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Introduction: Tobacco is the leading modifiable risk factor for cancer and other chronic diseases. The workplace provides an opportunity to advance tobacco cessation efforts. Combining tobacco cessation with complementary components addressing mental health, physical activity, and healthy eating has demonstrated effectiveness in non-workplace settings. This scoping review examines the literature on multicomponent workplace tobacco cessation interventions to identify core components and implementation facilitators and barriers to support uptake in the workplace setting. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines for Scoping Reviews and Arksey and O'Malley's five-step process. Peer-reviewed literature published in the past 20 years was searched across 9 databases. A search for relevant gray literature (i.e., conference papers/proceedings) was also completed. Articles were screened by two independent researchers for inclusion. Included studies evaluated workplace interventions recruiting individuals to participate in a tobacco cessation program alongside a complementary component (i.e., physical activity, mental health, healthy eating). Results: Most of the 12 included studies paired tobacco cessation with mental health or stress reduction interventions. Most complementary components targeted the individual versus organizational or policy levels. The synthesized facilitators indicated that multicomponent interventions should be incentivized and tailored to adequately meet the needs of different workplaces and employees. Discussion: This scoping review synthesizes studies integrating multiple complementary program components into workplace tobacco cessation efforts. Future interventions should implement tobacco cessation interventions at multiple levels, combining complementary components to maximize effectiveness and overcome barriers (e.g., weight gain and stress) to successful outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background In 2016, a voluntary National Healthy Food and Drink Policy (hereafter, “the Policy”) was released to encourage public hospitals in New Zealand to provide food and drink options in line with national dietary guidelines. Five years later, eight (of 20) organisations had adopted it, with several preferring to retain or update their own institutional-level version. This study assessed staff and visitors’ awareness and support for and against the Policy, and collected feedback on perceived food environment changes since implementation of the Policy. Methods Cross-sectional electronic and paper-based survey conducted from June 2021 to August 2022. Descriptive statistics were used to present quantitative findings. Free-text responses were analysed following a general inductive approach. Qualitative and quantitative findings were compared by level of implementation of the Policy, and by ethnicity and financial security of participants. Results Data were collected from 2,526 staff and 261 visitors in 19 healthcare organisations. 80% of staff and 56% of visitors were aware of the Policy. Both staff and visitors generally supported the Policy, irrespective of whether they were aware of it or not, with most agreeing that “Hospitals should be good role models.” Among staff who opposed the Policy, the most common reason for doing so was freedom of choice. The Policy had a greater impact, positive and negative, on Māori and Pacific staff, due to more frequent purchasing onsite. Most staff noticed differences in the food and drinks available since Policy implementation. There was positive feedback about the variety of options available in some hospitals, but overall 40% of free text comments mentioned limited choice. 74% of staff reported that food and drinks were more expensive. Low-income staff/visitors and shift workers were particularly impacted by reduced choice and higher prices for healthy options. Conclusions The Policy led to notable changes in the healthiness of foods and drinks available in NZ hospitals but this was accompanied by a perception of reduced value and choice. While generally well supported, the findings indicate opportunities to improve implementation of food and drink policies (e.g. providing more healthy food choices, better engagement with staff, and keeping prices of healthy options low) and confirm that the Policy could be expanded to other public workplaces.

Objectives: Paradoxical associations between high occupational physical activity (OPA) and cardiovascular disease may be explained by exaggerated cardiovascular responses from high work-related stress or low worker fitness. Methods: OPA, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and rate-pressure product (RPP; HR × BP) were measured objectively for 24 hours in 19 male workers. Work-related stress was measured using the Stress in General Scale. Fitness was estimated using a submaximal treadmill test. Effect modification by work-related stress and fitness on associations between OPA and cardiovascular responses was examined using mixed models with interactions. Results: Associations between OPA and RPP, HR, and BP were stronger with high stress (P < 0.05). Associations of work-time moderate and vigorous physical activity and RPP were attenuatedwith higher fitness (P< 0.05). Conclusions: OPA performed under high work-related stress or by workers with low fitness may exaggerate cardiovascular responses to OPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2016, a voluntary National Healthy Food and Drink Policy (hereafter, "the Policy") was released to encourage public hospitals in New Zealand to provide food and drink options in line with national dietary guidelines. Five years later, eight (of 20) organisations had adopted it, with several preferring to retain or update their own institutional-level version. This study assessed staff and visitors' awareness and support for and against the Policy, and collected feedback on perceived food environment changes since implementation of the Policy. Methods: Cross-sectional electronic and paper-based survey conducted from June 2021 to August 2022. Descriptive statistics were used to present quantitative findings. Free-text responses were analysed following a general inductive approach. Qualitative and quantitative findings were compared by level of implementation of the Policy, and by ethnicity and financial security of participants. Results: Data were collected from 2,526 staff and 261 visitors in 19 healthcare organisations. 80% of staff and 56% of visitors were aware of the Policy. Both staff and visitors generally supported the Policy, irrespective of whether they were aware of it or not, with most agreeing that "Hospitals should be good role models." Among staff who opposed the Policy, the most common reason for doing so was freedom of choice. The Policy had a greater impact, positive and negative, on Māori and Pacific staff, due to more frequent purchasing onsite. Most staff noticed differences in the food and drinks available since Policy implementation. There was positive feedback about the variety of options available in some hospitals, but overall 40% of free text comments mentioned limited choice. 74% of staff reported that food and drinks were more expensive. Low-income staff/visitors and shift workers were particularly impacted by reduced choice and higher prices for healthy options. Conclusions: The Policy led to notable changes in the healthiness of foods and drinks available in NZ hospitals but this was accompanied by a perception of reduced value and choice. While generally well supported, the findings indicate opportunities to improve implementation of food and drink policies (e.g. providing more healthy food choices, better engagement with staff, and keeping prices of healthy options low) and confirm that the Policy could be expanded to other public workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Challenges of the Future / Izzivi Prihodnosti is the property of Fakulteta za Organizacijske Studije v Novem mestu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The main capitals of creative industries are thought, creativity and a suitable opportunity for creating innovations. In this century, media organizations are considered as one of the most effective entities among the rest of organizations out there. The news department in media organizations and news networks play a very important and decisive role in informing and interpreting news stories in today’s world. Working in such an environment encompasses high stress and work pressure, which directly affects the health of the IRINN’s news staff and reduces their life quality. As its main goal, the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN) covers the most important daily news-based events both for domestic and regional Farsi-speaking audiences all under the policy framework introduced by the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Considering the importance of workplace health and the important role of the IRINN in the news industry, this issue was investigated. Therefore, by using the Ground Theory method and by conducting 17 independent interviews with the in-house editors and managers of different departments of this news network, the health pattern of the working environment of the employees of this news channel had come into investigation from September 2021 to August 2022. The results of the research were explained at the levels of effective factors, axial category, causal factors, strategies, intervening factors, contextual factors, and consequences, and in the next step, the modeling was completed in this regard [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractTo address increasing pressures experienced in the workplace, the use of wearables as part of workplace health promotion programs is on the rise. Even though the benefits are well-known, participation rates are often low due to privacy-related issues. Therefore, this study illuminates the area of privacy further by investigating the influence of the wearable’s additional private use and limited data access on employees’ intended use. Based on technology acceptance and Privacy Calculus Theory, this