Well-Being Programs
3. The New Well-Being 5 (Well-Being Index 2014)
4. Three Classifications of Well-Being:
Thriving, Struggling, and Suffering
5. Physical Well-Being vs. Well-Being Across All 5 Elements
• Among adults: Adaptability, Resiliency, Charitable
Giving, and Volunteerism
• Among workers: Workers’ Compensation Claims,
Likelihood to Leave, and Absenteeism
6. Partial Well-Being vs. Full Well-being
• Disease Burden and Turnover
Today’s Topics

3. 1. Gallup’s Panel of Households
• Over 50,000 recruited, non-paid Panelists nationwide
• Data weighted to Census Bureau statistics
• Typically 15,000-25,000 respondents per sample
• Allows longitudinal measurement
2. Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index
• N=500 randomly selected American adults nightly
• English/Spanish; Landline/Cell
• Data weighted to Census Bureau statistics
3. The Gallup Poll
A Quick Note on the Data Sources

4. Americans' Concerns About Obesity Soar, Surpass Smoking
Results for this Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted July 9-12, 2012, with a random
sample of 1,014 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

5. Physical Well-Being Ranked as Most Important by American Adults
52.0%
47.0%
35.0%
27.0%
11.0%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Physical Social Financial Purpose Community
"Now, please think about your overall life, and what is
most important to you. You have 100 total points to assign
to each of the following five areas of your life, depending
on how important each is to you."
Study of 21,556 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (Weighted to U.S. Census Statistics)

6. [PERCENTAGE
]
[VALUE]
EMPLOYER PARTICIPATION IN WELLNESS PROGRAMS
Wellness Program
No Wellness
program
*RAND Health: Workplace Wellness Programs Study 2012
Half of U.S. Employers Execute Some Form of Wellness Programs

7. The Overwhelming Majority of Employer Well-Being
Programs Only Address Physical Wellness
2%
22%
21%
18%
15%
11%
7%
4%
Stress Management HRAs
Weight Management Nutrition
Screenings Fitness Services
Smoking Cessation Other Services
*RAND Health: Workplace
Wellness Programs Study 2012

8. Is physical wellness really all we should be
concerning ourselves with?

9. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index:
Two Million Interviews with U.S. Adults and Counting Since 2008
WBI 2008-2013:
Life Evaluation: Ranking one’s life today
and in the future
Emotional Health: Daily feelings; Clinical
depression
Physical Health: Chronic conditions,
obesity, physical pain, cold/flu
Healthy Behaviors: Smoking, healthy
eating, exercise
Work Environment: Using strengths,
supervisor relationships
Basic Access: Healthcare, community
satisfaction, money for basics
Well-Being 5 (WBI 2014):
Purpose: Liking what you do each day
and being motivated to achieve your goals.
Social: Having supportive relationships
and love in your life.
Financial: Managing your economic life
to reduce stress and increase security.
Physical: Having good health and
enough energy to get things done daily.
Community: Liking where you live,
feeling safe and having pride in your
community.
Overall/Outcomes: Life Evaluation and
Daily Affect

10. Well-Being in the U.S.: Thriving, Struggling, and Suffering
Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index: Results are based on telephone interviews conducted February 1-28, 2014
with a random sample of 13,156 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
15% 16%
24%
12% 16%
49% 44%
37% 57% 48%
36% 40% 39%
31% 37%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Purpose Social Financial Physical Community
Thriving
Struggling
Suffering

11. One-Fourth of U.S. Adults are Not Thriving in Any Element;
Less than 1 in 12 are Thriving Across All Five Elements
28.5%
21.6%
17.3%
13.8%
11.5%
7.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
Thriving in
0 Elements
Thriving in
1 Element
Thriving in
2 Elements
Thriving in
3 Elements
Thriving in
4 Elements
Thriving in
5 Elements
Percent of U.S. Adults Thriving in 0-5 Elements
Study of 21,556 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (Weighted to U.S. Census Statistics), Dec. 2013
4.3% are Thriving
in Physical only

12. Adults Thriving in all Five Elements Are 36% More Likely to Report Full
Recovery After Hardship Than Those Thriving in Physical Only
51.5%
70.1%
Thriving in Physical Only
(n=680)
Thriving in All 5 Elements
(n=1,783)
“Thinking generally, are you
always, usually, sometimes, rarely, or never able to
bounce back fully after illness, injury, or hardship?”
(% Always)
Study of 16,373 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (Weighted to U.S. Census Statistics); December 2013
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status

13. Adults Thriving in all Five Elements Are 2x More Likely to Exhibit
Adaptability Than Those Thriving in Physical Only
16.4%
35.9%
Thriving in All 5 Elements…
“Thinking generally, are you
always, usually, sometimes, rarely, or never able to adapt
well to change?”
(% Always)
Study of 16,373 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (Weighted to U.S. Census Statistics); December 2013
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status

