Social support and health behaviors among blue-collar women workers.

Objective: To determine whether there is a relationship between baseline levels of social support and women's health behaviors. Methods: Baseline surveys for 859 women assessed smoking, diet (fat, fruit, and vegetable consumption), physical activity, breast and cervical cancer screening, and levels of social support. Results: Women had substantial social networks and a high evel of interaction with their coworkers. Social support was associated with physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and cervical cancer screening. Conclusion: Findings suggest that work-site health-promotion programs for women could benefit from intervening at the social-network level, especially for some health behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]