Health Promotion In Organizations Research Articles

Approaches for the use of Artificial Intelligence in workplace health promotion and prevention: A systematic scoping review.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an umbrella term for various algorithms and rapidly emerging technologies with huge potential for workplace health promotion and prevention (WHPP). WHPP interventions aim to improve people's health and well-being through behavioral and organizational measures or by minimizing the burden of workplace-related diseases and associated risk factors. While AI has been the focus of research in other health-related fields, such as Public Health or biomedicine, the transition of AI into WHPP research has yet to be systematically investigated. The systematic scoping review aims to comprehensively assess an overview of the current use of AI in WHPP. The results will be then used to point to future research directions. The following research questions were derived: (1) what are the study characteristics of studies on AI algorithms and technologies in the context of WHPP, (2) what specific WHPP fields (prevention, behavioral, and organizational approaches) were addressed by the AI algorithms and technologies, and (3) what kind of interventions lead to which outcomes? A systematic scoping literature review (PRISMA-ScR) was conducted in the three academic databases PubMed, IEEE, and ACM in July 2023, searching for articles published between January 2000 and December 2023. Studies needed to be 1) peer-reviewed, 2) written in English, and 3) focused on any AI-based algorithm or technology that (4) were conducted in the context of WHPP or (5) an associated field. Information on study design, AI algorithms and technologies, WHPP fields, and the PICO framework were extracted blindly with Rayyan and summarized. A total of ten studies were included. Risk prevention and modeling were the most identified WHPP fields (n=6), followed by behavioral health promotion (n=4) and organizational health promotion (n=1). Four studies focused on mental health. Most AI algorithms were machine learning-based, and three studies used combined deep learning algorithms. AI algorithms and technologies were primarily implemented in smartphone applications (eg, in the form of a Chatbot) or used the smartphone as a data source (eg, GPS). Behavioral approaches ranged from 8 to 12 weeks and were compared to control groups. Three studies evaluated the robustness and accuracy of an AI model or framework. Although AI has caught increasing attention in health-related research, the review reveals that AI in WHPP is marginally investigated. Our results indicate that AI is promising for individualization and risk prediction in WHPP, but current research does not cover the scope of WHPP. Beyond that, future research will profit from an extended range of research in all fields of WHPP, longitudinal data, and reporting guidelines. Registered on 5th July 2023 at Open Science Framework [1].

Bridging the SEL CASEL Framework with European educational policies and assessment approaches

The importance of enhancing social and emotional skills in educational settings has gained prominence, with many countries and organizations embracing the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) framework to equip individuals with the tools needed for shaping a self-identity, emotional regulation, goal achievement, empathy, nurturing relationships, and responsible decision-making and overall well-being. In this paper, we aim to connect the globally acknowledged Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning SEL framework with international policies that underscore the importance of social and emotional skills in the school context. To accomplish this goal, we first provide a brief overview of the key components of the SEL framework. Subsequently, we explore two significant educational policies within the European context. The first policy is the World Health Organization Health Promoting Schools initiative. We present its objectives, a WHO-affiliated program example, the promoted and assessed competencies of students, and its results, connecting its framework with the CASEL SEL approach. The second focus is the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Study on Social and Emotional Skills, describing its developmental process and the assessment framework. Finally, we describe the alignment of SEL with these European educational policies and illustrate their role in advancing and improving the evaluation of SEL initiatives in educational environments.

Barriers and Facilitators to 24-Month Maintenance of the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition Program in the U.S.

Little is known about thebarriers and facilitators to organizational maintenance offaith-based health promotion programs. This study used qualitative data (collected from 2016-2019) from pastors (n = 81) and program coordinators (n = 103) to identify barriers and facilitators to 24-month maintenance of a faith-based physical activity (PA) and healthy eating (HE) intervention in South Carolina. Barriers differed for PA versus HE: resistance to change impeded HE while church characteristics tended to impede PA. Similar themes emerged for PA and HE facilitators: healthy opportunities, church communication, and consistency. Future research should build upon this study to tailor faith-based health promotion programs for long-term sustainability.

