Organizational Interventions Research Articles

Organizational trust breaches among nurses and aides: A qualitative study.

Healthcare worker retention and burnout are confounding issues. Trust among workers and their employer, that is, organization, is an important yet underexplored concept in research. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore organizational actions and systems that promote or denigrate trust among registered nurses and patient care aides (aides). The study uses the Model of Psychological Contract as a theoretical framework. Focus groups were conducted to explore the concept of organizational trust and the consequences of broken trust. Registered nurses (RNs) (n=6) and aides (n=6) participated in the study. Six focus groups (three RN and three aide) were conducted, with two participants per group. Focus groups were conducted online. The study's methods were reviewed by the University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board. Among RNs and aides, a sense of trust and feeling valued were important to their sense of relationship with their employers. Trust was breached when resources were scarce, employees did not feel validated and listened to, and problems were not addressed. RNs and aides described feeling devalued when compensation practices were unjust or inequitable, they had limited autonomy, and the employer created an organizational climate where business needs superceded human caring. Consequences of trust breach included burnout, dejection, and feelings of non-belonging. Tangible organizational resources (compensation and staffing) and intangible resources (value, respect, autonomy) are important to RNs and aides alike. Inability to provide these resources diminishes trust and even causes a sense of betrayal. Future research can explore the concepts of organizational justice and interventions to restore lost trust and improve healthcare worker well-being. This is one of only a few identified studies to explore organizational factors and well-being among aides and more research among this healthcare worker population is warranted.

When not hitting your sales target is 'the end of the world': Examining the effects of rational emotive behaviour therapy on the irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity of UK-based sales professionals.

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, workplace wellbeing is a key priority for employers. Severe market and health conditions continue to bring inevitable problems that could be reduced with the application of psychological interventions to prevent mental and physical health issues, making this study a highly pertinent and valuable contribution to the field. This paper reports the effects of a rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) programme on the irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity of 56 office-based sales professionals located in the northwest region of the UK. A pre-test, post-test experimental design was utilised, and a mixed model ANOVA (repeated measures) was adopted to assess changes in mean differences concerning irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity at pre and post-test stages for the intervention group, in comparison to a control group. Results indicate that those in the REBT group reported significant reductions in irrational beliefs and emotional reactivity, whilst those in the control group reported no such changes. It is recommended that future research studies consider utilizing a mixed methods design and focus on a strategic collaboration of organisational and individual level interventions for improving the psychological wellbeing and performance of sales personnel.

Multifaceted ORganizational InterventiONs (M-ORION) project for prevention of depression and anxiety among workers: study protocol for a five-arm cluster randomized controlled trial

BackgroundDepression and anxiety are the most common mental health issues experienced by workers. Although organizational intervention has been extensively evaluated as a primary prevention of depression and anxiety, the corresponding scientific evidence remains limited because of the lack of cluster randomized controlled trials (cRCT) and failure to detect organizational-level effects. Therefore, the present study aims to assess the preventive effects of four types of interventions on depression and anxiety among workers in an open, five-arm, parallel-group cRCT.MethodsOverall, 140 worksites and 18,200 nested employees will be recruited from September 2023. The eligible worksites will be randomly assigned to each of the five arms, and programs will be offered for 6–12 months. The five arms are 1) psychoeducation for workers, 2) psychoeducation for supervisors, 3) work environment improvement, 4) physical activity promotion, and 5) active control. The primary outcomes of interest are depression and anxiety. We will also assess psychosocial factors at work, work engagement, health-related quality of life, well-being, economic outcomes, physiological outcomes of health checkups, cortisol levels extracted from fingernails, and indices representing the process and implementation outcomes, including program completion rates. Follow-up surveys will be conducted at 6, 12, and 18 months from baseline, and the primary endpoint is set at the 6-month follow-up. Repeated-measures multi-level mixed modeling will be used to evaluate the effect of each intervention compared with the control.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Kitasato University Medical Ethics Organization (C22-082). The results and findings of this study will be published in a scientific journal and disseminated to companies that participate in the study.Trial registration numberUMIN000050949.

