Truckies and the Australian transport industry: Managers’ perspectives about enablers and inhibitors to workplace health promotion (original) (raw)
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Truckies and health promotion: using the ANGELO framework to understand the workplace’s role
International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 2017
Purpose Workplaces are challenging environments which place workers at the risk of obesity. This is particularly true for Australian road transport industry workplaces. The Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework is a public health tool which can be used to conceptualise obesogenic environments. It suggests that workplaces have a variety of roles (in the physical, economic, political and sociocultural domains) in responding to obesity in transport industry workplaces. The purpose of this paper is to present the findings which explore this idea. Design/methodology/approach The project used a mixed-methods approach located within a participatory action research framework, to engage workplace managers and truck drivers in the implementation and evaluation of workplace health promotion strategies. The project involved six transport industry workplaces in Queensland, Australia. Findings This study found that transport industry workplaces perceive themselves to...
Health Education Journal
Objective. The objective of the research was to examine employees' perceived barriers and facilitators of physical activity and healthy dietary choices, and managers' perceptions of how to facilitate physical activity and healthy dietary choices among their team members. Design. A cross-sectional and qualitative design was used. Setting. Participants were employees from a large public sector organisation (N= 121), who were asked about the barriers to and facilitators of maintaining regular exercise and healthy dietary choices. Managers were additionally asked about methods for facilitating physical activity and healthy dietary choices among their team members. Methods. The research used both quantitative and qualitative methodology, with categorical and open ended survey questions. Results. Thematic analysis revealed similar themes for both physical activity and healthy dietary choices, with participants citing working patterns, commuting times, family commitments, job characteristics, and lack of motivation as barriers to exercise and healthy dietary choices. Both employees and managers identified similar facilitators of exercise and healthy dietary choices, such as improved information, facilities, and working routines. Conclusion. The results provide an insight into the perceived barriers and facilitators to adopting a healthy lifestyle among a sample of employees with differing shift patterns and job roles. The results are discussed in relation to suggested methods for promoting physical activity and healthy dietary choices at work.
Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals, 2016
Issue addressed: Get Healthy at Work (GHaW) is a statewide program to reduce chronic disease risk among NSW workers by helping them make small changes to modifiable lifestyle chronic disease risk factors and create workplace environments that support healthy lifestyles. It has two primary components: a workplace health program (WHP) for businesses and online or face-to-face Brief Health Checks (BHCs) for workers. In this paper, we discuss our evaluation to identify areas for improvement in the implementation of WHP and to assess the uptake of BHCs by workers.Methods: Routinely collected WHP and BHC program data between July 2014 and February 2016 were analysed. A baseline online survey regarding workplace health promotion was conducted with 247 key contacts at registered GHaW worksites and a control group of 400 key contacts from a range of businesses. Seven telephone interviews were conducted with service provider key contacts.Results: As at February 2016, 3133 worksites (from 1199...
Nutrients
Noncommunicable diseases are the world’s leading cause of death. To curb the global rise in these diseases, using the workplace as a front to disseminate health communication messages and resources has been suggested. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a workplace health promotion program, ‘Out of the Box’, that targeted nutrition outcomes and nutrition guideline knowledge. A 6-month workplace health promotion program was implemented within a coal mine site. Over the 6 months, there were four wellness focus areas, lasting 1 month each, including fruits, vegetables and portion controlling, label reading, alcohol awareness, and hydration promotion. The study utilized a quasi-experimental pre-test–post-test design, with measurements via self-reported paper-based surveys. At baseline there were 163 responses, and 106 at follow-up. At the 6-month follow-up, respondents had increased odds of recalling the current fruit (OR 1.29, p = 0.032) and vegetable (OR 1.76, p < 0.001) gui...
Work (Reading, Mass.), 2016
The working environment, the nature of the work, and the characteristics of truck drivers as a social group typically pose great challenges for the truck drivers' health and health promotion activities aiming to improve it. The purpose was to obtain a better understanding of (a) Dutch truck drivers' perceptions of health and lifestyle themes, and (b) the challenges they experience in their pursuit of a more healthy lifestyle, as a guiding framework for the development of health interventions targeting this occupational group. In this qualitative study, we conducted and analyzed 20 semi-structured interviews and seven cases of participant observations with Dutch truck drivers. Grounded theory was used to analyze the data. Our findings illustrate that Dutch truck drivers wish to improve their lifestyle but have unproductive associations with concepts of healthy living as well as a tendency to downplay their health risks. In addition, they experience barriers within their work ...
Evaluation of Get Healthy at Work, a state-wide workplace health promotion program in Australia
BMC Public Health
Background: Workplace health programs (WHPs) may improve adult health but very little evidence exists on multilevel WHPs implemented at-scale and so the relationship between program implementation factors and outcomes of WHPs are poorly understood. This study evaluated Get Healthy at Work (GHaW), a statewide governmentfunded WHP in Australia. Methods: A mixed-method design included a longitudinal quasi-experimental survey of businesses registered with GHaW and a comparison group of businesses surveyed over a 12-month period. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with key contacts and employees of selected intervention group businesses and the service providers of the program were conducted to assess program adoption and adaptation. Results: Positive business-level changes in workplace culture were observed over time among GHaW businesses compared with the control group. Multilevel regression modelling revealed perceptions that employees were generally healthy (p = 0.045 timeXgroup effect) and that the workplace promoted healthy behaviours (p = 0.004 timeXgroup effect) improved significantly while the control group reported no change in work culture perceptions. Changes in perceptions about work productivity were not observed; however only one third of businesses registered for the program had adopted GHaW during the evaluation period. Qualitative results revealed a number of factors contributing to program adoption: which depended on program delivery (e.g., logistics, technology and communication channels), design features of the program, and organisational factors (primarily business size and previous experience of WHPs). Conclusions: Evaluation of program factors is important to improve program delivery and uptake and to ensure greater scalability. GHaW has the potential to improve workplace health culture, which may lead to better health promoting work environments. These results imply that government can play a central role in enabling prioritisation and incentivising health promotion in the workplace.
Journal of Public Health, 2016
Aim Employees have to deal with work-related problems like a sedentary work style or musculoskeletal disorders. Moreover, psychological factors like time pressure can lead to the inability to work. The Fit for Business-program started in order to provide health promotion interventions for small and middle-sized companies. This study analyzed data concerning the infrastructure, activity levels and critical factors of success to increase physical activity levels. Subject and methods A total of N = 342 employees filled out standardized questionnaires about the infrastructure needed for health promotion, their workload, their physical and mental well-being, their resources and their health-related behavior. Statistical pre-post analysis included chi 2-tests and multivariate tests. Qualitative interviews identified factors necessary for a successful implementation. Results There were differences concerning employees' specific health conditions and infrastructures established for health promotion. The number of physically active employees increased significantly (p = 0.015, Z =-3.67). This increase in sporting activity was due to participation in sports in fitness centers (+16.5 %, p < 0.001, Z = 5.217), company sports (+8.7 %, p = 0.002, Z =-3.024) and sports clubs (+6.4 %, p = 0.048, Z =-1.976). Moreover, when the specific needs of the employees were considered, the number of people involved in several kinds of sports increased. Conclusions The implementation of health promotion programs in small and middle-sized companies is successful if the following factors are considered: a responsible key person or a linkage group and a marketing platform for the programs (e.g. a trail course) exists, an assessment of the employees' demands for health promotion takes place and the interventions are geographically close to the company and compatible with working hours. Additionally, there might be a relationship between the company-specific infrastructure for health promotion and resulting workloads or physical complaints.
Determinants of participation in worksite health promotion programmes: a systematic review
International Journal of …, 2009
The workplace has been identified as a promising setting for health promotion, and many worksite health promotion programmes have been implemented in the past years. Research has mainly focused on the effectiveness of these interventions. For implementation of interventions at a large scale however, information about (determinants of) participation in these programmes is essential. This systematic review investigates initial participation in worksite health promotion programmes, the underlying determinants of participation, and programme characteristics influencing participation levels.