Approaches for the use of Artificial Intelligence in workplace health promotion and prevention: A systematic scoping review.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an umbrella term for various algorithms and rapidly emerging technologies with huge potential for workplace health promotion and prevention (WHPP). WHPP interventions aim to improve people's health and well-being through behavioral and organizational measures or by minimizing the burden of workplace-related diseases and associated risk factors. While AI has been the focus of research in other health-related fields, such as Public Health or biomedicine, the transition of AI into WHPP research has yet to be systematically investigated. The systematic scoping review aims to comprehensively assess an overview of the current use of AI in WHPP. The results will be then used to point to future research directions. The following research questions were derived: (1) what are the study characteristics of studies on AI algorithms and technologies in the context of WHPP, (2) what specific WHPP fields (prevention, behavioral, and organizational approaches) were addressed by the AI algorithms and technologies, and (3) what kind of interventions lead to which outcomes? A systematic scoping literature review (PRISMA-ScR) was conducted in the three academic databases PubMed, IEEE, and ACM in July 2023, searching for articles published between January 2000 and December 2023. Studies needed to be 1) peer-reviewed, 2) written in English, and 3) focused on any AI-based algorithm or technology that (4) were conducted in the context of WHPP or (5) an associated field. Information on study design, AI algorithms and technologies, WHPP fields, and the PICO framework were extracted blindly with Rayyan and summarized. A total of ten studies were included. Risk prevention and modeling were the most identified WHPP fields (n=6), followed by behavioral health promotion (n=4) and organizational health promotion (n=1). Four studies focused on mental health. Most AI algorithms were machine learning-based, and three studies used combined deep learning algorithms. AI algorithms and technologies were primarily implemented in smartphone applications (eg, in the form of a Chatbot) or used the smartphone as a data source (eg, GPS). Behavioral approaches ranged from 8 to 12 weeks and were compared to control groups. Three studies evaluated the robustness and accuracy of an AI model or framework. Although AI has caught increasing attention in health-related research, the review reveals that AI in WHPP is marginally investigated. Our results indicate that AI is promising for individualization and risk prediction in WHPP, but current research does not cover the scope of WHPP. Beyond that, future research will profit from an extended range of research in all fields of WHPP, longitudinal data, and reporting guidelines. Registered on 5th July 2023 at Open Science Framework [1].

A Dual-Process Model of Promoting Employee Mental Health in Crises: Impacts of Leadership Health Support and Organizational Leaders’ Crisis Communication in COVID-19

ABSTRACT This study examined how organizations may promote their employees’ mental health in difficult times. Drawing from organizational crisis communication and organizational health promotion research, it proposed and tested a dual-process model that links leadership health support, an essential dimension of organizational health culture, with organizational leaders’ crisis communication (i.e. use of ethical-base responses) and workers’ self-care awareness and perceived stress in a crisis. Through a survey of 502 full-time U.S. employees conducted during COVID-19, we found that organizational leaders’ use of ethical-base responses predicted employees’ enhanced self-care awareness and decreased stress levels. Further, leadership health support provided a double-buffer effect to sustain employee mental health by directly bolstering employees’ self-care awareness and organizational leaders’ use of ethical-base responses. The findings of this study bridge the gaps in organizational health promotion and crisis communication literature and offer practical suggestions for organizations seeking to foster employees’ mental health challenges during crises.

The imperfections of employee involvement: harnessing the consequences of involvement practices on psychosocial risks at work

PurposeInvolving employees in making management decisions is a powerful way to enhance organizational performance. However, employee involvement (EI) might exacerbate psychosocial stress at work. This paper aims to investigate this issue, illuminating the implications of EI on work-related stress.Design/methodology/approachSecondary data were collected from the third wave of the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks. A conditional process analysis based on ordinary least square regression and bootstrap sampling was accomplished to obtain evidence of the implications of EI on psychosocial risks (PSR) at work, taking into consideration the mediating role of organizational health promotion initiatives (HPI).FindingsEI increased the sources of psychosocial stress at work, adding to individual job demands. Involving employees was positively related to a greater organizational concern for HPI, which, in turn, lessened psychosocial strain.Practical implicationsAlthough it contributes to organizational performance, EI propels work-related stress, which undermines individual and collective wellbeing. Involvement practices should be coupled with tailored HPI to address the PSR at work triggered by involvement, empowering people to cope with strain.Originality/valueScientific literature emphasizes the positive implications of EI on organizational performance, but little is known about its side effects on work-related stress. The paper provides original insights into this topic, arguing that HPI are necessitated to address the drawback of involvement on work-related stress.

