One of the nation's greatest public health policy successes of the past ten years may be the widespread implementation of corporate wellness policies.

In fact, a recent notice from the Federal government states, "The Departments believe that appropriately designed wellness programs have the potential to contribute importantly to promoting health and preventing disease." In this case, "the Departments" refer to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Department of Labor, and the US Department of the Treasury.

The same notice reports that "wellness programs have become common among employers in the United States...[and] overall, employers largely report that workplace wellness programs are delivering on their intended benefit of improving health and reducing costs."

So, how are corporate wellness programs promoting physical activity?

According to a recent survey by Kaiser/HRET, 30% of all firms surveyed offer gym memberships or provide an onsite fitness facility. This includes 64% of large employers.

The importance of promoting physical activity as a core component of a corporate wellness program was underscored recently by a study published in the November 2012 issue of Health Affairs, which found that employer health care costs are 15.3% higher for physically inactive employees than active employees.

But persuading employees to adopt healthier behaviors, such as regular physical activity, can be exceedinly challenging and simply offering gym memberships or building an onsite fitness center is not likely to convert many employees from inactive to active.

"The key to success," says Bryan O'Rourke, IHRSA member and CEO of Integerus, "is a combination of facility design, and more importantly, an organizational commitment to a comprehensive wellness program."

And that commitment, according to fitness industry experts, must significantly impact the corporate culture.

"The percentage of participation of the workforce that participates in a wellness program or company-built fitness facility is really dependent on the company culture," notes Vaughn Marxhausen, Area General Manager for Houstonian Lite. "This culture starts at the top and filters down. It is usually difficult to increase participation or grow a program, if the culture of wellness is not present." I highly recommend his "The 3 Ps of Participation" strategy.

In this excellent video, Christine Thalwitz, Director of Communications & Research at ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers, discusses specific strategies for creating a culture of wellness. The video is a must-see for any fitness company interested in corporate wellness.

From a corporate policy perspective, the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity's CEO Pledge, which not only confirms a CEO's commitment to providing a supportive environment for employee physical activity, but also asserts the CEO's own intent to be physically active, may also be one of the most meaningful and effective strategies for creating a corporate culture of wellness.

"With most working adults spending roughly half their waking hours on the job on the days that they work, it is incumbent upon business and industry leaders to become part of the solution," says IHRSA President/CEO and CEO Pledge signer, Joe Moore. "By promoting physical activity and healthy lifestyles within the workplace, CEOs help their company's bottom line, but they also help society."

A thrilling new initiative of the National Indian Health Board (NIHB), "GO the EXTRA MILE with NIHB" greatly expands the reach of the National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP).

NIHB Executive Director, Stacey Bohlen, described GO the EXTRA MILE in a recent letter to tribal representatives.

"The GO the EXTRA MILE initiative is a result of the NIHB signing the CEO pledge, which is part of a national campaign to encourage Executive Directors to commit to supporting and fostering a physically-active workplace. NIHB's GO the EXTRA MILE initiative achieves these goals by creating a workplace that supports physical activity for every member of its staff. Through the GO the EXTRA MILE with NIHB initiative, we will provide 30 staff minutes during the workday to walk one mile each day for a year. We will aggregate these miles and 'virtually' walk to each of the 12 Indian Health Service Areas, either to an Area Indian Health Board or to a Tribal Partner in Areas that do not have a Board."

The letter also invites the tribal representatives to sign the CEO Pledge - originally developed for the NPAP and now championed by the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA) - and take advantage of the GO the Extra Mile website, which will include a toolkit, electronic mapping, and access to information from the Association of American Indian Physicians.

The need for the initiative is urgent. According to NIHB, the age-adjusted incidence of Type 2 diabetes is higher among Amercian Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) than all other US racial and ethnic groups. Furthermore, the adult obesity rate among the AI/AN population is 39%, while the inactivity rate is over 50%.

IHRSA applauds NIHB for elevating the importance of physical activity and creating such an innovative initiative to dovetail with the CEO Pledge. We are hopeful that the leadership of NIHB and others will inspire novel outreach efforts across the country and deep into every segment of the population. Clearly, our national approach to addressing the sedentary criss must be judged, in great part, by its effectiveness in reaching the communities most impacted.

Above: NCPPA Executive Team takes CEO Pledge

About the CEO Pledge

The CEO Pledge is an evidence-based national campaign promoted by NCPPA to encourage every CEO in the United States to recognize physical activity as an important driver of employee health and business performance. Studies of employee wellness programs consistently find that executive leadership is critical to employee engagement. If employees believe that creating a culture of physical activity is an executive priority, employees are more likely to be physically active.

The National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) will have reached success when the vast majority of Americans regularly meet or surpass the Physical Activity Guidelines. The NPAP has over 250 evidence-based recommendations for changes in the policies and systems that guide the environments in which we live, work, learn, play, and commute. It's a roadmap that, if followed, will lead to a more physically active nation. It's the "if followed" part, however, that poses the greatest challenge. But fortunately, evidence is beginning to emerge that the NPAP is being followed.

There's no question that policy changes at the national/federal level (e.g. enacting the FIT Kids Act, requiring school accountability for the quality and quantity of physical education and physical activity programs) can impact policies and programs at the local level. Through its relationship with the National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA), the NPAP is working to create change at the national level. However, NPAP's success will also come as the result of state and local efforts, through which the NPAP is used as a roadmap for states and municipalities.

In the last year, two examples have emerged for how the NPAP has been used to develop state and local level physical activity plans.

Last year, the state of West Virginia and the city of San Antonio, Texas released their state and city physical activity plans, respectively. In both cases the NPAP's eight societal sectors provided the framework for each plan's content. The strategies and tactics from the NPAP's sectors were either copied directly, if applicable, or modified to meet the state and local needs. Or, in cases where the specific needs of the state or municipality were not directly addressed, new strategies or tactics were included. In addition, the process employed by the NPAP to develop and launch the national plan was adopted to develop the state and local plans.

It may be decades before the proverbial fruits of our labor are realized, where incidence and prevalence of non-communicable disease are substantially decreased because most Americans are sufficiently physically active. However, important progress is being made at the state and local level, and development of state and local physical activity plans is an example of that progress.

Do you have examples of progress being made in your town, city, or state?