The Disconnected Values Model Improves Mental Well-Being and Fitness in an Employee Wellness Program

Abstract This study examined the effect of a 10-week wellness program on changes in physical fitness and mental well-being. The conceptual framework for this study was the Disconnected Values Model (DVM). According to the DVM, detecting the inconsistencies between negative habits and values (e.g., health, family, faith, character) and concluding that these "disconnects" are unacceptable promotes the need for health behavior change. Participants were 164 full-time employees at a university in the southeastern U.S. The program included fitness coaching and a 90-minute orientation based on the DVM. Multivariate Mixed Model analyses indicated significantly improved scores from pre- to post-intervention on selected measures of physical fitness and mental well-being. The results suggest that the Disconnected Values Model provides an effective cognitive-behavioral approach to generating health behavior change in a 10-week workplace wellness program. Keywords: Disconnected Values Modelmental healthexercisewellnessdietary habitsemployee fitness ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors would like to extend their appreciation to Dr. Brynda Quinn, licensed psychologist in the State of Tennessee, for her involvement in this wellness program and her help with obtaining the mental well-being data. We also thank Mr. Chris Dickson, doctoral candidate, who served as the fitness coordinator and supervised the fitness coaching in this program.