MINNEAPOLIS-A new study has proven that high-quality employee wellness programs offered by small businesses improve employee health and well-being which, in turn, decreases absenteeism, healthcare costs and disability claims.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, showed that workplace wellness can be successful in smaller businesses, as well as their larger counterparts.

 "These findings clearly indicate the dramatic consequences that small employer wellness programs can have on multiple domains of well-being, such as physical health, emotional health and healthy behaviors of employees," said James E. Pope M.D., coauthor of the article, in a press release about the study. Pope is chief science officer at Healthways.

 "These comprehensive findings offer a broad understanding of the areas that can adversely impact the productivity and health of a workforce," he added.

The study was conducted by Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), and it  evaluated the impact of Nebraska-based Lincoln Industries best practices program using the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index® (WBI).

The WBI is a comprehensive survey of a population's well-being based on a set of indices that assess physical health, emotional health, healthy behavior, and basic access to health-related conditions and services.

The WBI achieved an 87 percent response rate among Lincoln's employees and individual values were assigned and aggregated to produce a set of domain scores for the entire population. Underscoring the strong health and wellness culture at Lincoln, this participation rate was achieved without incentives.

Approximately 99 percent of employees complete regular health screenings, with a majority of the workforce participating in wellness activities throughout the year.

Previous analyses of Lincoln's program have documented the company's success in reducing tobacco use and workers compensation costs, and the company's resulting health care costs trend significantly lower than health care spending nationwide.

"This study marks a critical first step in wellness research specifically designed to inform the practices of small businesses," said David Anderson, PhD, coauthor and chair of the research committee for the Health Enhancement Research Organization.

"By promoting high-quality research in a small-business setting, HERO is helping to put evidence-based wellness practices within reach of all employers."