Ohio pharmacy personnel’s burnout and wellbeing: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundWhile burnout is a well-known phenomenon among physicians and nurses, burnout among pharmacists and pharmacy personnel is understudied and less recognized. ObjectivesThe primary objectives of this study were to describe and compare Ohio pharmacy personnel’s self-reports of burnout and wellbeing prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsA one-time online survey was completed by over 13,000 health care professionals in Ohio in July and August 2021. This brief report describes a subanalysis of the 1452 participating pharmacy professionals licensed by the State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy. ResultsMost survey respondents identified as White (90.84%) and female (70.04%), including pharmacists (59.16%) and pharmacy technicians (38.15%). Findings demonstrated a 360.55% increase in feeling emotionally drained “every day” during the pandemic. Participants felt emotionally drained more frequently; cared less about what happened to patients; felt less accomplished; felt down, depressed, or hopeless more frequently; had more thoughts of suicide; and were more concerned about their substance use during the pandemic than prior to it. ConclusionPharmacy personnel are experiencing some dimensions of burnout and poor wellbeing more frequently. These issues were present prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and now require even swifter attention as outcomes have worsened. Increased awareness of burnout among pharmacy personnel is required. Additionally, policy and organizational interventions are recommended to improve pharmacy personnel wellbeing.

Organizational intervention strategies in work teams

Introduction: the development of new skills in the work environment such as leadership, work teammanagement, equitable collaboration, effective communication, solid commitments or integrationof new human values, acquires an important meaning for the stability of the work environment inmodern organizations. . Objective: the objective of the research is to report on the result of theimplementation of an organizational intervention strategy on strengthening the integration skills ofeffective work teams in the daily practices of the Cristafácil company and the experience acquiredby the actors involved as a learning society (UNESCO, 2014). Methodology: The interventionstrategy process is based on Kurt Lewin’s action research methodology, which is used to studya specific problem and/or needs of a certain group of people. Results: communication was oneof the main factors that benefited from the organizational intervention strategy. The well-being and work dimension was the one that stood out with the greatest favorable difference, which arefactors to understand how organizations improve organizational processes and their results.

Sleep Strategies for Shift Work Nurses

To meet the demands of a 24/7 society, shift work is necessary. Shift work is outside the traditional regular 9-to-5 work schedule, is characterized by irregular working hours, and exists in various industries. However, this abnormal working time can disrupt the natural day and night rhythm, and if poorly adjusted, it can lead to shift work sleep disorder (SWSD). SWSD is associated with multiple health risks, including impaired cognitive function, increased risk of accidents, and various metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The frontline nurses typically work shifts to provide comprehensive patient care. This article aims to discuss sleep physiology, apply existing literature to discuss the impact on nurses resulting from shift work, and further offer strategies to regulate sleep to promote physical and mental health. These strategies range from organizational interventions (e.g., optimizing shift schedules) to individual interventions (e.g., lifestyle changes) and the use of chronobiological techniques (e.g., light therapy) to promote the adjustment of circadian rhythms, etc.

Analysis of predictive factors for non-adherence to organized screening for colorectal and breast cancers in the pre-pandemic period (2018-2019) in Lombardy Region (Northern Italy)

according to the International Agency for Cancer Research on Cancer, in 2022, breast cancer is the most common cancer in the Italian population, followed by colorectal cancer. Oncological screenings represent an effective secondary prevention strategy to counteract colorectal and breast cancers, significantly reducing mortality. In Lombardy Region (Northern Italy), screening programmes have been active since 2007, but adherence, especially in specific population subgroups, remains lower than expected. to analyse potential predictors of non-adherence to colorectal and breast cancer screening in the Lombardy Region during the pre-pandemic period of 2018-2019. a retrospective cohort study aimed at investigating the role of sociodemographic variables, health status, and access to the healthcare system on non-adherence to colorectal and breast cancer screening. Statistical analyses were conducted separately by each Agency for Health Protection (ATS). The results of the models were synthesized across the Lombardy region through random-effects meta-analysis. residents within the territory of each ATS in Lombardy as of 01.01.2018 and aged between 49 and 69 years at the beginning of the follow-up. adherence to colorectal and breast cancer screenings. during the study period, across the Lombardy Region, 2,820,138 individuals were eligible to participate in colorectal cancer screening, and 1,357,344 women were eligible to participate in breast cancer screening, with an invitation coverage of 87% and 86%, respectively.For breast cancer screening, older age, cardiopathy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), autoimmune diseases, and presence of a rare disease are associated with a reduced risk of non-adherence. Conversely, foreign citizenship, oncological diagnosis, transplant, chronic kidney disease/dialysis, diabetes, heart failure, arterial or cerebral vasculopathy, and presence of a neurological diagnosis are associated with significant excess risks of non-participation. For colorectal cancer screening, factors favouring adherence include female gender, older age, cardiopathy, COPD, autoimmune diseases, and having access/utilization of primary care. Non-adherence is associated with foreign citizenship, transplant, chronic kidney disease/dialysis, diabetes, heart failure, arterial or cerebral vasculopathy, IBD, neurological diseases, residence in assisted living facilities, use of integrated home care, and presence of disability. this is the first study conducted in the Lombardy Region which explores the theme of equity of access to organized screenings. This analysis highlights how sociodemographic determinants, chronic conditions, and access to the healthcare and social healthcare system constitute significant risk factors for non-adherence to screening programmes. Based on the results of this analysis, communication and/or organizational change interventions will be developed to counteract inequalities in access to effective prevention procedures.

