Effectiveness Of Workplace Health Promotion Research Articles

Organizational facilitators and barriers for participation in workplace health promotion in healthcare: A qualitative interview study among nurses.

There is evidence for the positive effects of workplace health promotion (WHP) for nurses. Although this highly stressed target group also actively desires WHP, the number of participants is low. Individual reasons play a role in the decision to engage in WHP activities, yet it is interesting to consider which organizational factors a company could address to improve participation. In this regard, the question arises of what organizational factors facilitate participation in WHP activities from the perspective of nurses in inpatient care facility (ICF), outpatient care service (OCS), and acute care hospitals (ACH). Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted in different care settings between May and September 2021. Questions about everyday working life, WHP activities, and organizational framework conditions were asked. The results show that there is a wide range of influencing factors at the organizational level, some overall settings, and others setting-specific. High workload and the fit of WHP activities with shift times were particularly inhibiting overall settings. A negative association with the employer worked as a barrier in ICF and ACH. When implementing WHP activities, it can be useful to consider organizational facilitators and barriers to promote sustainable and attractive WHP activities and higher participation rates in the different settings of nursing.

Development of occupational health culture scale: A study based on miners and construction workers.

Culture is an essential influence on effectiveness of workplace health promotion, which can promote occupational health protection behavior. The aim of this research was to develop and validate an occupational health culture scale available to Chinese workers. Occupational health culture scale (OHCS) was developed based on elements of health culture and safety culture in workplace. Nine techniques steps of scale development were used, including a 15-member expert group, 10 workers for cognitive interview, and 1,119 questionnaires (from 710 miners and 409 construction workers) for formal investigation. Welch's variance analysis, independent samples t-test, Kruskal–Wallis test, Spearman correlation analysis was employed, respectively, to verified nine hypotheses about impact relationship on OHCS score. After the analysis reliability and validity, the final scale consisted of 21 items in five domains: leadership support, co-workers support, values, policy and norms, employee involvement, physical environment. Moreover, respirable dust concentration from individual sampler had the largest negative correlation coefficient on OHCS score, −0.469 (p < 0.01). The development of an occupational health culture among Chinese workers is necessary for the sustainability of human resources and the implementation of corporate responsibility.

Examining the Theme: A Healthy Work Place and its Role in Promoting Work Place Health

Workplace health promotion initiatives that aim to improve employees' health and fitness have steadily increased throughout time. Previous studies have looked at the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and barriers to participating in workplace health promotion. The number of studies supporting the effectiveness of workplace health promotion in improving employees' health and well-being through changing their health behaviors is rising. This paper focuses on the importance of workplace health promotion in assuring employees' general well-being and the relevance of these perspectives in dealing with workplace illness prevention.

A Corporate Wellness Program and Nursing Home Employees' Health.

Background: Many employed Americans suffer from chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Worksite wellness programs provide opportunities to introduce health promotion strategies. While there is evidence of the effectiveness of workplace health promotion, this is tempered by concern that benefits may be less available to low-wage workers with inflexible working conditions.Objective: The aim was to evaluate a workplace health promotion (WHP) in the long-term care sector (skilled nursing facilities).Methods: Nursing home employees from 18 facilities within a single company were surveyed by a standardized, self-administered questionnaire. A company-sponsored WHP program was offered to the facilities, which were free to take it up or not. We categorized the facilities by level of program adoption. Cross-sectional associations were estimated between program category and prevalence of individual-level worker health indicators, adjusting for center-level working conditions.Results: A total of 1,589 workers in 5 job categories completed the survey. Average levels of psychological demands and social support at work were relatively high. Supervisor support stood out as higher in centers with well-developed WHP programs, compared to centers with no programs. There were no differences among program levels for most health outcomes. Workers in centers with well-developed programs had slightly lower average body mass index and (unexpectedly) slightly lower prevalence of non-smoking and regular aerobic exercise.Conclusions: Only small health benefits were observed from well-developed programs and working conditions did not appear to confound the negative results. This low-intensity, low-resourced workplace health promotion program may have benefited a few individuals but seems to have had only modest influence on average levels of the measured health indicators. Many nursing home employees experience obstacles to health behaviors; approaches that provide more environmental and economic supports for healthy behaviors, such as Total Worker Health®, may yield larger health benefits.

