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Do workplace wellness programs make an impact for people who suffer — or may not even yet know that they suffer — from chronic disease? A new SHRM piece reviews a study that indicates the potential is there.

The piece states: “Over 85 million Americans are living with some form of cardiovascular disease, says the American Heart Association, and wellness programs have the potential to help them, a new study indicates. Other research findings highlight the value of focusing wellness initiatives on chronic condition management, specifically for controlling diabetes.”

The HealthMine survey looked at “501 enrollees in a 2015 health plan who either had been diagnosed with heart disease or were deemed at high risk for developing heart disease.”

In a strong testament to the potential of how wellness programs can provide important benefits to individual's health, “43 percent of those individuals said they discovered their heart condition or high risk through their wellness program.”

In addition:

• “68 percent of respondents who enrolled in wellness programs also had access to a chronic-disease management program.”
• “86 percent of those with access participated in their disease management program.”
• “79 percent said their program helps them to manage their health care costs.”

Organized health or wellness programs also have the potential to help manage prediabetic conditions, according to the piece: “A study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers, published online in the American Journal of Public Health, found that adults with prediabetes who followed a nationally available weight management program with a prediabetes-specific component—in this study, Weight Watchers was used—lost significantly more weight and experienced better blood glucose control than those following a self-initiated program using supplemental counseling materials.