Health promotion interventions in social economy companies in Flanders (Belgium)

Abstract

BackgroundDisadvantaged groups are often not reached by mainstream health promotion interventions. Implementing health promotion (HP) interventions in social economy companies, can be an opportunity to reach those people. The implementation of these interventions in social economy companies was studied. Factors that could be related to the implementation of HP and being supportive towards implementation in the future, were investigated.MethodsAn online, quantitative survey was sent to all 148 sheltered and social workshops in Flanders. In the questionnaire, the status of HP interventions and characteristics of the workshop were explored. Personal factors (such as attitudes towards HP, behavioural control, social norms and moral responsibility) were asked to the person responsible for implementation of HP interventions. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed.ResultsRespondents of 88 workshops completed the questionnaire. Almost 60 % of the workshops implemented environmental or policy interventions. Having a positive attitude towards HP, being more morally responsible, and having the subjective norm that employees are positive towards health promotion at work, were related to being more supportive towards the implementation of HP in the univariate analyses. Only attitude stayed significantly related to being more supportive towards the implementation of HP in the multivariate analyses.ConclusionsSheltered and social workshops are open to HP interventions, but more can be done to optimize the implementation. To persuade persons responsible for the implementation of HP to invest more in HP, changing attitudes concerning the benefits of health promotion for the employee and the company, is an important strategy.

Sexual Orientation Differences in Adolescent Health Care Access and Health-Promoting Physician Advice

“…1–3 Sexual orientation disparities in multiple core domains of adolescent health are concerning because these disparities may persist across development, leading to higher rates of substance use disorders, obesity, hypertension, and heart disease in adulthood. 4,5 Adequate access to health care, with appropriate routine screening and feedback on health-related behaviors, may provide one route to addressing the formation of sexual orientation health disparities. However, equal access to health care continues to be a concern among sexual orientation minorities, and it remains unknown whether sexual minority adolescents receive adequate physician screening and advice on health-related behaviors.…”

“…6 Compared to heterosexual adults, sexual minority adults are more likely to delay seeking health care due to cost and experience more difficulty in finding a provider. 4,7 Past research suggests that disparities in health care access are more evident among female sexual minority adults. Among young adults aged 18–26 years, unmet medical needs were higher among sexual minority females than heterosexual females, whereas unmet medical needs did not differ by sexual orientation among males.…”

Evaluation of a Brief Intervention for Promoting Mental Health among Employees in Social Enterprises: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

“…These health inequalities are to a large extent independent of the health impact of disabling impairments and are therefore modifiable through health promoting interventions [ 6 ]. According to people with disabilities and researchers, good mental health is a precondition for the performance of other health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, healthy eating, or smoking) and health in general (no health without mental health) [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Therefore, policies and programs promoting mental health among people with disabilities are needed [ 10 ].…”

“…Since April 2015, all social enterprises in Flanders are required to implement a personal development plan for their employees which consists of both work-related and personal goals (e.g., mental health) [ 22 ]. Therefore, social enterprises are an ideal setting for mental health promotion in people with disabilities [ 7 ]. Workplace mental health promotion can be beneficial for the employee as well as the employer.…”

“…However, more research on the effectiveness of health promotion programs specifically designed for people with disabilities is needed [ 12 , 27 ]. In order to develop programs addressing the needs of this target population, it is important to take into account their intellectual limitations (e.g., difficulty understanding, lack of knowledge, lack of concentration), psychosocial barriers (e.g., lack of motivation, lack of self-efficacy, poor outcome expectations), and lack of accessibility (e.g., lack of transportation, equipment, money) [ 7 , 28 , 29 ]. To the best of our knowledge, no prior studies investigated the effects of a workplace mental health promotion intervention tailored to the needs of people with disabilities.…”