Organizational health literacy and health promotion in health care settings: Results from Germany

Abstract Introduction Health care organizations (HCO) are increasingly required to provide health literate structures and processes to strengthen organizational health literacy (OHL). So far, little is known about the extent of OHL in HCO in Germany. Aims are therefore 1) to examine the level of OHL in health care organizations, and 2) to investigate the impact of organizations level of health prevention and workplace health promotion on the level of OHL. Methods Analyses are based on a nationwide cross-sectional study (online survey) among management staff (N = 564) in HCO (hospitals, nursing homes, facilities for disabled people). OHL was measured by the German version of the ‘Health literate health care organization 10 item questionnaire’ (HLHO-10). Health prevention and workplace health promotion were operationalized by the “Worksite Health Promotion Capacity Instrument’ (WHPCI). Uni- and bivariate analyses were carried out, on an item-basis and as an index (median-split). Results Regarding OHL, 55.1 % of the health care organizations reported below-average levels of OHL. On an item-basis, the highest below-average levels were given for the standard ‘communication’ (59.1 %) and the ‘provision of information to patients/residents via various media’ (57.4 %). Regarding the level of health prevention (51.8 %) and the existence of workplace health promotion structures (55.7 %), more than half of HCO reported a below-average level. In addition, results showed that HCO that indicate a below-average level of prevention and few structures of workplace health promotion also revealed a below-average level of OHL. Conclusions There is need to strengthen OHL in German HCO. Key messages • HCO are required to strengthen HLO, particular in communication and participatory approaches. • A higher level of prevention and workplace health promotion on HCO can contribute to the implementation of OHL initiatives.

Impact of Meditation on Quality of Life of Employees

The article presents a conceptual and empirical research study with future scope for wellness programs for organizational health promotion and mental well-being. The study focuses on virtual programs on meditation or mindfulness integrated with artificial intelligence (AI). That adds to the literature, which is relatively minor on this subject. Meditation can be a powerful organizational resource to improve employee efficiency, emotional stability, well-being, and stress. Young engineers of middle-hierarchy employed at PPS International, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India (n=30), all males, were given an eight-week meditation intervention. The experimental group showed significant and influential improvements over control-group participants of the World Health Organization (WHO)-issued quality-of-life scale. The different domains studied were perception, physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment.

Caring for yourself and for others: team health climate and self-care explain the relationship between health-oriented leadership and exhaustion

PurposeHealth-oriented leadership is an emerging concept that is promising for better understanding how leaders can support employee well-being. However, there is uncertainty about the process through which health-oriented leadership relates to employee well-being. Advancing health-oriented leadership research, this study aims to examine employee self-care and the perceived team health climate as mediating mechanisms.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a time-lagged study with three measurement points (NT1 = 335, NT2 = 134, NT2 = 113) to test these mechanisms.FindingsThe results show that health-oriented leadership at Time 1 positively relates to employee self-care and perceived team health climate at Time 2, which, in turn, are negatively associated with employee exhaustion at Time 3.Originality/valueThe indirect associations suggest that health-oriented leadership relates to employee well-being via the perceived team health climate and the individuals' self-care. By revealing an important mediating mechanism, this study contributes to the health-oriented leadership literature and can help organizations and leaders improve health promotion in organizations.

