Productivity and Health An Application of Three Perspectives to Measuring Productivity

Objective: The objective of the study was to illustrate the meaningful relationship between self-reported measures of productivity and health status from three different perspectives. Methods: Health risk data was drawn from 577,186 individuals who completed the HealthMedia Succeed Health Risk Assessment and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire over a span of nearly four years. Analyses were conducted for 10 modifiable health risks and five chronic conditions. Results: Productivity impairment was greater for high-risk participants for the modifiable health risks and those who had been diagnosed with a chronic condition. Improvements in health status led to significant gains in productivity. Modifiable health risks are nearly five times more costly than chronic conditions. Conclusions: The value in a self-report measurement approach to productivity was demonstrated by illustrating the meaningful relationships between health status and productivity as measured by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment.