Bridden, Carly Lynn. 2003. Assessing the Needs of Hispanic Female VA Employees for a Workplace Wellness Program. Abstract: Using the anthropological perspective can help researchers understand health beliefs in order to develop meaningful and effective health interventions. Combining anthropology and public health enables an increased awareness of health beliefs and practices in order to effectively develop programs to benefit the public’s health. This thesis details the combination of anthropology and public health to improve an employee wellness program. The study focuses on the needs of Hispanic female employees in order to ensure that their values and ideas are incorporated into the program designed for all employees. This study took place at the James A Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Florida from September 2002 through January 2003. As an intern in the Employee Education Office I served on the Employee Wellness Committee and conducted this research in conjunction with the development of the hospital’s Employee Wellness Program. Four focus groups were conducted with Hispanic female employees to assess their needs, practices, and beliefs concerning health and wellness. Focus group participants were divided into two groups based on age (18-39 and 40-65). Twenty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with Hispanic female employees after the focus groups (10 women aged 18-39 and 17 women aged 40-65). This data was combined with data collected through participant-observation and archival research. Focus group and interview results showed that participants in both age groups were concerned about their own and their families’ health. Family responsibilities and Hispanic values were often named as barriers to exercising. Women aged 40-65 were primarily concerned with their health as it related to their ability to take care of their families. Many women aged 18-39 were concerned with maintaining balance between work and personal lives. Women of all ages desired to learn more about nutrition and to participate in more physical activity. At the conclusion of the study I made recommendations to the Employee Wellness Committee on activities to develop to make the Employee Wellness Program more appealing and relevant to the Hispanic female employees. These recommendations focused on integrating Hispanic cultural practices into activities open to all employees and collaborating with other groups in the hospital.