AHA Presidential Advisory 1 T here are an estimated 155 million working-age, largely employed, adults in the United States, 1,2 which cre- ates a large captive population that can potentially benefit from ongoing engagement with respect to health and well- ness. Therefore, the workplace is an important setting for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke risk assessment and prevention. 3–5 Despite the potential for implementing broad primary and secondary prevention interventions, a 2004 sur- vey estimated that only 6.9% of US employers offered compre- hensive workplace wellness programs (CWWPs). 6 Although a © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc. Circulation is available at http://circ.ahajournals.org DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000206 The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the editors. The American Heart Association makes every effort to avoid any actual or potential conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of an outside relationship or a personal, professional, or business interest of a member of the writing panel. Specifically, all members of the writing group are required to complete and submit a Disclosure Questionnaire showing all such relationships that might be perceived as real or potential conflicts of interest. This advisory was approved by the American Heart Association Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee on February 27, 2015, and the American Heart Association Executive Committee on March 9, 2015. A copy of the document is available at http://my.americanheart.org/statements by selecting either the “By Topic” link or the “By Publication Date” link. To purchase additional reprints, call 843-216-2533 or e-mail kelle.ramsay@wolterskluwer.com. The American Heart Association requests that this document be cited as follows: Fonarow GC, Calitz C, Arena R, Baase C, Isaac FW, Lloyd-Jones D, Peterson ED, Pronk N, Sanchez E, Terry PE, Volpp KG, Antman EM; on behalf of the American Heart Association. Workplace wellness recognition for optimizing workplace health: a presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2015;131:XXX–XXX. Expert peer review of AHA Scientific Statements is conducted by the AHA Office of Science Operations. For more on AHA statements and guidelines development, visit http://my.americanheart.org/statements and select the “Policies and Development” link. Permissions: Multiple copies, modification, alteration, enhancement, and/or distribution of this document are not permitted without the express permission of the American Heart Association. Instructions for obtaining permission are located at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/General/Copyright- Permission-Guidelines_UCM_300404_Article.jsp. A link to the “Copyright Permissions Request Form” appears on the right side of the page. Abstract—The workplace is an important setting for promoting cardiovascular health and cardiovascular disease and stroke prevention in the United States. Well-designed, comprehensive workplace wellness programs have the potential to improve cardiovascular health and to reduce mortality, morbidity, and disability resulting from cardiovascular disease and stroke. Nevertheless, widespread implementation of comprehensive workplace wellness programs is lacking, and program composition and quality vary. Several organizations provide worksite wellness recognition programs; however, there is variation in recognition criteria, and they do not specifically focus on cardiovascular disease and stroke prevention. Although there is limited evidence to suggest that company performance on employer health management scorecards is associated with favorable healthcare cost trends, these data are not currently robust, and further evaluation is needed. As a recognized national leader in evidence-based guidelines, care systems, and quality programs, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association is uniquely positioned and committed to promoting the adoption of comprehensive workplace wellness programs, as well as improving program quality and workforce health outcomes. As part of its commitment to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association will promote science-based best practices for comprehensive workplace wellness programs and establish benchmarks for a national workplace wellness recognition program to assist employers in applying the best systems and strategies for optimal programming. The recognition program will integrate identification of a workplace culture of health and achievement of rigorous standards for cardiovascular health based on Life’s Simple 7 metrics. In addition, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association will develop resources that assist employers in meeting these rigorous standards, facilitating access to high-quality comprehensive workplace wellness programs for both employees and dependents, and fostering innovation and additional research. (Circulation. 2015;131:XXX-XXX. DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000206.) Key Words: AHA Scientific Statements ◼ cardiovascular system ◼ exercise ◼ health ◼ nutritional status ◼ prevention and control ◼ quality assurance, health care ◼ smoking cessation ◼ weight loss Workplace Wellness Recognition for Optimizing Workplace Health A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, FAHA, Chair; Chris Calitz, MPP; Ross Arena, PhD, PT, FAHA; Catherine Baase, MD; Fikry W. Isaac, MD, MPH, FAHA; Donald Lloyd-Jones, MD, ScM, FAHA; Eric D. Peterson, MD, MPH, FAHA; Nico Pronk, PhD; Eduardo Sanchez, MD, MPH; Paul E. Terry, PhD; Kevin G. Volpp, MD, PhD; Elliott M. Antman, MD, FAHA; on behalf of the American Heart Association