The Productivity Dilemma in Workplace Health Promotion.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Cherniack M
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4562175 | biostudies-other | 2015
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
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Project description:This study aimed to investigate the association between mental health and comprehensive workplace health promotion (WHP) delivered to an entire state public service workforce (~28,000 employees) over a three-year period. Government departments in a state public service were supported to design and deliver a comprehensive, multi-component health promotion program, Healthy@Work, which targeted modifiable health risks including unhealthy lifestyles and stress. Repeated cross-sectional surveys compared self-reported psychological distress (Kessler-10; K10) at commencement (N = 3406) and after 3 years (N = 3228). WHP availability and participation over time was assessed, and associations between the K10 and exposure to programs estimated. Analyses were repeated for a cohort subgroup (N = 580). Data were weighted for non-response. Participation in any mental health and lifestyle programs approximately doubled after 3 years. Both male and female employees with poorer mental health participated more often over time. Women's psychological distress decreased over time but this change was only partially attributable to participation in WHP, and only to lifestyle interventions. Average psychological distress did not change over time for men. Unexpectedly, program components directly targeting mental health were not associated with distress for either men or women. Cohort results corroborated findings. Healthy@Work was successful in increasing participation across a range of program types, including for men and women with poorer mental health. A small positive association of participation in lifestyle programs with mental health was observed for women but not men. The lack of association of mental health programs may have reflected program quality, its universality of application or other contextual factors.
| S-EPMC4981343 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Research has shown that workplace health promotion (WHP) efforts can positively affect employees' health risk accumulation. However, earlier literature has provided insights of health risk changes in the short-term. This prospective longitudinal quasi-experimental study investigated trends in health risks of a comprehensive, eight-year WHP program (n = 523-651). Health risk data were collected from health risk assessments in 2010-2011, 2013-2014, and 2016-2017, applying both a questionnaire and biometric screenings. Health risk changes were investigated for three different time-periods, 2010-2013, 2014-2017, and 2010-2017, using descriptive analyses, t-tests, and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank and McNemar's test, where appropriate. Overall health risk transitions were assessed according to low-, moderate-, and high-risk categories. Trend analyses observed 50-60% prevalence for low-, 30-35% for moderate-, and 9-11% high-risk levels across the eight years. In the overall health risk transitions of the three time-periods, 66-73% of participants stayed at the same risk level, 13-15% of participants improved, and 12-21% had deteriorated risk level across the three intervention periods. Our findings appear to indicate that the multiyear WHP program was effective in maintaining low and moderate risk levels, but fell short of reducing the total number of health risks at the population level.
| S-EPMC7765570 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveEvaluation of the effectiveness of a workplace health promotion program on employees' vitality, health, and work-related outcomes, and exploring the influence of organizational support and the supervisors' role on these outcomes.MethodsThe 5-month intervention included activities at management, team, and individual level targeting self-management to perform healthy behaviors: a kick-off session, vitality training sessions, workshops, individual coaching, and intervision. Outcome measures were collected using questionnaires, health checks, and sickness absence data at baseline, after the intervention and at 10 months follow-up. For analysis linear and generalized mixed models were used.ResultsVitality, work performance, sickness absence, and self-management significantly improved. Good organizational support and involved supervisors were significantly associated with lower sickness absence.ConclusionsIncluding all organizational levels and focusing on increasing self-management provided promising results for improving vitality, health, and work-related outcomes.
| S-EPMC4883645 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Morbidity before retirement has a huge cost, burdening both public health and workplace finances. Multiple factors increase morbidity such as stress at work, sedentary behavior or low physical activity, and poor nutrition practices. Nowadays, the digital world offers infinite opportunities to interact with workers. The WittyFit software was designed to understand holistic issues of workers by promoting individualized behavior changes at the workplace. OBJECTIVE:The shorter term feasibility objective is to demonstrate that effective use of WittyFit will increase well-being and improve health-related behaviors. The mid-term objective is to demonstrate that WittyFit improves economic data of the companies such as productivity and benefits. The ultimate objective is to increase life expectancy of workers. METHODS:This is an exploratory interventional cohort study in an ecological situation. Three groups of participants will be purposefully sampled: employees, middle managers, and executive managers. Four levels of engagement are planned for employees: commencing with baseline health profiling from validated questionnaires; individualized feedback based on evidence-based medicine; support for behavioral change; and formal evaluation of changes in knowledge, practices, and health outcomes over time. Middle managers will also receive anonymous feedback on problems encountered by employees, and executive top managers will have indicators by division, location, department, age, seniority, gender and occupational position. Managers will be able to introduce specific initiatives in the workplace. WittyFit is based on two databases: behavioral data (WittyFit) and medical data (WittyFit Research). Statistical analyses will incorporate morbidity and well-being data. When a worker leaves a workplace, the company documents one of three major explanations: retirement, relocation to another company, or premature death. Therefore, WittyFit will have the ability to include mortality as an outcome. WittyFit will evolve with the waves of connected objects further increasing its data accuracy. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethics committee of the University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, France. RESULTS:WittyFit recruitment and enrollment started in January 2016. First publications are expected to be available at the beginning of 2017. CONCLUSIONS:The name WittyFit came from Witty and Fitness. The concept of WittyFit reflects the concept of health from the World Health Organization: being spiritually and physically healthy. WittyFit is a health-monitoring, health-promoting tool that may improve the health of workers and health of companies. WittyFit will evolve with the waves of connected objects further increasing its data accuracy with objective measures. WittyFit may constitute a powerful epidemiological database. Finally, the WittyFit concept may extend healthy living into the general population. TRIAL REGISTRATION:Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02596737; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02596737 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6pM5toQ7Y).
