The impact of worksite-based health risk appraisal programs on observed safety belt use

Abstract

This study assessed the effectiveness of worksite-based health risk appraisal (HRA) programs, with and without supplemental educational materials on safety belt use, for increasing obvserved belt use of program participants. HRA programs were offered by county public health departments to employees of four manufacturing plants in two states, one with mandatory safety belt use laws, the other without such laws. Two additional worksites served as no-treatment controls. Treatment consisted of either HRA only, in which participants completed a questionnaire and later attended a group counseling session, or HRA + education, which included the same questionnaire and counseling components plus the presentation of educational materials on habit change, emphasizing safety belt use, designed specifically for this study. Direct observations of safety belt use were made by trained observers in the worksite parking lots at four times: baseline, post-HRA screening, post-counseling, and follow-up 2–3 months later. Analyses of changes in observed safety belt use showed that all HRA treatment groups significantly increased their rates of use, with improvements ranging from 48 to 124% over baseline. Use of the supplemental educational materials did not produce additional improvements. There was no significant difference between safety belt use increases in states with and without mandatory use laws. The observed rates