Gender oncology: recommendations and consensus of the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM)

Following the development of gender medicine in the past 20 years, more recently in the field of oncology an increasing amount of evidence suggests gender differences in the epidemiology of cancers, as well as in the response and toxicity associated with therapies. In a gender approach, critical issues related to sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations must also be considered. A working group of opinion leaders approved by the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM) has been set up with the aim of drafting a shared document on gender oncology. Through the 'consensus conference' method of the RAND/University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) variant, the members of the group evaluated statements partly from the scientific literature and partly produced by the experts themselves [good practice points (GPPs)], on the following topics: (i) Healthcare organisation, (ii) Therapy, (iii) Host factors, (iv) Cancer biology, and (v) Communication and social interventions. Finally, in support of each specific topic, they considered it appropriate to present some successful case studies. A total of 42 articles met the inclusion criteria, from which 50 recommendations were extracted. Panel participants were given the opportunity to propose additional evidence from studies not included in the research results, from which 32 statements were extracted, and to make recommendations not derived from literature such as GPPs, four of which have been developed. After an evaluation of relevance by the panel, it was found that 81 recommendations scored >7, while 3 scored between 4 and 6.9, and 2 scored below4. This consensus and the document compiled thereafter represent an attempt to evaluate the available scientific evidence on the theme of gender oncology and to suggest standard criteria both for scientific research and for the care of patients in clinical practice that should take gender into account.

A theoretical framework for Acute Care Nurse Stress Appraisal: Application of the transactional model of stress and coping.

To develop a framework for understanding the stress appraisal process among acute care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. A secondary analysis of open-ended responses from a cross-sectional survey of 3030 frontline, acute care nurses in New Jersey and the effect of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping guided the study. Thematic analysis was used to analyse 1607 open-ended responses. Nine themes emerged during the secondary appraisal of stress. Five themes contributed to distress and burnout including (1) high patient acuity with scarce resources, (2) constantly changing policies with inconsistent messaging, (3) insufficient PPE, (4) unprepared pandemic planning and (5) feeling undervalued. Four themes led to eustress and contributed to post-traumatic growth including (1) team nursing to ensure sufficient resource allocation, (2) open channels of communication, (3) sense- of-duty and (4) personal strength from new possibilities. The COVID-19 pandemic was a traumatic event for patients and the nursing workforce. Internal and external demands placed on acute care nurses increased burnout, however, a subset of nurses with adequate support experienced personal growth. Beyond mental health interventions for acute care nurses, organizational interventions such as reevaluation of emergency action plans to optimize resource allocation, and work environment strategies such as improved communication and decision-making transparency are necessary. To better understand how frontline acute care nurses experienced stress during COVID-19, a data-informed framework was developed that included a primary and secondary appraisal of stress. Themes contributing to distress and burnout were identified, and themes leading to eustress and post-traumatic growth were also identified. These findings can assist nurse leaders in optimizing strategies to reduce burnout and promote post-traumatic growth in the post-COVID years. No patient or public contribution.

