Want to be more involved in managing your own health? You’re not alone, according to the results of a recent survey of participants in the Fresno Unified School District’s health plan.
Conducted earlier this year, the survey revealed that a majority of plan participants surveyed maintain at least some level of physical activity, but are ready for the plan to help them help themselves.
Distributed in April, the survey asked roughly 11,000 FUSD plan participants about several factors, including:
- Their current levels of physical activity;
- Their readiness for change;
- Their interest level in health or wellness programs; and
- Their interest in health-related events hosted at worksites.
“When it comes to health plans, a growing body of research is indicating that health-plan participants have better overall wellness and achieve better results when they have more control over the elements in their lives that lead to better health,” said Devon Devine, Practice Leader with Claremont Partners, an organization that collects data to track the performance of the FUSD’s healthcare benefits for plan participants. “We conducted a survey of our own because we wanted to find out what tools plan participants would find most beneficial on the path to better health.”
Among the survey’s results:
- A majority of survey respondents stated that enhanced primary care would interest them, with 67 percent of respondents stating they were either “very interested” or “somewhat interested” in enhanced primary care.
- 58 percent of respondents expressed interest in having specific “health coaching” programs available through the benefits plan, with 32 percent “very interested” and another 26 percent “somewhat interested” in having such coaching programs available.
- Another majority – 57 percent – expressed interest in having a “health activity website” available to them through the FUSD healthcare-benefits plan.
- Only a minority of survey respondents expressed interest in having dedicated pharmacist consultations available through the FUSD plan. Also, only a small group (15 percent) expressed interest in having Kaiser Permanente available as an option within the plan.
When it came to the possibility of having health screenings and wellness events available right at FUSD worksites, 53 percent of respondents said they were interested in having such screenings available right at work. Respondents were split down the middle on the idea of having health-and-wellness events right at worksites, however; 50 percent expressed interest, and 50 percent did not. Only a minority expressed interest in hosting health challenge events at FUSD worksites.
So what does all of this mean? “The survey results will help us to target those activities and resources from which FUSD plan participants will get the most benefit,” Devon said.
Miss the survey? Or want to register an opinion? Contact HealthConnect via e-mail at jhmbhealthconnect@yahoo.com.