14. Adults Thriving in all Five Elements Are 23% More Likely to Have
Donated to Charity Than Those Thriving in Physical Only
72.1%
89.0%
Thriving in Physical Only
(n=680)
Thriving in All 5 Elements
(n=1,783)
“Have you donated money to charity in the last 12
months?” (% Yes)
Study of 16,373 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (Weighted to U.S. Census Statistics); December 2013
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status

15. Adults Thriving in all Five Elements Are 43% More Likely to Have
Volunteered in Last Year Than Those Thriving in Physical Only
49.3%
70.7%
Thriving in Physical Only
(n=680)
Thriving in All 5 Elements
(n=1,783)
“Have you volunteered your time to an organization in the
last 12 months?” (% Yes)
Study of 16,373 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (Weighted to U.S. Census Statistics); December 2013
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status

16. Employees Thriving in Physical Alone Missed 68% More Work Due to
Poor Health in Last Year Than Those Thriving Across All 5 Elements
This estimates to $443k in lost productivity per year per 1,000 employees
1.9
3.2
Thriving in Physical Only
(n=680)
Thriving in All 5 Elements
(n=1,783)
“During the past 30 days, for about how many days did
poor health keep you from doing your usual activities?”
Study of 16,373 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (Weighted to U.S. Census Statistics); December 2013
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status
Unhealthy Days converts to .331 missed work days, assuming 21% part time workers
Thriving in All 5 Elements
(N=839)
Thriving in Physical Only
(N=380)

17. Employees Thriving in all Five Elements Are One Third as Likely to Have
Filed a Workers’ Compensation Claim in Last Year
1.4%
0.5%
Thriving in All 5 Elements…
“In the last 12 months, were you involved in any
accident while at work where you had to file for
compensation/claim?” (% Yes)
Study of 16,373 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (Weighted to U.S. Census Statistics); December 2013
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status
Thriving in Physical Only
(N=380)
Thriving in All 5 Elements
(N=839)

18. Employees Thriving in all Five Elements Are One Fifth as Likely to
Seek Out New Employer in the Next 12 Months
Study of 16,373 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (Weighted to U.S. Census Statistics); Dec. 2013
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status
39.2%
7.3%
Thriving in Physical Only
(n=680)
Thriving in All 5 Elements
(n=1,783)
“If the job market improves in the next 12 months, I will
look for a job with a different organization.” (% Yes)
Thriving in All 5 Elements
(N=839)
Thriving in Physical Only
(N=380)

19. Employees Thriving in Multiple Elements Have Substantially Lower
Health-Related Costs via Disease Burden One Year Later
$4,966
$4,264
$3,956
$3,578 $3,421 $3,177
$3,430
$2,534
$2,098
$1,708
$1,440
$1,136
$5,545
$4,974
$4,633
$4,305
$4,089
$3,713
$0
$1,000
$2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
$6,000
None One Two Three Four Five
Number of Elements Thriving at Baseline
Total Major Disease Burden Cost One Year Later
Total Age < 45 Age 45+
Longitudinal sample of approximately 11,500 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (5,500 employed)
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status

20. Employees Thriving in Multiple Elements Have Lower Health-Related
Costs via New Onset Disease Burden One Year Later
$2,419
$2,130
$1,992
$1,817 $1,731
$1,617$1,791
$1,485
$1,314
$1,121 $1,002
$853
$2,656
$2,395
$2,239
$2,088
$1,978
$1,817
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
None One Two Three Four Five
Number of Elements Thriving at Baseline
New Onset Disease Burden Cost One Year Later
Total Age < 45 Age 45+
Longitudinal sample of approximately 11,500 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (5,500 employed)
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status

21. Employees Thriving in Multiple Elements Have Substantially Lower
Turnover One Year Later Than Those Thriving in No Elements
4.4%
3.8%
3.3%
2.9%
2.5%
1.9%
6.0%
5.3%
4.9% 4.6%
4.2% 3.8%
3.8%
3.1%
2.7% 2.3%
2.0%
1.4%
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
5.0%
6.0%
7.0%
None One Two Three Four Five
Number of Elements Thriving at Baseline
Turnover (Switched Jobs) Within Next 12 Months
Total Age < 45 Age 45+
Longitudinal sample of approximately 11,500 Gallup U.S. Panel Members (5,500 employed)
Controlling for Age, Gender, Income, Education, Region, and Marital Status

22. 1. Strong, sustained voice from leadership
2. Shared and consistent definition of what is meant by
“well-being”
3. Lead by example – set the agenda, use bully pulpit
4. Employees/Residents must sense that leadership
authentically cares about their well-being
5. Establish and execute programs that hit all five Elements
of well-being, not just physical wellness
6. Scientifically evaluate the effectiveness of programs as a
function of change of well-being over time among
employees/residents
Guiding Principles of Successful Well-Being Intervention Programs

23. Dan Witters
Research Director, Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index
Gallup
Omaha, NE USA
402.938.6457
dan_witters@gallup.com
To stay up to date on our
well-being discoveries, visit:
http://www.healthways.com
and
http://www.gallup.com/poll/wellbeing
Copyright © 2011 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
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