| S-EPMC5408138 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:This study uses the RE-AIM framework to provide a process evaluation of a workplace-based cluster randomised trial comparing an ergonomic plus exercise intervention to an ergonomic plus health promotion intervention; and to highlight variations across organisations; and consider the implications of the findings for intervention translation. METHOD:This study applied the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, maintenance) methodology to examine the interventions' implementation and to explore the extent to which differences between participating organisations contributed to the variations in findings. Qualitative and quantitative data collected from individual participants, research team observations and organisations were interrogated to report on the five RE-AIM domains. RESULTS:Overall reach was 22.7% but varied across organisations (range 9 to 83%). Participants were generally representative of the recruitment pool though more females (n?=?452 or 59%) were recruited than were in the pool (49%). Effectiveness measures (health-related productivity loss and neck pain) varied across all organisations, with no clear pattern emerging to indicate the source of the variation. Organisation-level adoption (66%) and staffing level adoption (91%) were high. The interventions were implemented with minimal protocol variations and high staffing consistency, but organisations varied in their provision of resources (e.g. training space, seniority of liaisons). Mean adherence of participants to the EET intervention was 56% during the intervention period, but varied from 41 to 71% across organisations. At 12?months, 15% of participants reported regular EET adherence. Overall mean (SD) adherence to EHP was 56% (29%) across organisations during the intervention period (range 28 to 77%), with 62% of participants reporting regular adherence at 12?months. No organisations continued the interventions after the follow-up period. CONCLUSION:Although the study protocol was implemented with high consistency and fidelity, variations in four domains (reach, effectiveness, adoption and implementation) arose between the 14 participating organisations. These variations may be the source of mixed effectiveness across organisations. Factors known to increase the success of workplace interventions, such as strong management support, a visible commitment to employee wellbeing and participant engagement in intervention design should be considered and adequately measured for future interventions. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ACTRN12612001154897; 29 October 2012.
| S-EPMC7001341 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundHealth care technologies can help improve workers' health and productivity by supporting workplace health promotion. A personal health record app is used to manage medical data such as results from medical checkups, which facilitates decision making for medical personnel. However, an analysis of users' technology acceptance is required to provide appropriate services based on personal health record apps.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to analyze the factors influencing the behavioral intention of health experts and workers to use an app in workers' health centers and to examine differences in their perception of the main variables.MethodsThe study involved health experts and workers who visited 21 workers' health centers in Korea to verify a research model in which perceived risk was added to the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, a representative theory of information technology acceptance. After receiving ethical approval from the Korea National Institute for Bioethics Policy, 1050 questionnaires were distributed over 7 weeks with cooperation of the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency. A multiple linear regression analysis and multigroup path analysis were performed to verify the hypotheses, and independent samples t tests were performed to analyze differences between workers' and health experts' perception of the main variables.ResultsThe analysis included data from 866 respondents (687 workers and 179 health experts). Effort expectancy (beta=.08, P=.03), social influence (beta=.43, P<.001), performance expectancy (beta=.07, P=.008), and facilitating conditions (beta=.13, P<.001) exerted significant positive effects on behavioral intention, whereas perceived risk (beta=-.29, P<.001) exerted a significant negative effect on behavioral intention. Performance expectancy had a significant effect on path differences depending on gender (critical ratio=-3.38) and age (critical ratio=1.97). Workers' mean scores for the main variables were higher relative to those of health experts for all remaining variables except perceived risk, and significant differences were observed for all remaining variables except facilitating condition.ConclusionsSocial influence exerted the strongest effect on behavioral intention to use the personal health record app. Consequently, it is necessary to coordinate health promotion activities in the workplace as well as the operational direction of community institutions such as in workers' health centers to allow workers to manage their own health via continuous use of the app. In addition, the app should be developed based on a requirement analysis of the balance between both interest groups in consideration of differences in perspective between consumers and service providers.