Supporting Sleep and Health of Employed Parents with Typical and Exceptional Care Demands

Employed parents of children with disabilities and serious health conditions report high levels of stress increasing the level of risk for sleep and physical health problems. This study examines the influence of personal, family, and work supports on sleep and health. Conservation of resources theory and the continuum of dependent care model frame the conceptual development of this exploratory study. Using secondary analysis of the 2016 National Study of the Changing Workforce, employed parents providing disability care were compared to those providing care to children without disabilities to determine how personal, family, and workplace resources affect sleep and physical health. Bivariate and multivariate tests revealed organizational support was the strongest predictor of sleep and physical health problems. Exceptional care demands were associated with poorer sleep and physical health. Job autonomy and coworker support moderated sleep and physical health outcomes for employed parents of children with disabilities. Practice implications include developing family supportive organizational cultures and interventions that aid employed parents with exceptional care demands. Occupational social workers can assist ensuring organizational health promotion and prevention initiatives include targeted interventions. Future research should examine the long-term effects of exceptional care demands and impact of workplace initiatives.

A leader in need is a leader indeed? The influence of leaders' stress mindset on their perception of employee well‐being and their intended leadership behavior

AbstractThe ability to respond appropriately to employees' work‐related well‐being requires leaders to pay attention to their employees' well‐being in the first place. We propose that leaders' stress mindset, that is, the belief that stress is enhancing versus debilitating, may bias their perception of employees' well‐being. We further propose that this judgment then influences leaders' intention to engage in or refrain from health‐oriented leadership behavior, to express higher performance expectations, or to promote their employees. We expect this process to be stronger if leaders strongly identify with their team, increasing their perceived similarity with their employees. In three experiments (N1 = 198, N2 = 292, N3 = 250), we tested the effect of participants' stress mindset on their intention to show certain leadership behaviors, mediated by their perception of employee well‐being (emotional exhaustion, somatic symptoms, work engagement) and moderated by their team identification. Our findings largely support the association between stress mindset and the perception of well‐being. The results for the proposed mediation and the moderating function of identification were mixed. Overall, the results emphasize the critical role of leaders' stress mindset and may, thus, improve health promotion in organizations by helping leaders to adequately recognize employees' well‐being and respond appropriately.

ACT-based Stress Management Training Aimed at Improving Workers’ Mental Health in an Intensive Care Unit: A Mixed Methods Study1

This study aimed to explore whether an acceptance and commitment (ACT) approach to stress management training improved the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among a group of twenty-two health professionals from an intensive care unit. Questionnaires were administered before and after training, and follow-up was carried out one month after training, including semi-structured interviews with nine participants. The results reflected that the quasi-experimental group reduced their depression and stress levels significantly and showed improvements in stress in the follow-up. A qualitative thematic analysis of interviews showed that nurses were seeking a tool that would help them to cope more effectively with stressful situations and increase their knowledge of stress management. The themes in the professionals’ comments claimed specific improvements in their health, well-being, relationships, and psychological processes. In conclusion, ACT-based trainings offer a possible framework for mental health promotion in health care organizations.

Healthy Leadership and Workplace Health Promotion as a Pre-Requisite for Organizational Health.

(1) Background: Increasing stress levels at the workplace constitute a concerning organizational trend, challenging not only employees but also organizations alike, as it is in most instances associated with increasing workloads. In consequence, employees have started to demand that organizations begin to accept responsibility for their health and well-being. The present contribution seeks to investigate, to which extent individuals are able to deal with stress and whether their employers and respective supervisors (leaders) accept responsibility for their health, for instance, by leading by example. In addition, the existence and support generated by the organization in form of Workplace Health Promotion (WPHP) is inquired. (2) Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews with 40 (full and part-time) employees from two European countries were conducted. (3) Results: The study with employees from Austria and Germany (n = 40) confirmed that employees have started to recognize the potential of the workplace as an environment, where individual health can be enhanced. Yet, the results showed that only a few companies have already put some WPHP measures into practice. Likewise, the implementation of healthy leadership is rather limited to date. (4) Conclusions: At present, companies are still more likely to delegate responsibility for employee health and well-being to their staff, having not fully realized the potential of healthy leadership and organizational health promotion. There is great potential to increase WPHP measures on the employer side, through both healthy leadership and supporting WPHP measures.

Ethnocultural education of healthy lifestyles and health promotion of students in the educational environment of the university

The article presents ethnocultural education valuing attitude towards healthy lifestyles and health promotion of students in the university in Yakutia. The study aims at the values of tolerance, awareness of its importance for the modern person, whose life activities involve education of a healthy lifestyle and the promotion of health in the educational environment of the university. The study reasonably indicates the need to consider the peculiarities of the educational environment regarding the value attitude to healthy lifestyle and health promotion in educational organizations. The results of the study could be of interest to a wide range of specialists in the field of education. It expands the ideas about the formation of the value attitude to healthy lifestyle and health promotion based on ethnocultural traditions of upbringing of the Sakha people.

Implementing Organizational WHP Into Practice: Obstructing Paradoxes in the Alignment and Distribution of Empowerment.

Background: According to policy and theory, there is need for organizational workplace health promotion (WHP) to strengthen working conditions for all employees. However, earlier studies show it is hard to implement in practice. The aim was to critically analyze and identify interacting mechanisms and obstacles behind failures of organizational WHP projects from system perspectives.Methods: A holistic case study was performed, to critically analyze data from an organizational WHP project approach at a public health care organization. The qualitative data was collected over 5 years and included interviews with key actors (n = 80), focus groups (n = 59 managers), structured observations (n = 250 hours), continuous field observations and documents (n = 180). Questionnaires to employees (n = 2,974) and managers (n = 140) was complementing the qualitative-driven mixed method approach.Results: The analysis shows obstructing paradoxes of alignment and distribution of empowerment during the process of implementation into practice. The obstacles were interacting over system levels and were identified as: Governance by logics of distancing and detaching, No binding regulation of WHP, Separated responsibility of results, Narrow focus on delegated responsibilities, Store-fronting a strategic model, Keeping poor organizational preconditions and support for developments and Isolate WHP from other organizational developments.Conclusions: The following premises can be formulated regarding successful organizational WHP programs. Consider (1) the uncertainty a distributed empowerment to all system levels may create; (2) the distributed impact to define the target and allow broader areas to be included in WHP; and (3) the integration into other development processes and not reducing the organizational WHP to the form of a project.

Health promotion in care organizations as material-discursive practices

PurposeDrawing on a performative ontology, this article extends the literature on health promotion in organizations by exploring how health promotion is performed in care work. The focus of the study is on health promotion in a context of illness and/or decline, which form the core of the studied organizational activities. The paper addresses the following question: how do care workers working in elderly care and mental health care organizations accomplish health promotion in the context of illness and/or decline?Design/methodology/approachThe article develops a performative approach and analyses material-discursive practices in health promoting care work. The empirical material includes 36 semi-structured interviews with care workers, observations and organizational documents.FindingsTwo central material-discursive health promoting practices in care work are identified: confirming that celebrates service users as residents and the organizations as a home, and balancing at the limits of health promotion. The practices of balancing make the limitations of health promotion discernible and involve reconciling health promotion with that which does not neatly fit into it (illness, unachievable care aims, the institution and certain organizing). In sum, the study shows how health promotion can structure processes in care homes where illness and decline often are particularly palpable.Originality/valueThe paper explores health promotion in a context rarely explored in organization studies. Previous organization studies have to some extent explored health promotion and care work, but typically separately. Further, the few studies that have adopted a performative approach to material-discursive practices in the context of care work have typically primarily focused on IT. We extend previous organization studies literature by producing new insights: (1) from an important organizational context of health promotion and (2) of under-researched entanglements of human and non-human actors in care work providing a performative theory of reconciling organizational tensions.