study applied a factorial survey experiment to test several literature-driven hypotheses. While restricting data access to the employee has a positive impact on employees’ privacy concerns, perceived benefits, and intended use, the possibility of private use is only of secondary relevance for individuals’ privacy perceptions and intention to use. The results provide empirical evidence on how the design of digital workplace health promotion programs can increase conscious participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Workplace Health Promotion programs play crucial roles in EU and global frameworks, addressing Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 8. • It is vitally important to explore reasons why the company implements measures to promote health in the workplace. • Workplace Health Promotion programs positively impact workers' health, enhancing company reputation and performance. • This study finds meeting employee expectations drives workplace health promotion; reputation, not productivity, mediates. Introduction: Addressing the health and safety of workers is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 8. The European Union urges companies in its member countries to promote measures in this regard. However, this type of program is not a general approach in European companies. This study aims to identify whether the implementation of Workplace Health Promotion measures is influenced by the company's desire to meet its employees' expectations in this area; and if this relationship involves the company's reputation and productivity. Methods: A multi-step methodology is used (descriptive sample portrait, analysis of influences by linear regression, and double-intermediation model analysis) to find out if reputation and productivity mediate the relationship between the satisfaction of employee health expectations and the number of Workplace Health Promotion measures applied. Results: The more weight the company gives to this compliance, the more motivated it is to implement a more significant number of Workplace Health Promotion measures. The increase in productivity does not seem to weigh in this relationship, but the improvement of the company's reputation does. Conclusions: The more the employees' expectations of working in a healthy company are desired to be met, the more measures the company will put in place. Practical applications: The findings have theoretical implications, by increasing knowledge about the factors that influence a company's decision to activate Workplace Health Promotion policies. They can also serve as guidance for implementing policies that encourage health promotion in companies and contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 8: for workers' representatives, by better understanding how these factors influence the fulfillment of their constituents' expectations; for company managers, by better knowing the variables involved in this relationship; and for researchers of this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing penetration of digital technologies into health management, digital health interventions in workplaces have been subject to substantial interest. These interventions aim to enhance employee well-being, minimize absenteeism and presenteeism, and augment organizational productivity. This paper carries out a systematic review focusing on the key characteristics of effective digital health interventions designed to enhance health-related outcomes within workplace settings and evaluates their implications for prospective implementation in the workplace. According to PRISMA guidelines, the current systematic review adopted the most appropriate methods to retrieve studies from PubMed, covering interventions that included cognitive-behavioral therapy apps, software that reduces sedentary behaviors, virtual reality for well-being, and comprehensive health programs. The studies' quality was assessed through standardized tools with a preference for randomized control trials and mixed-methods research. It was found that digital health interventions positively impact mental health, physical activity, and well-being. However, limitations were found due to self-reported data and potential biases. This review identified long-term effectiveness, objective outcome measures, and cost-effectiveness as areas for future research. Digital health interventions hold promise in enhancing workplace health strategies, as they offer scalable, personalized, cost-effective solutions. However, critically relevant research gaps have to be faced to integrate these successfully and exploit their real potential in organizational health strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Safety is a competency, rooted in interactions and embedded in everyday practices. • Standardized and non-contextualized OHS-management tend to lead to unsafe practices. • Developing a safety culture at work requires a responsive leadership style. Introduction: Organizations place strong emphasis on the standardized occupational health and safety procedures to reduce work-related illnesses and workplace accidents. However, standardized procedures are not always followed up in daily work practices. Organizations must cope with the differences between standardized procedures and local adaptation by employees. Methods: This ethnographic field study at an industrial workplace in the Netherlands provides insights into employees' everyday work practices, how these work practices are shaped, and how they relate to local occupational health and safety procedures. Acknowledging safety as a competency embedded in work practices, as introduced by Gherardi and Nicolini (2002), offers a theoretical point of view for looking beyond the dichotomy of standardization and local adaptations. Results: The results show that a standardized and noncontextualized occupational health and safety management system that focuses on accident-free days and compliance actually leads to ignorance of practical and tacit competences of workers and no learning and improvement of safety procedures can take place. However, our findings also illustrate how employees in their informal everyday work practices reduce the risks produced by the safety system itself. Conclusion: Overall, the results indicate that social interactions among employees, leaders, and management within the organization play an important role in workplace safety. The analysis highlights the value of vulnerability and trust in relationships at work to be able to learn and develop safety procedures that align with local demands. Practical applications: This study emphasizes the need for participatory approaches in creating safer and healthier workplaces. The cocreation of occupational health and safety (OHS) rules and procedures, however, can only function if they are combined with a responsive leadership style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress is ubiquitous in life and creates a need for effective responses in any domain. In this exploratory study, our goal was to understand better how business students learn and use stress management techniques in the classroom context and how this learning applies to different domains. We used thematic coding and textual analysis of weekly student journal reflections about their use of different stress management techniques over 12 weeks. Moving beyond their use of stress techniques in the classroom, students' comments suggest that their broad use of tools, led to improved well-being (i.e., increased positive affect, reduced stress, and negative affect) beyond the classroom into other life domains. An analysis of student statements further showed increases in their present-focused cognitive orientation, the key dimension of mindfulness, over time. Their heightened present-focused cognitive orientation seems to stem from their practice of the deep breathing stress management technique. Thus, the results suggest that an explicit focus on students' stress reduction in the classroom may have important implications for how educators can better prepare students for addressing stress and improving psychological and cognitive gains through applied learning across multiple life experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundAlthough resistance training (RT) is essential to preserve musculoskeletal fitness and maintain a healthy, independent life into old age, few women perform RT. We investigated whether resistance exercise snacking (RES) could be an efficient training approach for the workplace health promotion (WHP) to minimize barriers for participation and facilitate RT in women in order to improve musculoskeletal fitness.MethodsThis pilot-study followed a prospective, controlled intervention design. Female employees with sedentary occupations doing RT on less than 2 days/week before study participation were included. Participants self-selected for either intervention (IG) or control group (CG). While the IG [N = 15, mean age 42.1 (SD = 11.1) years] did 10 min of RES on working days for 12 weeks, the CG [N = 15, mean age 49.9 (SD = 9.7) years] was instructed to maintain their habitual physical activity. Primary endpoint was change in muscle mass. Secondary endpoint was change in maximum isometric strength. Balance, cardiovascular fitness, perceived health, and general life satisfaction was assessed for exploratory purpose. Measurements were taken before and after the intervention.Results12 participants of IG and 14 of CG completed the study. Muscle mass improved significantly more in the IG [+0.42 (SD = 0.54) kg] compared to the CG [−0.16 (SD = 0.51) kg] (p = 0.01, ƞ2p = 0.24). Strength did not change significantly between groups. Nevertheless, there was a trend for greater improvements in the IG compared to the CG for trunk extension, trunk flexion, and upper body push but not upper body pull. Regarding exploratory endpoints, no significant between-group changes were found. Despite their poor fitness, both groups perceived their health as good and had high life satisfaction before and after the intervention.ConclusionRES could be an effective approach for the WHP to promote RT in inactive women with sedentary occupations and improve their muscle mass.

Purpose: Differential effects on fitness are hypothesized to contribute to the opposing health effects of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and occupational physical activity (OPA). As such, this study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of fitness with LTPA and OPA. Methods: This study examined fitness associations with LTPA and OPA across 13 yr in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study (years 7 (baseline), 10, 15, and 20 (follow-up) examinations). Fitness was measured at baseline and follow-up via symptom-limited maximal graded exercise test (GXT) duration (in seconds), whereas LTPA and OPA were self-reported during each examination. Baseline and follow-up cross-sectional associations of LTPA (low, medium, high) and OPA (0, 1-6, and =6 months with OPA) with fitness were examined using linear regression. Longitudinal linear regression examined associations between 13-yr LTPA (low, medium, or high) and OPA (no, decreasing, or increasing) trajectories with fitness at follow-up, adjusted for baseline values. All models adjusted for center, sex, race, age, education, smoking history, alcohol intake, resting blood pressure, diabetes status, and body mass index. Stratified analyses examined associations by sex (female/male), race (Black/White), and LTPA groups. Results: Compared with low, medium, and high LTPA were positively associated with fitness in all analyses (P < 0.001). Reporting 1-6 or =6 months with OPA was negatively associated with fitness in cross-sectional follow-up models (β = -15.6 and -15.4, respectively; P = 0.01). Longitudinally, those with increasing OPA had lower follow-up fitness compared with no OPA (β = -16.41, P < 0.01). Negative associations of OPA with fitness were not meaningfully different across sex and race groups. Significant LTPA-OPA interactions were observed (P < 001). Conclusions: Physical activity research and public health promotion should consider domain-specific associations on cardiovascular health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Despite an intensive focus on workers’ health during recent decades, the prevalence of work-related diseases remains unchanged in Denmark and internationally. Therefore, USA and Australian researchers have initiated new paradigms for integration of health promotion, prevention of work-related disease, and organization of work. Inspired by the Australian WorkHealth Improvement Network program (WIN), this paper describes the background, design, intervention methodologies, and evaluation methods of an Integrated Approach to Health, Wellbeing, and Productivity at Work (ITASPA) intervention aiming to prevent work-related injuries and diseases and promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of the worker. Methods Using a stepped wedge design, worksites will be enrolled at baseline and offered the intervention starting at different times. Data will be collected at baseline, before the off-set of the intervention, and after each implementation period. The effect evaluation will be based on a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative data are based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The quantitative data consists of questionnaires, anthropometrics, and resting blood pressure and will be analyzed based on the intention-to-treat principle in linear mixed models with random slope and intercept. Discussion Integrated interventions are shown to increase overall health and safety at worksites more effectively and rapidly than more narrowly focused programs. Still, previous integrated interventions are lacking successful implementation. In ITASPA, the effects of the intervention is tested in a strong scientific mixed-methods design. Thus, the ITASPA project contributes to the knowledge about what characterizes a best practice for the implementation of integrated worksite interventions. Trial registration ITASPA is retrospectively registered in Clinicaltrials.gov on May 19, 2023 (NCT05866978).

With the increasing penetration of digital technologies into health management, digital health interventions in workplaces have been subject to substantial interest. These interventions aim to enhance employee well-being, minimize absenteeism and presenteeism, and augment organizational productivity. This paper carries out a systematic review focusing on the key characteristics of effective digital health interventions designed to enhance health-related outcomes within workplace settings and evaluates their implications for prospective implementation in the workplace. According to PRISMA guidelines, the current systematic review adopted the most appropriate methods to retrieve studies from PubMed, covering interventions that included cognitive-behavioral therapy apps, software that reduces sedentary behaviors, virtual reality for well-being, and comprehensive health programs. The studies’ quality was assessed through standardized tools with a preference for randomized control trials and mixed-methods research. It was found that digital health interventions positively impact mental health, physical activity, and well-being. However, limitations were found due to self-reported data and potential biases. This review identified long-term effectiveness, objective outcome measures, and cost-effectiveness as areas for future research. Digital health interventions hold promise in enhancing workplace health strategies, as they offer scalable, personalized, cost-effective solutions. However, critically relevant research gaps have to be faced to integrate these successfully and exploit their real potential in organizational health strategies.

Background: Public health measures necessary to mitigate the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) impacted lifestyles and health practices. This multiyear cohort analysis of U.S. working-aged adults aims to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on metabolic syndrome and explores contributing factors. Methods: This longitudinal study (n = 19,543) evaluated year-to-year changes in metabolic syndrome and cardiometabolic risk factors through employer-sponsored annual health assessment before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using logistic mixed-effects model. Results: From prepandemic to pandemic (2019 to 2020), prevalence of metabolic syndrome increased by 3.5% for men and 3.0% for women, across all ethnic groups. This change was mainly driven by increased fasting glucose (7.3%) and blood pressure (5.2%). The increased risk of metabolic syndrome was more likely to occur in individuals with an elevated body mass index (BMI) combined with insufficient sleep or physical activity. Conclusions: Cardiometabolic risk increased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with before the pandemic in a working-aged adult population, more so for those with a high BMI, unhealthy sleep, and low physical activity practices. Given this observation, identification of risk and intervention (including lifestyle and medical) is increasingly necessary to reduce the cardiovascular and metabolic risk, and improve working-aged population health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study brings forward a model of workplace health with an approach to staff’s physical activity improvement. this study was an applied and descriptive research that has been conducted with a mixed approach for data collection (qualitative and quantitative). The methodology is performed qualitatively on the basis of grounded theory of Glaser approach. The research participants in qualitative included 18 subjects selected through judgmental sampling method with snowball approach. In addition, the sample in quantitative section, 384 subjects were studied through convinience sampling based on Krejcie and Morgan table. The analysis in the quantitative section is second-order confirmatory factor analysis. According to the results, components of workplace health comprising the physical environment with sub-components of preparing infrastructure along with strenuous company; the psycho-social environment with sub-components of education, culturalization, encouragement along with support; the health resources with the sub-components of evaluation, supervision and alignment of plans; and participation of the company which comprises management and planning.

Background: Despite an intensive focus on workers' health during recent decades, the prevalence of work-related diseases remains unchanged in Denmark and internationally. Therefore, USA and Australian researchers have initiated new paradigms for integration of health promotion, prevention of work-related disease, and organization of work. Inspired by the Australian WorkHealth Improvement Network program (WIN), this paper describes the background, design, intervention methodologies, and evaluation methods of an Integrated Approach to Health, Wellbeing, and Productivity at Work (ITASPA) intervention aiming to prevent work-related injuries and diseases and promote the health, safety, and wellbeing of the worker. Methods: Using a stepped wedge design, worksites will be enrolled at baseline and offered the intervention starting at different times. Data will be collected at baseline, before the off-set of the intervention, and after each implementation period. The effect evaluation will be based on a mixed-methods approach. The qualitative data are based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The quantitative data consists of questionnaires, anthropometrics, and resting blood pressure and will be analyzed based on the intention-to-treat principle in linear mixed models with random slope and intercept. Discussion: Integrated interventions are shown to increase overall health and safety at worksites more effectively and rapidly than more narrowly focused programs. Still, previous integrated interventions are lacking successful implementation. In ITASPA, the effects of the intervention is tested in a strong scientific mixed-methods design. Thus, the ITASPA project contributes to the knowledge about what characterizes a best practice for the implementation of integrated worksite interventions. Trial registration: ITASPA is retrospectively registered in Clinicaltrials.gov on May 19, 2023 (NCT05866978). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to describe the effects of Technostress on employees' well-being and productivity. We adopted the Job Demands Resources Model as a theoretical framework to analyze the "Technostress" phenomenon in order to clarify whether and how technology can be considered a job demand, a job resource, or part of the effects of personal resources in the workplace. The sources search and selection process was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and regarded papers published from 2010 to 2022. Overall, the findings show that most selected papers consider ICT a job demand negatively affecting human behavior, thoughts, and attitudes. In contrast, some report that ICT acts as a job resource, thus reducing the impact of job demands and their physiological and psychological costs. Finally, a third category of studies does not consider the effects of ICT itself but gives more space to the interaction among ICT, the organizational context in which it is used, and the personal characteristics of ICT users. More specifically, the findings show how individual features and organizational procedures can shape the interpretations employees make about their ICT-related experiences at work and, consequently, their performance or well-being. Findings suggest that when ICT tools are strategically planned and used within organizations, they can enrich the employee experience at work, positively affecting the individual and the organizational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Job Demand & Resources model suggests work characteristics are related to mental well-being and work engagement. Previous work describes the development of a combined construct ‘engaged well-being at work’ (EWB). To what extent changes in measures of this construct are responsive to changes in job demands and resources or associated with changes in job-related attitudes has not been established. Methods: Longitudinal employee-level data from three waves (German Linked Personnel Panel) were used. Logistic and linear fixed effects regression analyses explored longitudinal associations between changes in EWB for participants over a three-year period with changes in job demands and resources and job-related attitudes (job commitment, satisfaction, and turnover intentions). Results: While job resources were associated with increased odds for a change into a healthier and/or more engaged category of EWB, job demands reduced them. Job resources were more strongly related to higher EWB (ORrange = 1.22 – 1.61) than job demands (ORrange = 0.79 – 0.96). Especially psychological job demands showed negative associations with improved EWB (OR = 0.79). A change from the least desirable category ‘disengaged strain’ to any other category of EWB was associated with greater odds by up to 20.6 % for increased commitment and job satisfaction and lower odds for turnover intentions. Discussion: Improving work characteristics, especially job resources, could increase employees' EWB, emphasizing the importance of job characteristics for a healthy workplace. Because EWB seems to be associated with job attitudes, an improvement of this indicator would be relevant for employees and employers.

BackgroundAll anesthesia providers, including nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists work in a stressful environment with diverse tasks. The profession is characterized by high workload, both dependent and independent job descriptions, and unpredictable conditions. This study was designed and conducted to explain the factors affecting the workplace health of Iranian anesthesia teams.MethodsTwenty anesthesia team members including nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologists from 7 different hospitals were enrolled in this phenomenological research. The data were collected in 2022. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and the transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis.FindingsThe most notable theme emerging from the data which was found to affect workplace health was consistency of anesthesia team. Other themes derived from the data included team tranquility and physical well-being.ConclusionThe participants' emphasis was more on behavioral and managerial factors affecting workplace health, and desirable interpersonal cooperation to create a suitable work environment for them was more prominent. These findings can raise the awareness of chief nurse anesthetists and planners to provide more effective teamwork, modify the job description structure, and reduce staff conflicts.

Over the past few decades, evidence has accumulated that psychological consequences of work behavior can mount to affect physical health. Still, the connection between leadership behaviors of supervisors and their impact on subordinate mental and physical health remains understudied despite managers being able to mitigate the assignment and impact of difficult and stressful tasks. This study reports correlational findings in a sample of 71 nurses and their work relationship with their supervisor. Participants self-reported supervisory relationship quality measured by the Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) construct and physiological and psychological variables. Nurses with lower supervisory relationship quality reported significantly higher levels of depression, cardiac risk and blood pressure than nurses reporting higher relationship quality. The current research suggests that workplace supervisory relationships may have broader health implications and notes that additional research is needed to understand the impact of the supervisory-subordinate relationship on physical and psychological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Challenges of the Future / Izzivi Prihodnosti is the property of Fakulteta za Organizacijske Studije v Novem mestu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The potential of workplace health promotion Unhealthy behaviors (eg, insufficient physical activity, an unhealthy diet, high alcohol intake and smoking) and obesity are risk factors for adverse health outcomes (1, 2), productivity loss due to presenteeism or sickness absence (3–6), and early exit from paid employment (7, 8). Poor health and unhealthy behaviors are more prevalent among workers from low socioeconomic positions (1, 2, 9), as are unemployment and work disability (10, 11). With a growing challenge in our societies to work longer, reflected in the increasing statutory retirement age in many European countries, an urgent need exists to enhance workers’ health to remain in paid employment. Given the profound socioeconomic inequalities in health behaviors, health, and participation in paid employment, this is particularly pressing among workers in lower socioeconomic positions. The workplace is a promising setting for health promotion as workers spend a lot of time at work, and existing social networks for social support could be used to change behavior and enhance health. In the past decades, numerous workplace health promotion programs have been offered and evaluated regarding their (cost-)effectiveness. Workplace health promotion programs could be a way to improve workers’ health and can for example include elements of support, policies, or environmental changes to encourage healthy behavior. Traditionally, programs have focused on providing workers with advice on how to change their behavior. Such programs have been criticized because they do not take a broader perspective such as the environment (eg, workplace structures and conditions) into account (12). However, still many of these traditional programs are offered to employees and evaluated. The effects of such programs remain disappointing thus far. A recent review of reviews reported only small favorable long-term effects of workplace health promotion programs targeting physical activity and diet to reduce workers’ body weight (13). This is in line with findings from recent individual participant data meta-analyses of Dutch workplace health promotion programs that showed small and statistically non-significant decreases in unhealthy behaviors and body mass index (14, 15). In this editorial, we reflect on the body of research regarding workplace health promotion. Gaps in the literature will be described, most notably regarding (i) the need for more