| S-EPMC7303838 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Health needs of different employee subgroups within an industry can differ. We report the results of a workplace cardiopulmonary risk assessment targeting workers and support staff in the construction industry. METHODS:A free worksite-based cardiopulmonary risk assessment for 1,903 workers on infrastructural contracts across Hong Kong was initiated in May 2014. Cardiopulmonary risk screening was performed in 60-minute blocks for approximately 30 workers/block with individualized feedback and lifestyle counseling. Risk profiles stratified by occupational roles are differentiated using the ?2-test for categorical and Student's t-test for continuous variables. RESULTS:Most construction workers and clerks/professionals were male (83.2% and 71.2%, respectively) and Chinese (78.7% and 90.9%, respectively). Construction workers were older (mean: 44.9 years, SD 11.5) and less well-educated (6.1% received tertiary education) than clerks/professionals (35.0 years, 10.7; 72.6% received tertiary education), but more likely to be hypertensive (22.6% vs. 15.4%, p<0.001), overweight/obese (71.7% vs. 56.6%, p<0.001), centrally obese (53.1% vs. 35.5%, p<0.001), and have undesirable levels of high-density lipoprotein (41.6% vs. 35.8%, p<0.05) and diabetic levels of non-fasting blood glucose (4.3% vs. 1.6%, p<0.05). Up to 12.6% of construction workers and 9.7% of office clerks/professions had three or more metabolic syndrome risk factors. While construction workers were more likely than clerks/professionals to be daily smokers, they reported better work-related physical activity and diet. CONCLUSIONS:Simple worksite health risk screening can identify potentially high-cardiopulmonary-risk construction industry employee subgroups for onward confirmatory referral. Separate cardiopulmonary health promotion strategies that account for the varying lifestyle profiles of the two employee subgroups in the industry appear justified.
| S-EPMC4723250 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Many worksite health promotion programs ignore the potential influence of working conditions on unhealthy behaviors.A study of nursing home employees (56% nursing aides) utilized a standardized questionnaire. We analyzed the cross-sectional associations between workplace stressors and obesity, cigarette smoking, and physical inactivity.Of 1506 respondents, 20% reported exposure to three or more workplace stressors (physical or organizational), such as lifting heavy loads, low decision latitude, low coworker support, regular night work, and physical assault. For each outcome, the prevalence ratio was between 1.5 and 2 for respondents with four or five job stressors. Individuals under age 40 had stronger associations between workplace stressors and smoking and obesity.Workplace stressors were strongly associated with smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity, even among the lowest-status workers. Current working conditions affected younger workers more than older workers. Although this study is cross-sectional, it has other strengths, including the broad range of work stressors studied. Strenuous physical work and psychosocial strain are common among low-wage workers such as nursing home aides. Workplace health promotion programs may be more effective if they include measures to reduce stressful work environment features, so that working conditions support rather than interfere with employee health.
| S-EPMC4561990 | biostudies-other
Project description:PurposeSleep is critical for employee health, well-being, and productivity. Our purpose is to evaluate a sleep-focused interactive workplace health promotion program.DesignWe evaluate sleep and mental health before and after exposure to the program using a pre/post quasi-experimental pilot study design with surveys administered at baseline and 1-, 6-, and 12 months post-exposure (Phase 1). We design program evaluation surveys for dissemination when the program is offered broadly to hospital employees (Phase 2).SettingThe study was conducted at a large teaching hospital in the Southeast U.S. in 2016.SubjectsSubjects were full-time hospital employees.InterventionThe program was presented to subjects in one four-hour interactive session.MeasuresIn Phase 1 (n = 55), surveys included the validated Apnea Risk Evaluation System, Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Patient Health Questionnaire. Phase 2 (n = 3935) utilized program evaluation surveys.AnalysisWe compare survey responses between pre- and post-program using a repeated measures analysis of variance with post-hoc tests.ResultsStatistically significant improvement in all sleep and mental health domains was demonstrated. In Phase 2, 81.9% reported "strongly agree" to willingness to recommend the program to co-workers.ConclusionWe demonstrate improvement in employee sleep and mental health after exposure to a novel workplace health promotion program to improve sleep.
| S-EPMC9277624 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To explore the employers' and promoters' perspective of health promotion quality according to the healthy workplace accreditation.We assessed the perspectives of 85 employers and 81 health promoters regarding the quality of health promotion at their workplaces. The method of measurement referenced the European Network for Workplace Health Promotion (ENWHP) quality criteria.In the large workplaces, the accredited corporation employers had a higher impression (P < 0.001) of all criteria. The small-medium accredited workplace employers had a slightly higher perspective than non-accredited ones. Nevertheless, there were no differences between the perspectives of health promoters from different sized workplaces with or without accreditation (P > 0.05).It seems that employers' perspectives of healthy workplace accreditation surpassed employers from non-accredited workplaces. Specifically, large accredited corporations could share their successful experiences to encourage a more involved workplace in small-medium workplaces.
| S-EPMC5491228 | biostudies-other