Coping and self-care: Mediating the association of job stressors with vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience

Summary The indirect exposure to patients’ traumatic experiences may generate contrasting reactions in helping professionals, such as vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience. Theoretical models predict that job stressors facilitate vicarious trauma and reduce vicarious resilience and that personal resources may mediate this relationship. However, there is little empirical research linking some of these variables. This study aims to test: (a) Whether job stressors (family-work conflict, work-family conflict and role conflict) predict personal resources (coping strategies and self-care practices) and reactions to indirect exposure to trauma (vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience); and (b) whether personal resources predict these reactions and mediate their association with job stressors. A convenience sample of 448 social workers from Spain completed an online questionnaire between October 2020 and January 2021. Findings Structural equation modelling revealed that job stressors generally hindered problem-focused coping and self-care and enabled emotion-focused coping; only vicarious trauma was directly associated with role conflict. Primarily, personal resources predicted the reactions to indirect exposure to trauma and mediated the influence of job stressors in these reactions. Applications In line with previous research, results support the need for personal and organizational interventions to decrease vicarious trauma and promote vicarious resilience.

The Influence of Organizational Support and Job Satisfaction on Organizational Citizenship Behavior with Organizational Commitment as an Intervening: A Study on CV Baby Cloudfoam

This research aims to analyze the influence of organizational support and job satisfaction on organizational citizenship behavior using organizational commitment interventions. The sample for this research consisted of 40 respondents who were CV employees. Dear Cloudfoam. The data collection technique used is a survey method using a research instrument in the form of a questionnaire. The variables used in this research are organizational support, satisfaction, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship. and organizational citizenship behavior. The outcome of this research provide confirmation for the CV. Cloudfoam Baby is designed to further increase organizational support and job satisfaction for organizational citizenship behavior as well as organizational support for organizational commitment so that it can influence organizational citizenship behavior and organizational commitment.

Development of a Taxonomy of Policy Interventions for Integrating Nurse Practitioners into Health Systems

Background: Nurse practitioners (NPs)—nurses with advanced training who can provide and prescribe care—are increasingly prevalent internationally. The growth of NPs can be attributed to physician shortages, growing demand for health services, and the professionalization of nursing. Ensuring efficacious integration of NPs into the health system is critical for maximizing their impact on patient and system outcomes. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of information on practical policy interventions facilitating the successful integration of NPs. Effective policy interventions should capture the perspectives of actors at all levels of the health system—ie, national and organizational levels. This study aimed to delineate a taxonomy of policy interventions for integrating NPs into health systems. This paper presents a taxonomy developed among gerontology NPs in Israel. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study used multiple perspective, one-to-one interviews with four professional groups—national policy-makers, organizational administrators, NPs, and physicians. Data were analyzed using deductive content analysis. Analysis accounted for diverging and converging patterns between professional groups. Results: There were 58 participants across the four professional groups. The national-level domain interventions include marketing, workforce development, professional licensure and regulation, financial incentives, stakeholder cooperation, education and training programs, and national-level research. Organizational domain interventions included organizational guidelines, infrastructure development and resource allocation, interprofessional leadership engagement, and organizational messaging. Unit- and care-team domain interventions included interprofessional experience and exposure, team communication, and mentorship. Conclusion: The taxonomy’s trichotomy of three health system level domains describes the relationship between national and organizational policy interventions. Adopting these interventions may result in an improved response to provider shortages. Policies insufficiently addressing role clarity and workforce retention resulted in poor integration and a failure to efficaciously combat workforce shortages. Future work will expand the focus of this preliminary taxonomy by further development and testing with international participants.

Evaluation of orderliness of underground workplace system based on occupational ergonomics: A case study in Guangzhou and Chengdu metro depots.

An underground workplace (UGW) is a complex system with multiple subsystems that interact with each other. However, the research on UGW from a systemic perspective has not received due attention. This study constructs an evaluation approach to the orderliness of UGW and systematically evaluates the UGW with Guangzhou and Chengdu metro depots as case studies. First, the evaluation index system is established based on occupational ergonomics. Second, the system entropy model is constructed based on information entropy. Third, a dissipative structure judgment model is built based on the Brusselator. Fourth, the orderliness evaluation model is constructed based on information entropy and synergetics. The UGW of the metro depot has not yet reached the dissipative structure and is in a medium-order state. But the system is in the trend of orderly development. The entropy increase caused by the physical environment and health status is the main obstacle for the system to move toward order. The equipment configuration is an essential source of system negative entropy. The coordination between equipment configuration, health status, and physical environment is low, and that of work effectiveness, equipment aging and failure, and organizational environment is high. Equipment configuration cannot fully cope with the harsh physical environment and meet the needs of underground workers. Safety security equipment has more room for improvement. Humanized support facilities can introduce more negative entropy to the system. Organizational intervention can reduce the negative impact of adverse factors on the system.