Championing Health Promoting Schools: A secondary school case study from Victoria, Australia

Objective: School-based prevention interventions informed by the World Health Organization Health Promoting School (HPS) framework aim to improve the health and wellbeing of school-aged children, yet few studies describe factors influencing the successful implementation of this framework in secondary schools. This study sought to explore why and how secondary schools might implement the HPS framework and factors contributing to success. Design: Qualitative case study. Setting: A single secondary school in Victoria, Australia, purposefully selected due to local recognition of an HPS policy. Method: Data collection included semi-structured interviews, document retrieval, drawings and ethnographic observation. Data were analysed using framework analysis. Results: The school had elected to implement the policy as it aligned with its existing health and wellbeing policy framework and provided a flexible yet evidence-based framework to guide a whole-of-school approach to promoting health and wellbeing. Success was perceived to be dependent on selecting easier health priority areas to address initially, the allocation of a designated team to guide policy implementation and access to a skilled health promotion worker to assist implementation. Conclusion: Study findings highlight potential reasons why and how secondary schools might implement the HPS framework and factors contributing to success. Further research is warranted to enhance the transferability of these findings and explore the impact of the HPS framework in secondary schools.

Managing stress during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and beyond: Reappraisal and mindset approaches.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic is a global public health crisis of a scale not previously experienced in modern times (Kickbusch et al., 2020). Governmental ‘lockdown’ measures aimed at minimizing virus transmission including ‘stay at home’ orders, closure of businesses and places of congregation, and travel restrictions have had a substantive societal impact that permeates almost every facet of daily life (Gostin & Wiley, 2020; Shanafelt, Ripp, & Trockel, 2020). These widespread changes represent considerable sources of stress in the population and will have deleterious effects on mental and physical health going forward. As nations begin to emerge from ‘lockdown’, the collateral damage to human health caused by these restrictions has taken centre stage, and mental health issues, particularly stress‐related conditions and outcomes, are prominent among them. The imperative for strategies to assist in managing stress and minimizing concomitant health problems has become a priority. In this commentary, we outline how stress reappraisal interventions, which have come to the fore in recent years, may be a potentially efficacious, cost‐effective way to manage stress during and post‐pandemic, and minimize the health consequences.

Development and validation of an instrument to assess institutionalization of health promotion in faith-based organizations

Institutionalization of health promotion interventions occurs when the organization makes changes to support the program as a component of its routine operations. To date there has not been a way to systematically measure institutionalization of health promotion interventions outside of healthcare settings. The purpose of the present study was to develop and evaluate the initial psychometric properties of an instrument to assess institutionalization (i.e., integration) of health activities into faith-based organizations (i.e., churches). This process was informed by previous institutionalization models led by a team of experts and a community-based advisory panel. We recruited African American church leaders (N = 91) to complete a 22-item instrument. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors: 1) Organizational Structures (e.g., existing health ministry, health team), 2) Organizational Processes (e.g., records on health activities; instituted health policy), 3) Organizational Resources (e.g., health promotion budget; space for health activities), and 4) Organizational Communication (e.g., health content in church bulletins, discussion of health within sermons) that explained 62.3 % of the variance. The measure, the Faith-Based Organization Health Integration Inventory (FBO-HII), had excellent internal consistency reliability (α = .89) including the subscales (α = .90, .82, .81, and .87). This measure has promising initial psychometric properties for assessing institutionalization of health promotion interventions in faith-based settings.

How do leaders' perceptions of organizational health climate shape employee exhaustion and engagement? Toward a cascading‐effects model

AbstractAlthough researchers and practitioners increasingly focus on health promotion in organizations, research has been mainly fragmented and fails to integrate different organizational levels in terms of their effects on employee health. Drawing on organizational climate and social identity research, we present a cascading model of organizational health climate and demonstrate how and when leaders' perceptions of organizational health climate are linked to employee well‐being. We tested our model in two multisource studies (NStudy 1 = 65 leaders and 291 employees; NStudy 2 = 401 leader–employee dyads). Results showed that leaders' perceptions of organizational health climate were positively related to their health mindsets (i.e., their health awareness). These in turn were positively associated with their health‐promoting leadership behavior, which ultimately went along with better employee well‐being. Additionally, in Study 1, the relationship between perceived organizational health climate and leaders' health mindsets was moderated by their organizational identification. High leader identification strengthened the relationship between perceived organizational health climate and leaders' health mindsets. These findings have important implications for theory and practice as they show how the dynamics of an organizational health climate can unfold in organizations and how it is related to employee well‐being via the novel concept of health‐promoting leadership.