targeted workplace health promotion, (ii) a systems approach for workplace health promotion, and (iii) the delivery of workplace health promotion. We will conclude this editorial with future directions for workplace health promotion research. Gaps in the workplace health promotion literature Targeted workplace health promotion A recent individual participant data meta-analysis showed that the effectiveness of workplace health promotion programs differed across target populations. Those programs focusing on indicated prevention (ie, on workers who are already at risk for unhealthy behavior, obesity or other health problems) were found to be more effective than universal prevention where a program is delivered to all workers within an organization (15). This is in contrast with the Geoffrey Rose paradigm, which implies that universal prevention, aimed at reducing the risk of an entire population, would be more effective from a public health perspective than interventions only targeting high-risk groups (16). However, as unhealthy behaviors and obesity are highly prevalent in the general population, the high-risk group consists of a large share of this population. It could therefore be argued that a targeted approach for workplace health promotion would be effective from a public health perspective as well. In line with this and in an attempt to reduce socioeconomic health inequalities, effective interventions targeting workers in low socioeconomic position are needed. There are no indications that workplace health promotion programs differ in their effectiveness when delivered to different socioeconomic groups (14–16). However, a recent review on workplace health promotion showed that researchers substantially more often conduct studies on workplace health promotion among workers from higher compared to lower socioeconomic groups (17). This is striking because, as mentioned above, there is a particular need among workers in low socioeconomic groups to improve their health and reduce sickness absence and presenteeism. Researchers need to be encouraged to reach out to this group, even though it might be challenging. A systems approach to workplace health promotion As universal behavioral prevention strategies on health behaviors or weight reduction in health promotion programs show little-to-no effect (13–15), it could be questioned whether and – if so – how workplace health promotion programs are justified. As unhealthy behaviors and obesity often coincide with pressing life struggles, including relational, emotional, financial and physical problems, single component interventions are unlikely to result in substantial changes (18). This notion is underlined by study results suggesting that improvements in health and productivity among workers is unlikely solely a behavioral issue. A recent article in this journal indicated that the work itself, rather than characteristics of the worker, account for one third of socioeconomic health differences (19). These recent findings reiterate discussion papers from decades ago arguing that health behavior change can hardly be reached by only providing people information and advice on how to become healthy (20). Approaches that combine individual interventions with changes in the environment and society are the most promising strategies to improve healthy behavior and reduce obesity (21). This means that more research is needed on the interplay between ‘causes of the causes’ of unhealthy behavior by trying to understand the ‘system’ in which people live and work. Only then, the structural determinants of health behavior among workers can be addressed. These so-termed system approaches are lacking within the occupation health setting or occur with only minimal changes in the environment. The delivery of workplace health promotion The ineffectiveness of workplace health promotion programs cannot only be attributed to the target population or the content of the programs, but can also be the result of the lack of a clear implementation strategy and understanding of factors that may hinder or enable adequate uptake of workplace health promotion. In other words, what, why and how programs work in `real world` settings. Even though implementation research receives more and more attention in occupational health, it is still underrepresented in publications, including in this journal. Proper & van Oostrom (13) conclude that more research is needed on the factors that contribute to successful implementation of interventions. A systematic review showed room for improvement as initial participation levels in studies regarding workplace health promotion had a median participation level of only 33% (22). A meta-analysis indicated larger intervention effects among workers with higher program compliance (14), which emphasizes the importance of sustained participation with regard to the effectiveness. It is a particular challenge to reach workers with a lower socioeconomic position who typically work in blue-collar occupations and jobs involving difficult work circumstances such as shift work. A review on shift workers suggested that, to enhance participation, workplace health promotion programs should adopt more flexibility in the time and location of delivery of the program and time off (23). To reduce socioeconomic inequalities, in addition to delivering effective workplace health promotion programs, there is a need to gain more knowledge on implementation strategies to reach specifically workers with lower socioeconomic positions and to implement interventions in their context. Future directions of workplace health promotion research Based on the knowledge gaps mentioned above, we propose the following research agenda concerning workplace health promotion. First, address underlying determinants of unhealthy behavior in workplace health promotion programs for workers with lower socioeconomic positions. Because of the persistent socioeconomic health inequalities and the low number of scientific studies conducted among workers with a lower socioeconomic position, there is undoubtedly a need for high quality studies on targeted interventions for these workers. These interventions should use approaches that go beyond a single behavioral component, for example a systems approach that considers underlying issues that coincide among workers with a low socioeconomic position (eg, unhealthy behaviors, unfavorable working conditions, health problems, and underlying social and financial issues). Second, conduct process evaluations alongside effect evaluations to better understand how and why an intervention is (in-)effective. As aforementioned, although targeted interventions could be highly effective in the context of a research trial, it is important that they reach and retain the target group when implemented in a real-world setting. Designing the intervention and implementation strategies both deserve attention in the development phase of workplace health promotion programs to gain a better insight on what works for whom in which context and to make sure that successful workplace health promotion programs are sustainable in practice. To develop such implementation strategies, structured process evaluations to monitor the implementation alongside effect evaluations are needed (24). Although this suggestion is not new, and the number of process evaluations have increased in the past decades, publications of process evaluation still lag behind the publication of effects evaluations. A review showed that of 307 effect evaluations of workplace health promotion programs, only 27 (7.2%) published a process evaluation, which were moreover often of poor-to-average quality (25). We encourage researchers to conduct process evaluations and submit papers consisting of both a process and effect evaluation. In line with this, editors should also be more willing to publish such studies. In conclusion, workplace health promotion programs thus far show marginal gains, as the effectiveness and implementation of traditional universal preventative workplace health promotion interventions are still disappointing. A drastic turnaround in occupational health research would be needed for us to have a bright future ahead with better tailoring and delivering interventions to the needs of the target group, in particular for workers with low socioeconomic positions. References 1. Schram JL, Oude Groeniger J, Schuring M, Proper KI, van Oostrom SH, Robroek SJ, Burdorf A. Working conditions and health behavior as causes of educational inequalities in self-rated health: an inverse odds weighting approach. Scand J Work Environ Health 2021;47:127-135. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3918 2. Niedhammer I, Bourgkard E, Chau N; Lorhandicap Study Group. Occupational and behavioural factors in the explanation of social inequalities in premature and total mortality: a 12.5-year follow-up in the Lorhandicap study. Eur J Epidemiol 2011;26:1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9506-9 3. Kanerva N, Pietiläinen O, Lallukka T, Rahkonen O, Lahti J Unhealthy lifestyle and sleep problems as risk factors for increased direct employers’ cost of short-term sickness absence. Scand J Work Environ Health 2018;44:192-201. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3695 4. Virtanen M, Ervasti J, Head J, et al. Lifestyle factors and risk of sickness absence from work: a multicohort study. Lancet Public Health 2018;3:e545-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30201-9 5. Robroek SJ, van den Berg TI, Plat JF, Burdorf A. The role of obesity and lifestyle behaviours in a productive workforce. Occup Environ Med 2011;68:134-9. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2010.055962 6. Troelstra SA, Coenen P, Boot CR, Harting J, Kunst AE, van der Beek AJ. Smoking and sickness absence: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scand J Work Environ Health 2020;46:5-18. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3848 7. Robroek SJW, Reeuwijk KG, Hillier FC, Bambra CL, van Rijn RM, Burdorf A. The contribution of overweight, obesity, and lack of physical activity to exit from paid employment: a meta-analysis. Scand J Work Environ Health 2013;39:233-240. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3354 8. Robroek SJW, Schuring M, Croezen S, Stattin M, Burdorf A. Poor health, unhealthy behaviors, and unfavorable work characteristics influence pathways of exit from paid employment among older workers in Europe: a four year follow-up study. Scand J Work Environ Health 2013;39:125-133 https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3319 9. Robroek SJ, Rongen A, Arts CH, Otten FW, Burdorf A, Schuring M. Educational Inequalities in Exit from Paid Employment among Dutch Workers: The Influence of Health, Lifestyle and Work. PLoS One 2015;10:e0134867. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0134867 10. Schram JL, Solovieva S, Leinonen T, Viikari-Juntura E, Burdorf A, Robroek SJ. The influence of occupational class and physical workload on working life expectancy among older employees. Scand J Work Environ Health 2021;47:5-14. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3919 11. Robroek SJ, Nieboer D, Järvholm B, Burdorf A. Educational differences in duration of working life and loss of paid employment: working life expectancy in The Netherlands. Scand J Work Environ Health 2020;46:77-84. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3843 12. Carr LJ, Leonhard C, Tucker S, Fethke N, Benzo R, Gerr F. Total Worker Health Intervention Increases Activity of Sedentary Workers. Am J Prev Med 2016;50:9-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.06.022 13. Proper KI, van Oostrom SH. The effectiveness of workplace health promotion interventions on physical and mental health outcomes - a systematic review of reviews. Scand J Work Environ Health 2019;45:546-559. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3833 14. Coenen P, Robroek SJW, van der Beek AJ, Boot CRL, van Lenthe FJ, Burdorf A, Oude Hengel KM. Socioeconomic inequalities in effectiveness of and compliance to workplace health promotion programs: an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2020;17:112. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-01002-w 15. Robroek SJW, Oude Hengel KM, van der Beek AJ, Boot CRL, van Lenthe FJ, Burdorf A, Coenen P. Socio-economic inequalities in the effectiveness of workplace health promotion programmes on body mass index: An individual participant data meta-analysis. Obes Rev 2020;21:e13101. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13101 16. Rose G. High-risk and population strategies of prevention: ethical considerations. Ann Med 1989;21:409-13. https://doi.org/10.3109/07853898909149231 17. Van de Ven D, Robroek SJW, Burdorf A. Are workplace health promotion programmes effective for all socioeconomic groups? A systematic review. Occup Environ Med 2020;77:589-596. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2019-106311 18. Lee BY, Bartsch SM, Mui Y, Haidari LA, Spiker ML, Gittelsohn J. A systems approach to obesity. Nutr Rev 2017;75:94-106. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuw049 19. Dieker AC, IJzelenberg W, Proper KI, Burdorf A, Ket JC, van der Beek AJ, Hulsegge G. The contribution of work and lifestyle factors to socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health - a systematic review. Scand J Work Environ Health 2019;45:114-125. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3772 20. Swinburn B, Egger G, Raza F. Dissecting obesogenic environments: the development and application of a framework for identifying and prioritizing environmental interventions for obesity. Prev Med 1999;29:563-70. https://doi.org/10.1006/pmed.1999.0585 21. Bluher M. Obesity: global epidemiology and pathogenesis. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2019;15:288-98. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0176-8 22. Robroek SJ, van Lenthe FJ, van Empelen P, Burdorf A. Determinants of participation in worksite health promotion programmes: a systematic review. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2009;6:26. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-6-26 23. Demou E, MacLean A, Cheripelli LJ, Hunt K, Gray CM. Group-based healthy lifestyle workplace interventions for shift workers: a systematic review. Scand J Work Environ Health 2018;44:568-584. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3763 24. Havermans BM, Schelvis RMC, Boot CRL, Brouwers EPM, Anema JR, van der Beek AJ. Process variables in organizational stress management intervention evaluation research: a systematic review. Scand J Work Environ Health 2016;42:371-381. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3570 25. Wierenga D, Engbers LH, Van Empelen P, Duijts S, Hildebrandt VH, Van Mechelen W. What is actually measured in process evaluations for worksite health promotion programs: a systematic review. BMC Public Health 2013;13:1190. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-1190 26. Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. Key terms. [Internet]. Available from: https://www.sjweh.fi/index.php?page=show-keyterms&key=80&start=600 [Accessed 30 Sept 2021].

Objective: The study intends to examine the effect of participating healthy eating related games or activities in workplace on changes of employee's self-reported behavioral stage for adopting healthy eating. Study design: A quasi-experimental study. Methods: A multi-strategic intervention for 8-month was designed and implemented in a main staff canteen area within a non-profit academic organization. The initial event included exhibition of custom-made dining plates filled with correct portions of food models for three caloric levels and provision of user-friendly online resources, which were followed by three promotion activities (long-term exhibition of my balanced plates, matching games for six food groups, and do-it-yourself healthy plate) in the 8 months. Results: A total of 86 adult participants (males = 37, female = 49) who had completed pre- and post-surveys were included in the analysis. Participants who participated all three promotion activities presented greater advancement in stage of healthy eating behaviors (HEB) than those who did not participate any activity (β= 1.118, 95% CI = 0.428–1.808, P = 0.001 among male participants; β = 0.740, 95% CI = 0.145–1.336, P = 0.015 among all participants). Adjustment has been made for significantly-associated covariates including types of promotion activities, initial-HEB and gender. Conclusions: A multi-strategic intervention providing balanced food plates and online resources followed by consecutive promotion activities are effective in advancing HEB for the workplace adults. Differential impacts of promotion activities and gender should also be considered for designing workplace interventions.

Research Question (RQ): What is the role of organisational commitment in health, especially in the context of other work-related psychosocial factors (optimism, empowerment, stressful working conditions, job insecurity, and satisfactory payment). Purpose: The aim of the paper is to examine the role of organisational commitment in employee’s health. Method: An ISSP survey on a subsample of 589 workers in Slovenia was statistically analysed, using 1) a bivariate Pearson correlation test;2) a hierarchical multivariate linear regression to compare two models, where to see the role of organisational commitment, health was predicted by work-related psychosocial factors in a model with and in a model without organisational commitment, and 3) structural equation modelling to understand interrelations amongst analysed concepts. Results The results shows all analysed factors contribute to health, but not all directly. Health was found to be directly related to stressful working conditions, optimism, and affective organisational commitment. The latter was found to mediate the effects of stressful working conditions, satisfactory payment and optimism on health. Organisation: The results have a significant impact on a more detailed review of the factors that contribute to better working conditions for healthier employees When employees are committed, they not only stay in the organisation, but they are also healthier and consequently perform better, thus benefits could be seen for employers and employees. It is useful for managers to have knowledge of psychological empowerment, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment, as they can utilize these elements to motivate, develop, and manage employees. Society: As working population is the one that represent the main active population in society, it is important to generate working conditions for healthier workforce. Understanding the role of organisational commitment, and other work-related psychosocial factors for health could benefit not only for organisations and employees, but for other society members, that rely on working population, as well. Originality: The study statistically examines the conceptual research model, where it does not stop on bivariate correlations, or model with one dependent variable, as found in many other studies, but explore inner correlations among factors, thus provide more detailed insight to the relations among organisational commitment, employee’s health and work-related psychosocial factors (optimism, empowerment, stressful working conditions, job insecurity, and satisfactory payment). With our findings we contribute to the discussion on a constructive and future oriented approach to provide working conditions that would lead to committed and healthier workforce. We suggest that policy makers and human resource managers in organisations create working conditions that are focused on improving health. By doing so, affective organisational commitment should be one of the top priorities. Limitations/further research: The study was cross-sectional. Our sample was limited to employees in Slovenia. Our study was limited by the scope of secondary data available; health predictors were selected in accordance with theory and available indicators in the existing survey; limited to main factors: health, organisational commitment and work-related psychosocial factors (optimism, empowerment, stressful working conditions, job insecurity, and satisfactory payment). Future research could focus also on other health related factors (such as genetics, certain lifestyles, the environment, and susceptibility to diseases), include longitudinal approach and compare different geographical contexts.