School-based psychosocial and educational interventions for children and adolescents after the 1999 Marmara earthquakes in Turkey: A review on lessons learned

The massive earthquakes experienced in August and November 1999 affected thousands of people in the Marmara region, the most densely populated and industrialized part of Turkey. The humanitarian and economic cost was so enormous, and these earthquakes have changed the Turkish disaster management system and the Turkish people’s approach to disasters. Marmara earthquakes are also considered as a milestone in the provision of psychosocial services for disaster victims. This paper aims to review the psychosocial interventions targeting children, adolescents, and their families after the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey. The progression from initial responses to more organized psychosocial interventions is outlined. Conducting the interventions at schools has ensured that thousands of children, teachers, and parents are reached in the most efficient and effective way possible. The significance of the school context in designing psychosocial interventions is highlighted and implications of the lessons learned for traumatic experiences of children and parents are also explored. It is evaluated that these inferences obtained from the Marmara earthquake in Turkey can be used in disasters around the world.

Is organizational intervention using Layered Voice Analysis effective in addressing operator mental health in call centers? A randomized controlled trial.

To verify the effects of organizational interventions on mental health using Layered Voice Analysis (LVA). A 12-week single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted with call center operators. Sixty-six participants were randomly assigned to either a control group (n = 26), an LVA intervention group (n = 20), or a one-on-one intervention group (n = 20). The control group received general self-care information about preventing mental health problems from the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, Japan website. The organizational LVA intervention involved group sessions using participants' voice calls with customers, whereas the one-on-one intervention consisted of meetings or consultations with participants and their supervisors to discuss preventing mental health issues at work. To verify the effectiveness of the intervention program, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) was administered 4 times (baseline, 4, 8, and 12weeks) as the primary outcome, and the data were analyzed using a linear mixed model. The intervention of LVA was subdivided and analyzed into LVA ≥5 times and LVA ≤4 times out of the total 6 interventions. Compared with the control group, a significant CES-D reduction effect was observed at 8/12weeks for the difference of coefficients (DOC; [βint - βctrl]) for the intervention of LVA ≥5 times (DOC -1.86 and -2.36, respectively). Similarly, even intervention LVA ≤4 times also showed a significant decrease of CES-D scores at 8/12weeks (DOC -2.20 and -2.38, respectively). An organizational intervention using LVA has the potential to reduce the risk of depression among call center operators.

Factors associated with work ability among employees of an Italian university hospital

BackgroundA growing body of evidence clearly documents the benefits of integrated systems approaches to protecting and promoting the safety, health and well-being of workers. The purpose of this study is to provide a holistic view of the work ability of employees of an Italian University Hospital measuring their resources in relation to job demands. In particular, it examines socio-demographics, family and organizational antecedents of health professionals’ work ability.MethodsA survey was conducted to assess the work ability of healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses and administrative staff, working at the University Hospital of Modena (Italy). The data collection allows us to get a sample of 443 workers, who correspond to 11% of the target population. The data were analyzed using preliminary statistics on the main characteristics of the sample in terms of work ability, socio-demographic variables, family and organizational characteristics. In addition, logit models of the likelihood of having high work ability were estimated using SPSS version 25.ResultsWork ability decreases with increasing age, comorbidity, high body mass index, having at least one child under 5 and/or a dependent adult, having a poor work-life balance, and doing more than 20 h of housework. Specific job resources can significantly promote work ability, including relationship-oriented leadership, autonomy in decision making and individuals’ skill match. The nursing profession is associated with a low work ability. Finally, a significant gender gap has been documented. Women find it more difficult to reconcile life and work, especially when they have children of preschool age and work in professions with greater responsibilities, as in the case of women doctors, who experience lower work capacity.ConclusionsOur results suggest that it is necessary to consider other factors, in addition to age, that are equally relevant in influencing work ability. Consequently, organisational interventions could be implemented to improve the work ability of all workers. In addition, we propose targeted interventions for groups at risk of reduced work capacity, in particular older workers (45 years and over), nurses, women with children of preschool age and in the position of physician.

Translating psychosocial safety climate (PSC) into real-world practice: two PSC intervention case studies.

