Act Healthy: promoting health behaviors and self-efficacy in the workplace

Abstract

Chronic health conditions and multiple health risk factors afflict Americans and burden employers, but effective, affordable, workplace-based health promotion interventions have not been widely implemented. This is the first study to adapt the empirically validated Chronic Disease Self-Management Program for a general employee population in a workplace setting with an emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion. A quasi-experimental, wellness standard of care comparison, prospective cohort design was used among employee participants at a large University employer. Ninety-one individuals participated in the program. Participants reported significantly increased health behavior frequency and self-efficacy after the intervention, compared with their pre-intervention scores, and improvements were sustained at 3-month follow-up [self-rated abilities for health practices scale (SRA): F = 30.89, P < 0.001; health promoting lifestyle profile-II (HPLP-II): F = 36.30 P < 0.001]. Individuals in the intervention group reported improved self-efficacy and health behaviors compared with the wellness standard of care comparison group at post intervention (SRA: F = 12.45, P < 0.001; HPLP-II: F = 25.28, P < 0.001). Adapting lay-facilitated self-management for the workplace offers promise as a replicable, scalable, affordable model for culture change in organizations.

Assessment of Health-promoting lifestyle behaviour (HPLB) of University workers in Nigeria

“…Mehri et al reported that 53% of all deaths attributed to NCDs globally are related to lifestyle practices (9). Several studies have reported on health-promoting lifestyle of different categories of workers while only few reported on academic staff (15)(16)(17)(18). However, all these studies were conducted in developed countries except one that was conducted in a low middle-income country.…”

Predictors of Health-Promoting Behaviors Among Kurdish Healthcare Providers in Iraqi Kurdista

“…Although several worksites do not yet offer comprehensive health-promoting agendas, investigations have archived the ability of workplace programs for superior health outcomes. Funding, staff resources, inconvenient locations, limitation of times, and insufficient employee interest are the barriers to widespread implementation of health-promoting programs, especially, among high-risk employees (Schopp et al 2015).…”

Factors that influence planning for physical activity among workers in small- and medium-sized enterprises

“…Therefore, at the individual level, it is important for workers to enhance their self-efficacy, risk perception, and access to information regarding PA community services in their daily working life at their workplace. Both health behavior frequency and self-efficacy have been shown to increase with the installment of a self-management program for a general employee population in a workplace setting ( Schopp et al, 2015 ). Additionally, at a group and environmental level, shifting focus from the problems experienced by each middle-aged worker to that of groups consisting of middle-aged workers or SMEs experiencing the same problems, as well as developing an approach for these groups, are considered effective because of group dynamics ( Paul-Ebhohimhen and Avenell, 2009 ).…”