The workplace is considered an effective setting for health and wellbeing interventions, including programmes focusing on nutrition, and provides opportunities to tailor programmes to meet the specific needs of industry and employees. This study explored nutrition practices amongst construction workers and managers to inform the design of a nutrition intervention. Five focus groups were conducted on three construction sites: two with managers (n = 11) and three with workers (n = 27). Construction workers and managers identified several unhealthy nutrition-related behaviours, including high consumption of convenient and fast foods, excessive coffee, alcohol, energy drinks and low fruit and vegetable intake. These behaviours were often attributed to high workloads, long working hours and physically demanding jobs. Snacking and skipping meals were repeatedly reported, attributed to short breaks and poor accessibility to food outlets. The nutritional quality of meals differed between individuals (homemade vs fast food), depending on the type of sites (temporary vs permanent) and site location. Nutrition knowledge, establishing routines, meal planning and preparation were recognized as important in sustaining healthy nutrition habits. However, meal preparation depended on the facilities available, which differed between managers and workers, highlighting the complex relationship between the workplace context and eating behaviours. Construction workers were interested in learning about nutrition and improving their eating habits through nutrition intervention. However, they highlighted that better cooking and storage facilities on site, together with fewer job demands and longer break times, would enhance the sustainability of the intervention and their ability to make healthier food choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The workplace provides a unique opportunity to intervene on tobacco use, by implementing multilevel interventions engaging diverse employees. Using the social ecological model (SEM), this scoping review aimed to synthesize descriptions of multilevel workplace tobacco control programs to create a health equity informed framework for intervention planning. Methods: Multiple databases were searched for articles published from January 2010 to December 2020 meeting inclusion criteria (i.e., discussed multilevel tobacco cessation interventions that intervene, target, or incorporate two or more levels of influence, and one of the levels must be the workplace). Articles were screened by two independent researchers and included if they discussed multilevel tobacco cessation interventions that intervened, targeted, or incorporated two or more levels of influence. To integrate the extracted information into the SEM, we utilized the McLeroy et al. model and definitions to describe potential multilevel interventions and their determinants. Results: Nine articles were included in this review. No studies intervened across all five levels (individual, interpersonal, institutional, community, and policy), and the most common levels of intervention were individual (e.g., individual counseling), interpersonal (e.g., group therapy), and institutional (e.g., interventions during work hours). Participation rates varied by key social determinants of health (SDOHs) such as age, gender, education and income. Barriers including cost and sustainability influenced successful implementation, while leadership endorsement and accessibility facilitated successful implementation. Discussion/Application to Practice: Multilevel interventions targeting at least two SEM levels may reduce persistent health inequities if they address how SDOHs influence individual health behaviors. Employee characteristics impacted the success of tobacco cessation interventions, but more research is needed to understand the barriers and facilitators related to workplace characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Around 10% of the female population is estimated to have a subclinical eating disorder. Many of these women are of working age. Previous research has shown associations between unhealthy eating behaviors and occupational stress or burnout. However, no previous study has explored the association between disordered eating and work engagement, a positive, fulfilling, affective-cognitive state of mind which has been positioned as the conceptual opposite of burnout. Thus, that was the aim of the present study. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a sample of 701 Swedish women completed the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9) and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). They were divided into a Healthy Eating (HE) and a Disordered Eating (DE) group based on their EDE-Q scores. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to test the association between disordered eating and work engagement. The Kruskal Wallis test was used to assess the associations between educational level, marital status and age group, and work engagement. Results Neither the UWES scores nor the EDE-Q scores were found to have a normal distribution. Non-parametric testing showed that the DE group reported significantly lower work engagement than the HE group (p = 0.016). There were no significant associations between education, marital status or age (independent variables) and work engagement (dependent variable) (p = 0.826, 0.309, and 0.349, respectively). Conclusion These findings indicate that work engagement may play a role in disordered eating, and that there is a need for future research to consider the workplace environment as a potential source for altering disordered eating behaviors.

Abstract Background Returning to work after childbirth is challenging for working mothers. Childcare quality may have lifelong effects on children’s health, development and cognitive function. Over 60% of working women globally are informal workers without employment or maternity protection, but little is known about how these women care for their children. Methods We conducted a mixed-methods longitudinal cohort study among informal women workers in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa between July 2018 and August 2019. Participants were followed up from late pregnancy until they had returned to work. We conducted structured quantitative interviews and in-depth qualitative interviews at different time points: before and after the baby was born, and after returning to work. Subsequently, a photovoice activity was conducted with groups of participants to explore the childcare environment. We employed narrative thematic analysis for qualitative data and descriptive analysis for quantitative data. Results 24 women were recruited to participate. Women returned to work soon after the baby was born, often earlier than planned, because of financial responsibilities to provide for the household and new baby. Women had limited childcare choices and most preferred to leave their babies with family members at home, as the most convenient, low cost option. Otherwise, mothers chose paid carers or formal childcare. However, formal childcare was reported to be poor quality, unaffordable and not suited to needs of informal workers. Mothers expressed concern about carers’ reliability and the safety of the childcare environment. Flexibility of informal work allowed some mothers to adapt their work to care for their child themselves, but others were unable to arrange consistent childcare, sometimes leaving the child with unsuitable carers to avoid losing paid work. Mothers were frequently anxious about leaving the child but felt they had no choice as they needed to work. Conclusion Mothers in informal work had limited childcare options and children were exposed to unsafe, poor-quality care. Maternity protection for informal workers would support these mothers to stay home longer to care for themselves, their family and their baby. Provision of good quality, affordable childcare would provide stability for mothers and give these vulnerable children the opportunity to thrive.

Introduction: Workplace stress and depression should be properly treated to maintain productivity in teaching. Unmanaged stress and depression could lead to severe outcomes that affect the environment in the classroom. Thus, managing stress and preventing depression in the workplace are significant aspects of successful teaching. Methods: This study aims to determine the level of workplace stress and depression of the educators in the Philippines by gathering their demographic profiles, levels of workplace stress, and the level of depression. A correlation was used if there is a significant difference in the profile between workplace stress and a state of depression. This research study used the descriptive survey method with educators as respondents in the questionnaire during the school year 2019-2020 with a total of 407 respondents. Results: Based on the study results, teachers disagree that they experience stress in the workplace, and teachers seldom experience depression. The difference shows that the level of stress and depression are lower at vocational and college levels. Conclusion: Based on the findings, teachers should understand how to practice stress management and prevent depression. School administrators and policymakers should look at possible interventions to minimize the level of stress and depression of educators.