Do working characteristics influence the participation at health measures? Findings from a trial phase of workplace health promotion

BackgroundHealth behavior is presumed to be influenced by organizational factors. This study analyzes how workplace characteristics influence health behavior in terms of participation at health measures.MethodsEmployees of the German Federal Ministry of Defense were surveyed at the beginning (January / February 2015) and at the end (June 2015) of the trial phase of workplace health promotion (WHP). Differences in participation of characteristic groups were calculated using Pearson’s Chi2-Test and T-Test, chances of participation were estimated using multilevel logistic regression.ResultsEmployees who reported higher satisfaction with work demand participated more often in health measures (aOR: 1.02, 95%-CI = 1.01, 1.04, p < 0.001). Large amount of variance in participation can be attributed to department level.ConclusionParticipation at WHP varies significantly between settings after controlling for individuals’ characteristics. Thus, working characteristics should be considered as a decisive factor for WHP effectiveness. There is consensus that behavioral prevention is most effective when conditional prevention is granted as behavior is presumed to be influenced by individuals´ environmental conditions. Though objective working conditions may seem similar further context characteristics which remain unconsidered may lead to different behavior patterns. This article shows that more attention must be payed to setting specific characteristics with regard to effective Occupational Health Promotion.This project is registered by the Federal Ministry of Defense (research number: E/U2AD/ED003/EF555).

Anatomy of an effective workplace health intervention: a comprehensive new model

PurposeThis study proposes a new model, called the Integrated Human Health Model (IHHM), to improve the design and effectiveness of Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) interventions.Design/methodology/approachEighteen participants were purposefully selected from 44 participants in a 2.5-day WHP intervention targeting multiple health behaviours (MHB). The intervention has shown to improve quality of life and health-related behaviours in rigorous studies. Qualitative data collection methods were observations, repeat semi-structured interviews and weekly e-journals collected over three months. Template analysis was used to develop the IHHM describing participants' experiences.FindingsThe IHHM describes the health behaviour change process using eight themes: facilitation, assessment, desired life, barriers, knowledge and skills, insights, action planning, and monitor and support.Practical implicationsWith the paucity of evidence informing WHP intervention effectiveness, this study provides a preliminary model serving practitioners to design more effective interventions and scholars to improve evidence.Originality/valueThis study proposes a practical comprehensive model for practitioners and leaders to more effectively design and evaluate successful MHB WHP interventions compared to existing models.

The effectiveness of workplace health promotion in low- and middle-income countries.

Although many literature reviews synthesize literature regarding workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions, systematic reviews on the effectiveness of and factors influencing the operation of WHP activities in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are scarce. Therefore, we systematically reviewed evaluation studies to examine the effectiveness and factors related to the implementation of WHP programmes in LMIC. Twenty-six peer-reviewed and grey evaluation studies, published before November 2017, were included from electronic databases (PubMed, The Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, EMBASE and Web of Science) and manual searching. The results revealed that WHP intervention in LMIC was effective in reducing health risks in a wide range of industries and settings, including in resource-poor contexts such as small enterprises and the manufacturing industry. The main factors positively influencing the effectiveness of the intervention are long intervention time period, and needs-based and active intervention strategies. In addition, commitment from workplace leaders, the involvement of workers and support from authorities and professionals are factors contributing to a successful WHP programme. However, the evidence regarding the effectiveness of WHP in LMIC regarding the health outcomes and business productivity is inconclusive due to the several remaining methodological limitations. Future developments of more rigorous methods of evaluating the effectiveness of WHP activities should be addressed to produce higher-quality evidence that would inform future practice.

Workplace health promotion as a tool for reducing the consequences of ageing of the working population

A significant intensification of the ageing process in Poland, projected for the upcoming years, will have serious socioeconomic consequences. This demographic process at the macro level will result in lower contributions to the state budget (due to decreased workforce) and higher public expenses (on pensions, healthcare and long-term care). Implications at the meso (workplace) level will include the diminishing and ageing of workforce, which will then cause troubles in recruitment. Decreased ageing personnel's productivity due to absence and presenteeism is also probable. One way of coping with such challenges by the state is to support social and occupational activity of the society. One of the tools to be employed within such a policy is workplace health promotion (WHP). In literature there are no thorough elaborations summarizing WHP advantages in this field. The aim of this paper is to outline the scientific evidence of WHP effectiveness in counteracting/reducing the consequences of the ageing process (the shrinking workforce and the declining productivity of the ageing personnel, associated with absence/presenteeism). A narrative literature review was conducted (Polish and English publications identified in the EBSCO/PubMed databases, using the Google engine and a snowball method). The potential of WHP stems from its effectiveness in enhancing employees' health/preventing health problems. A good health condition reduces the shrinking of workforce via sustaining workability/occupational activity. It also mitigates the impact of absence and/or presenteeism. Health problems have the opposite effect. Although the analysis of the WHP effectiveness in strengthening workability, extending occupational activity, reducing absence/presenteeism/related loss of productivity belongs to poorly developed scientific areas, the systematic literature reviews that have been gathered reflect the WHP potential in these fields. Med Pr. 2019;70(5):617-31.