Translating research into practice is often a goal for evidence-based organizational researchers to help improve workplace conditions and worker well-being. Improving worker well-being can be achieved by using empirical evidence to inform organizational interventions. However, despite the well-established intervention literature, practitioners appear not to appreciate fully how research findings can inform real-world practice. Using our understanding about workplace safety and health issues, we proposed that employers themselves could undertake interventions that focus on building psychosocial safety climate (PSC), an essential organizational climate that protects and promotes the psychological well-being of workers. Here we present 2 case studies to illustrate strategies that improve psychosocial safety and to increase our understanding about how interventions help improve PSC over time. Case Study 1 was conducted in an Australian public organization and Case Study 2 was in an international private organization. We collected survey data using the PSC-12 scale, to assess the level of PSC of the organization before and after the intervention, and details of the intervention and other initiatives for promoting employees' psychological health. Our evaluation supported the proposition that interventions that combine organizational-level and individual-level (and the interface between the two) approaches with a focus on the core elements of PSC (such as commitment, priority, communication, and participation) improve an organization's PSC over time. The research not only elucidates important practical implications for organizations trialing new psychosocial safety initiatives, but also makes an important contribution to theory in work stress intervention on best practice and principles to build a psychologically healthy work context.

Effects of participatory organizational interventions on mental health and work performance: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Participatory organizational interventions to improve psychosocial working conditions are important for a safe and healthy work environment. However, there are few systematic reviews or meta-analyses investigating the effects of these interventions on workers' mental health and work-related outcomes. We intend to apply the protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of participatory organizational intervention on mental health and work performance. The participants, interventions, comparisons, and outcomes (PICO) of the studies in this systematic review and meta-analysis are defined as follows: (P) inclusion of all workers, (I) participatory organizational intervention, (C) treatment as usual or no intervention (including waitlist control), and (O) mental health and work performance. Published studies will be searched using the following electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, and Japan Medical Abstracts Society. Studies that (1) include participatory organizational intervention, (2) include participants who were working as of the baseline survey period, (3) assess mental health or work performance outcomes, (4) use a cluster randomized controlled trials design, (5) are published in English or Japanese, and (6) are published in peer-reviewed journals (including advanced online publication) will be included. Study selection and the risk-of-bias assessment will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. A meta-analysis will be performed to statistically synthesize the included studies. Publication bias will be assessed for meta-bias using Egger's test as well as visually on a funnel plot. We will assess heterogeneity by using the Q statistic.

User engagement with organizational mHealth stress management intervention – A mixed methods study

Mobile health (mHealth) demonstrates great promise for providing effective and accessible interventions within an organizational context. Compared with traditional workplace interventions, mHealth solutions may be significantly more scalable and easier to standardize. However, inadequate user engagement is a major challenge with mHealth solutions that can negatively impact the potential benefits of an intervention. More research is needed to better understand how to ensure sufficient engagement, which is essential for designing and implementing effective interventions. To address this issue, this study employed a mixed methods approach to investigate what factors influence user engagement with an organizational mHealth intervention. Quantitative data were collected using surveys (n = 1267), and semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of participants (n = 17). Primary findings indicate that short and consistent interactions as well as user intention are key drivers of engagement. These results may inform future development of interventions to increase engagement and effectiveness.

AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF FAO’s INTERVENTION TO EMPOWER VULNERABLE YOUTH FOR BUILDING PEACE AND STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY RESILIENCE IN KENEMA DISTRICT, SIERRA LEONE

This paper presents an initial assessment of youth vulnerability to violence and crime, and the Food and Agricultural Organization's intervention in empowering them as agents of peacebuilding and fostering community resilience in Kenema District, Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Given the high susceptibility of at-risk youth to violence and crime, their empowerment is crucial for peace and security in Sierra Leone. The study employed qualitative methods, including desk review, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with stakeholders in visited communities. Despite some challenges, such as procurement delays, the FAO's contribution proved relevant, effective, and impactful. Through training, skills development, decision-making strategies, and provision of agricultural tools, equipment, and mentorship, young men and women were empowered to enhance social cohesion, contribute to peace building, and bolster community resilience. The paper also highlights FAO's role in facilitating the reintegration of at-risk youth into their families and communities, aiding their transition to adulthood. Despite challenges, the project aligned with national and local priorities, effectively reduced rural crime and violence, and empowered youth to participate in decision-making processes, promote social cohesion, and support community resilience initiatives.