Food choices are closely linked to culture, social relationships, and health. Because many adults spend up to half their time at work, the workplace provides a venue for changing population health-related behaviors and norms. It is unknown whether the effects of a workplace intervention to improve health behaviors might spread beyond participating employees due to social influence. ChooseWell 365 was a randomized controlled trial testing a 12-month healthy eating intervention grounded in principles of behavioral economics. This intervention leveraged an existing cafeteria traffic-light labeling system (green = healthy; red = unhealthy) in a large hospital workplace and demonstrated significant improvements in healthy food choices by employees in the intervention vs. control group. The current study used data from over 29 million dyadic purchasing events during the trial to test whether social ties to a trial participant co-worker (n = 299 intervention, n = 302 control) influenced the workplace food choices of non-participants (n = 7900). There was robust evidence that non-participants who were socially tied to more intervention group participants made healthier workplace food purchases overall, and purchased a greater proportion of healthy (i.e., green) food and beverages, and fewer unhealthy (i.e., red) beverages and modest evidence that the benefit of being tied to intervention participants was greater than being tied to control participants. Although individual-level effect sizes were small, a range of consistent findings indicated that this light-touch intervention yielded spillover effects of healthy eating behaviors on non-participants. Results suggest that workplace healthy eating interventions could have population benefits extending beyond participants. • Evidence about how social relationships may change eating behaviors is inconclusive. • We examined if a workplace eating intervention may benefit non-enrolled workers. • We analyzed 42 months of social tie and cafeteria purchase data from a workplace RCT. • Healthy choices "spill over" to non-enrolled workers socially tied to trial members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among office workers, the sedentary work-related health challenges are mainly associated with the fact that they often sit for up to 10 hr a working day. Members of the Research Group conducted a research program to assist the office workers of an international telecommunication company's affiliate in Budapest to enhance comfort levels in the office work environment. The data collection included a Comfort Survey to reveal employees' sense of comfort related to Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) components and the characteristics of employees' feelings and behavior during working hours. Moreover, a measurement of IEQ components was carried out and focused on air quality, lighting, sound exposure and thermal comfort parameters. Based on the survey's results, a Creative Concept was developed to empower office workers to address work-related health risks, notably sedentary work risks. The Creative Concept consists of five elements: a Comfort Map as an IEQ-related application to select a suitable workplace, redesigning concepts to increase the use of lounges, a newly developed work pad to improve personal hygiene in an office environment, recommendations for creating a health-enabling work environment and a workplace training program to raise health awareness. After validation, our Creative Concept can function as a multi-component workplace health promotion method to offer assistance for a wide variety of offices to create a health-enabling working environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health in the workplace is becoming of ever greater importance. General occupational health surveillance programmes are already in widespread use, with established referral systems for treatment and rehabilitation, and the same mechanisms could be expanded to include mental health screening and intervention. This study aimed to develop a concise composite mental health screening tool, based on analysis of existing data, for application in routine occupational health surveillance in South Africa. Data from workplace occupational health surveillance programs from 2,303 participants were analysed. Participants completed a number of questions/scaled items collated into a survey format, and partook in an interview with a psychologist. The data was analysed using frequency of positive self-reports, Chi square to calculate associations with outcomes, Receiver Operator Characteristic curve analysis to explore predictive ability, and binomial logistic regression to calculate the relative contribution of markers to outcomes. An exploratory factor analysis was further conducted on identified items. A general workplace model with 14 markers (and a maritime workplace model with 17 markers) were identified. The factor analysis suggested their organisation into five domains (similar for both models), namely neurocognitive health, common mental disorders, history of adaptation in occupational specific contexts, family-work interface, and stress overload. The study's data-driven approach proposed a concise composite screener with less than 50 items, comprising five domains. This tool appears useful in identifying employees at risk for workplace injuries or poor mental health outcomes, and could be applied to related workplace settings in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Leadership commitment to worker safety and health is one of the most important factors when organizations develop and implement a Total Worker Health® approach. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of a Total Worker Health ("TWH") leadership development program that targeted owners and other senior-level leadership positions on changing organizational and worker outcomes from baseline to one-year later.Methods: The Small + Safe + Well study included small businesses from a variety of industries in the state of Colorado, USA that were participating in Health Links™. We designed a randomized waitlisted control comparison design (RCT) to evaluate the added benefit of a TWH leadership development program. An employer assessment tool was used to assess TWH policies and programs, and an employee health and safety survey was used to assess safety leadership and health leadership practices, safety climate and health climate, safety behaviors and health behaviors, and well-being. We used a linear mixed model framework with random effects for business and employee to assess the impact of intervention on the outcomes of interest.Results: Thirty-six businesses (37% retention) and 250 employees (9% retention) met the RCT study inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. Businesses improved their TWH policies and programs score from baseline to one-year later, regardless of leadership intervention group assignment. Neither intervention group demonstrated improvements in employee-reported outcomes.Conclusions: This study sought to address a gap in the literature regarding small business senior leadership development for TWH. Our study demonstrates many of the challenges of conducting studies focused on organizational change in workplaces, specifically in small businesses. When designing TWH intervention studies, researchers should consider how to best engage small business leaders in interventions and implementations early on, as well as methods that are well matched to measuring primary and secondary outcomes longitudinally. Future research is needed to test the feasibility and sustainability of TWH interventions in small business.Trial Registration: The trial was retrospectively registered with ClinicalTrials.gov ( ID U19OH011227 ). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Workplace musculoskeletal disorders are the leading cause of morbidity and disability in the Australian workforce. Over one in five occupational therapists report workplace musculoskeletal disorders, with almost half reporting workplace musculoskeletal symptoms. In other health professions, students and novice clinicians (≤5 years practice) experience greater risk but little is known about occupational therapy students. Methods In this cross-sectional study, a survey including the self-reported Standardised Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was administered to occupational therapy students post work-based training. Musculoskeletal problems were defined as aches, pains, numbness or discomfort. Questions explored body sites affected, prevalence, impact on activity, need for medical assistance, demographic and workplace information. Prevalence was reported using descriptive statistics. Factors associated with workplace musculoskeletal problems over the previous 12 months and last 7 days were examined using logistic regression modelling. Results Response rate was 53% (n = 211/397). One-third of respondents (33.6%, n = 71/211) reported a workplace musculoskeletal problem over 12 months. Nearly half (47.9%, n = 34/71) of these students reported a problem over the last 7 days. Neck was the most commonly affected area reported for musculoskeletal problems over the past 12 months (24.2%, n = 51/211) and shoulder areas affected over the past 7 days (10.9%, n = 23/211). Musculoskeletal problems preventing daily activities were reported most commonly from lower back problems over 12 months (23.9%, n = 17/71) and for shoulder problems over the last 7 days (21.9%, n = 7/32). Shoulders and knees were the most common body areas requiring medical attention. Previous musculoskeletal problems and female gender were associated with reported problems over 12 months and last 7 days (p

Mental health in the workplace is becoming of ever greater importance. General occupational health surveillance programmes are already in widespread use, with established referral systems for treatment and rehabilitation, and the same mechanisms could be expanded to include mental health screening and intervention. This study aimed to develop a concise composite mental health screening tool, based on analysis of existing data, for application in routine occupational health surveillance in South Africa. Data from workplace occupational health surveillance programs from 2,303 participants were analysed. Participants completed a number of questions/scaled items collated into a survey format, and partook in an interview with a psychologist. The data was analysed using frequency of positive self-reports, Chi square to calculate associations with outcomes, Receiver Operator Characteristic curve analysis to explore predictive ability, and binomial logistic regression to calculate the relative contribution of markers to outcomes. An exploratory factor analysis was further conducted on identified items. A general workplace model with 14 markers (and a maritime workplace model with 17 markers) were identified. The factor analysis suggested their organisation into five domains (similar for both models), namely neurocognitive health, common mental disorders, history of adaptation in occupational specific contexts, family-work interface, and stress overload. The study’s data-driven approach proposed a concise composite screener with less than 50 items, comprising five domains. This tool appears useful in identifying employees at risk for workplace injuries or poor mental health outcomes, and could be applied to related workplace settings in South Africa.