Effects of workplace health promotion in a wind power equipment manufacturing factory

Objective: To explore the effects of workplace health promotion in a wind power equipment manufacturing factory. Methods: Based on investigation of occupational hazard factors, personal protective equipment (PPE) application, occupational health management and healthy life style, health promotion strategy and intervention were implemented in this factory. The sample size was 56 for monitoring of occupational hazard factors before and after intervention, 283 and 259 for questionnaire before and after intervention. Results: After intervention, the qualified rate of workplace occupational hazard factors increased from 67.9% to 82.1%. The abnormal rate of occupational health surveillance among workers decreased from 24.7% to 11.6%. The rates of correct use of PPE increased from 39.6% to 80.7%. The rates of awareness of occupational health increased from 10.2% to 71.8%. The rates of awareness of chronic disease increased from 10.2% to 77.2%. Two-week consultation rate decreased from 6.4% to 4.2%. Smoking rate decreased from 12.4% to 10.4%. Conclusion: Workplace health promotion is effective measures for reducing occupational hazard factors exposure and improving workers' health.

Workplace Health Promotion

An unhealthy lifestyle may contribute to ill health, absence due to sickness, productivity loss at work, and reduced ability to work. Workplace health promotion programs (WHPPs) aim to improve lifestyle and consequently improve health, work ability, and work productivity. However, systematic reviews on intervention studies have reported small effects, and the overall evaluation of effectiveness of WHPPs is hampered by a large heterogeneity in interventions and study populations. This systematic review aims to investigate the influence of population, study and intervention characteristics, and study quality on the effectiveness of workplace health promotion programs.A systematic literature search was conducted identifying RCTs, published before June 2012, evaluating the effect of a WHPP aimed at smoking cessation, physical activity, healthy nutrition, and/or obesity on self-perceived health, work absence due to sickness, work productivity, or work ability. Studies were included in the meta-analyses if quantitative information was present to calculate an effect size (ES). A meta-analysis, stratified meta-analyses, and meta-regression analyses were performed in Spring 2012 using Comprehensive Meta-analysis software 2.0 and PAWS 17.0.2.In 18 studies describing 21 interventions, the overall effect of a WHPP was small (ES=0.24, 95% CI=0.14, 0.34). The effectiveness of a WHPP was larger in younger populations, in interventions with weekly contacts, and in studies in which the control group received no health promotion. A 2.6-fold lower effectiveness was observed for studies performing an intention-to-treat analysis and a 1.7-fold lower effectiveness for studies controlling for confounders. Studies of poor methodologic quality reported a 2.9-fold higher effect size of the WHPP.The effectiveness of a WHPP is partly determined by intervention characteristics and statistical analysis. High-quality RCTs reported lower effect sizes. It is important to determine the effectiveness of WHPPs in RCTs of high quality.

Employee perceived effects of workplace health promotion

PurposeThe employees’ perspective is often disregarded in research regarding workplace health promotion (WHP). Experts’ opinions are prominent, stating employees’ benefits of WHP on the physical, mental, and social level. The purpose of this paper is to investigate which benefits and effects employees expect from WHP.Design/methodology/approachAs a current qualitative study indicates that employees also highlight cognitive aspects and prevention issues, a quantitative verification of this extended model was conducted. A questionnaire consisting of items derived from a qualitative study was developed and distributed in Austria in two government agencies, one bank, and one NGO. The sample consists of 237 employees rating the appreciability of potential WHP effects.FindingsBased on a principal component analysis, employee‐perceived effects of WHP were grouped into four components. Within the first, cognitive one, the most frequently perceived effect (40.1 per cent) was giving WHP a try. Regarding the second, emotional component, feeling appreciated (57.4 per cent) was emphasized. Improved affordability of prevention (57.0 per cent) belongs to the third, convenience/pleasure component. Effects in the fourth, social realm, such as better contact with colleagues, were perceived by only 17.4 per cent.Research limitations/implicationsThe results enlarge the theoretical grouping of WHP effects but require further testing regarding blue‐collar employees, and physical benefits.Practical implicationsStrengthening factors referring to perceived benefits in practical WHP design plus related communication seems advisable to increase participation rates and benefits derived.Originality/valueProviding an enlargement to current models of employee perceived benefits regarding WHP, this paper gives suggestions for a benefit oriented WHP program and communication design and opens up new paths for research.

