The purpose of this study was to determine which days of the work week had the largest rate of opened e-health messages, whether detailed or basic e-health messages were more likely to be opened, if motivation influenced the rate of message opening, and if the rate of opening messages declined over time. Ninety-one city employees (52 male and 39 female) of a medium-sized Midwestern city in the United States participated in the study. Participants were divided into four groups according to desire to receive wellness email messages and amount of information provided in the message. These groups were motivated-detailed (n=25), motivated-basic (n=23), unmotivated-detailed (n=20), and unmotivated-basic (n=23). A total of 38 weekly messages focused on one of seven dimensions of wellness: physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, social, environmental, or occupational wellness. The basic e-health message consisted of an e-mail with health tips for the specific topic; whereas the detailed message included the basic message plus links to games, surveys, and websites to supplement the basic message. A total of five to six e-health messages for each wellness dimension were sent by a scheduled rotation. Day of the week showed no differences in frequency of opening messages Employees who wanted to receive the messages were more likely to participate. Basic messages were more likely to be opened. Overall, there was a steady decline in the number of messages opened. It was concluded that sending basic e-health messages any day of the week to employees who desire such information might be the most effective.

Purpose: The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to determine the effectiveness of one weekly e-mail health (e-health) message in assisting individuals meet their self-identified health goals. Methods: Employees (N=31) from a midwestern city were recruited at a Benefits Fair health booth and divided into two groups based on their desire to receive additional health information. The participants in each group were then randomly assigned to receive basic or detailed e-health messages that were developed using the constructs of the Transtheoretical Model. Participants self-identified a personal wellness goal and how soon they planned to start working toward accomplishing this goal. For 38 weeks, the basic group received weekly e-health messages that contained basic information related to one of the World Health Organization’s seven dimensions of wellness while the detailed group received the basic message plus additional games, webpage links and more extensive information. Participant’s progress along the change continuum and goal completion was assessed 38 weeks later with a Post-Wellness Survey. Results: Participants exhibited positive movement on the behavior change continuum with many reaching their goals, regardless of the type of e-health message received. Conclusion: E-health messages can be a practical, cost-effective way to assist employees in making healthy behavioral changes and meeting their personal health goals.

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The purpose of this 38-week, quasi-experimental study was to determine the effectiveness of one weekly e-mail health (e-health) message that utilized the World Health Organization’s seven dimensions of wellness. Employees from a large Midwestern city were recruited and divided into two groups based on their desire to receive additional health information. The participants in each group were then randomly assigned to receive basic or detailed e-health messages. The basic e-health message consisted of an e-mail with health tips for the specific topic; whereas the detailed message included the basic message plus links to games, surveys, and websites to supplement the basic message. Those lacking an e-mail address comprised the control group, and did not receive any e-health messages. A total of 46 employees completed both assessments and comprised the analytic sample. Systolic blood pressure significantly decreased in unmotivated participants receiving the detailed messages (-2.1 mmHg, p=0.04). Across all groups, at-risk participants (blood pressure ? 140/90 mm/Hg or body mass index ? 25 kg/m2) showed greatest improvement with significant drops in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Detailed ehealth messages may be an effective approach to assist employees who are at-risk for chronic disease.