Meta-Evaluation of Worksite Health Promotion Economic Return Studies: 2012 Update

Two earlier editions of The Art of Health Promotion reported formal meta-evaluations of economic return studies of worksite health promotion programs. These meta-evaluations were among the most popular articles in our publishing history because practitioners, scientists, and employers continue to seek evidence on the economic effectiveness of workplace health promotion. The 2003 report examined 42 peer-reviewed journal articles that met the inclusion criteria, and the 2005 report examined 56 peer-reviewed journal articles. This 2012 update examines 10 additional studies that met the same set of inclusion criteria; four of the weaker studies were dropped, resulting in a total of 62 studies in this report. The meta-evaluation method used here is the same as used in the earlier reports and has been adapted from use with other preventive health programs, providing an overall summary and individual look at the quality of the peer reviewed articles that comprise the current scientific evidence of economic return for worksite health promotion and wellness programs. The term ‘‘meta-evaluation’’ as used in this article is defined as the application of a systematic review process to a set of evaluation studies with a similar purpose in order to determine their respective quality and to summarize their primary findings. It applies the formal meta-evaluation review process and methodology developed and refined by Windsor and Orleans and further modified by Boyd and Windsor to studies of multi-component worksite health promotion programs as defined by Heaney. This report include excerpts from the book Proof Positive: An Analysis of the Cost-Effectiveness of Worksite Wellness, seventh edition, revised and expanded in December of 2011, which applies the same methodology. This edition of The Art of Health Promotion addresses the following topics:

Health promotion and work: prevention of shift work disorders in companies

Workplace health promotion is a strategy to improve the health and well-being of people at work. The measures aim at the personal, organisational and work environment. Shift work is one of many reasons provoking increased job stress. According to worldwide epidemiological data, up to 30% of the working population are employed in shifts. Taking into consideration that shift work causes a large number of somatic and psychiatric diseases which bear considerable negative consequences for the health status and the quality of life, it seems to be important to initiate health promotion strategies for shift workers in the companies. The results of recent studies indicate that well-scheduled und targeted health programmes can change the lifestyle of shift working employees and have an impact on the risk factors involved. One problem, though, is a considerable time lag till effects become apparent; therefore, the long-term economic effects of workplace health promotion have not been evaluated sufficiently to date. These definitely positive effects highlight the demand for trainings and workshops for people in shift work. We urgently suggest a speedy implementation of the recommended strategies by companies with shift work systems. In our view, this poses a challenge to the “infant” interdisciplinary field of sleep medicine that should be solved.

Healthy eating strategies in the workplace

There is a clear link between dietary behavior and a range of chronic diseases, and overweight and obesity constitute an indirect risk in relation to these diseases. The worksite is a central venue for influencing dietary behavior. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of workplace influences on worker dietary patterns. The paper reviews the evidence of the effectiveness of dietary health promotion, and provides a brief overview of appropriate theoretical frameworks to guide intervention design and evaluation. The findings are illustrated through research examples. Through case studies and published research, it is found that workplace dietary interventions are generally effective, especially fruit and vegetable interventions. There is less consistent evidence on the long term effectiveness of workplace weight management interventions, underscoring the need for further research in this area. This paper also reports evidence that changes in the work environment, including through health and safety programs, may contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of workplace health promotion, including dietary interventions. Organizational factors such as work schedule may also influence dietary patterns. The social ecological model, the social contextual model and political process approach are presented as exemplar conceptual models that may be useful when designing or assessing the effects of workplace health promotion. Using the worksite as setting for influencing health by influencing dietary patterns holds considerable promise and may be instrumental in reducing workers' risk of chronic diseases.

Effectiveness of workplace health promotion and primary prevention interventions: a review

Workplace health promotion and primary prevention interventions are highly prevalent. However, their effectiveness remains mostly unclear. This article compiles and summarizes the results of current reviews concerning the effectiveness of health promotion and primary prevention interventions in the workplace. Studies were selected from four electronic databases on the basis of the following criteria: (1) Meta-analysis or systematic reviews, (2) published in international peer-reviewed journals (3) between 1 January 2004 and 30 June 2008 (4) in English or German (5) that examined the effectiveness of workplace health promotion and primary prevention interventions. Seventeen reviews met the inclusion criteria and were subsequently categorized into the following areas of intervention: stress, physical activity and nutrition, organizational development, smoking, and ergonomics and back pain. Singular interventions showed limited effectiveness. Workplace interventions aimed at helping individuals reported substantially greater effects than workplace interventions aimed at the workforce as a whole; here, methodological influences play an important role. The greatest results are achievable through comprehensive multimodal (or systemic) programs including relational and behavioral elements. Future research is needed in the conception of methodologically sound and setting-appropriate study designs.

Employees' Perception of Workplace Health Promotion Initiatives in Taiwan: A Cross-sectional Survey of 30 Worksites

The present study was to describe the input/process and evaluate the effectiveness of Taiwanese Workplace Health Promotion Initiatives based on employees' perspectives. This study employed a cross-sectional design by a structured questionnaire that was completed by 842 employees in 30 workplaces that participated in the Taiwan Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) Initiatives which supported by Ministry of Health from 2004 to 2006. The results found that the employees generally agreed that WHP improved their personal health skills. There was a lower level of agreement with respect to other input/process domains such as workplace healthy policy, workplace supportive health environments and WHP activities and services and the WHP effectiveness. With regard to the prediction of WHP effectiveness, the domain of workplace health activities/services could only predict 50.5% of the variation of the effectiveness in a regression model. Three domains of workplace - health activities/services, personal health skills and supportive health environments - were significantly correlated to the agree level of health promotion effectiveness. The results suggest that companies that intend initiating health promotion programs need to conduct a detailed assessment of the nature of the workplace settings and the perceptions of employees.

Leadership in workplace health promotion projects: 1- and 2-year effects on long-term work attendance

Despite the acknowledged role of leadership in the psychosocial work environment, few studies focus on how leadership qualities and strategies may act as key processes of importance to positive effects of workplace health promotion (WHP). The aim of this study was to increase knowledge about how leadership qualities and strategies in WHP projects influence employees' long-term work attendance. The 1- and 2-year effect of leadership on the prevalence of long-term work attendance among municipal human service workers (n = 3 275) was analysed using 3-year register-based data on sick leave, questionnaires and a qualitative categorization of each unit. Increased leadership qualities, especially where leaders used rewards, recognition and respect, were associated with higher prevalence of work attendance at follow-up [PR 1.42 (1.20-1.69)]. Leaders' strategies and views on work-related health had a significant impact on increased work attendance in projects that had goals clearly focusing on changeable factors [1.36 (1.11-1.67)], in multi-focused projects [1.60 (1.24-2.04)] and in projects aimed to increase employees' awareness of their health. Workplace health promotion strategies with a single focus on strengthening individual, professional or organizational resources were negatively associated with work attendance. A higher proportion of employee work attendance was also seen in units whose leaders viewed the organization or the society (rather than individual workers) as responsible for the high rate of sick leave. Leadership, WHP strategies and leaders' attitudes towards employee work-related health have importance for implementation processes, as well as affecting employee work attendance. In this study, multi-focused WHP interventions had the largest effect on work attendance.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of health promotion interventions in the workplace.

The aim of this study was to identify and critically review evaluations of the effectiveness of health promotion programmes in the workplace. In line with guidelines for 'good practice' within the literature on workplace health promotion, this study aimed to assess the extent to which evaluated interventions considered employees' expressed needs or involved employee-employer partnerships. Overall, 110 outcome evaluations were located. Only a quarter of these reported that interventions were implemented in response to the explicit needs and/or views of the employees and very few involved partnerships. Most of the programmes targeted individual behaviour and supportive organizational change was limited. The majority of the outcome evaluations were not sufficiently rigorous to make a strong case for the effectiveness of workplace health promotion. However, some pointers to success were identified. It was concluded that there seems to be a wide disparity between what counts as 'good practice' within workplace health promotion and what is reported in the evaluation of effectiveness literature. This is not to say that 'good practice' does not exist, but that either such programmes are not rigorously evaluated for their effectiveness and/or that many of the evaluation findings remain outside the public domain.

The effects of workplace health promotion on absenteeism and employment costs in a large industrial population.

We evaluated the impact of a comprehensive workplace health promotion program on absences among full-time employees in a large, multi-location, diversified industrial company. A pretest-posttest control group design was used to study 41 intervention sites and 19 control sites with 29,315 and 14,573 hourly employees, respectively. Blue-collar employees at intervention sites experienced an 14.0 percent decline in disability days over two years versus a 5.8 percent decline at control sites. This resulted in a net difference of 11,726 fewer disability days over two years at program sites compared with non-program sites. Savings due to lower disability costs at intervention sites offset program costs in the first year, and provided a return of $2.05 for every dollar invested in the program by the end of the second year. These results suggest that comprehensive workplace health promotion programs can reduce disability days among blue collar employees and provide a good return on investment.