Lifestyle and Cancer: The Relative Effects of a Workplace Health Promotion Program across Gender and Social Class

Abstract

Most of the evidence for the effectiveness of workplace health promotion has been reported in the U.S. ] Such interventions may also be cost-effective, 2 though not necessarily in all countries, because of variations in the mode of health care delivery and cultural differences in the determinants of health behaviors. Few programs have focused on the needs of women, especially those in blue-collar occupations. Yet there is indisputable evidence that lifestyle patterns vary according to socioeconomic position and that patterns of health inequality exist for most major diseases among workers) The explanations for this are complex and may relate to educational level or social conditions. 4 We wished to assess whether a health promotion program based on the findings of a focused needs and therefore primarily client-led assessment, would have an impact on lifestyle and health, particularly in the case of blue-collar or manual occupation women. The program focused on lifestyle factors related to cancer risk, and the 10-point European Code Against Cancer formed an integral part of the study design. 5 METHODS Design The study was conducted in three stages: baseline assessment, 1-year intervention program, and follow-up sur

Evaluation of a workplace cardiovascular health promotion programme in the Republic of Ireland

“…A critical issue in the work environment is equity (Chu et al, 1997). It is important both to meet the needs of all workers within a specific setting, particularly those with most to gain (Hope et al, 1999b), but also in different settings, especially the one in which most people are employed, the small-scale enterprise sector (Hope et al, 1999a;Kelleher et al, 2001). Arguably, therefore, equity should be a criterion of evaluation.…”

Mothers’ perceived physical health during early and middle childhood: Relations with child developmental delay and behavior problems

“…Further, such intervention should happen early, before or during the preschool years; waiting until children are school-age appears to be too late, as the impact of child behavior on maternal health emerges early. Numerous evidence-based health promotion programs used with other chronically stressed groups are brief and cost-effective (Goldgruber & Ahrens, 2010; Hope, Kelleher, & O’Connor, 1999), but few studies have examined such programs’ effectiveness for parents of children with DD, suggesting this as a valuable area for future study. Intervention directed jointly at child behavior problems and maternal stress is also vital, as these two factors interact in families affected by DD (Neece et al, 2012) and are likely related to maternal health.…”

Manager characteristics and support for worksite health promotion programs that target women in small, blue-collar worksites

“…Historically, the majority of worksite health promotion programming and research has focused on large, white collar worksites (Hope et al 1999), but recent trends include programs developed to address the unique needs of women workers, blue collar workers, rural workers, and smaller workplaces (Campbell et al 1998).…”

“…Female blue-collar factory workers face daily stress and health hazards working with heavy machinery, lifting large objects, and completing repetitive tasks often for very low wages yet they remain one of the most under-served and understudied groups in the nation (APA Monitor 1997). Despite indisputable evidence that lifestyle patterns vary according to socioeconomic position and that patterns of health inequity exist for most major disease among workers (Bosma et al 1997), few programs have been specifically designed to meet the interests and needs of working women, particularly those employed in small or blue-collar workplaces (Messing 1997;Hope et al 1999). Most traditional worksite health promotion and prevention programs were designed for male employees who were thought to be at higher risk for such chronic diseases as cardiovascular disease, and, therefore had limited dissemination capacity because they did not address the unique needs, barriers, and motivators for healthy behavior change among working women (Tessaro et al 1997;Campbell et al 1997).…”

“…Studies indicate that women are more responsive to health information and more likely to participate in worksite health promotion activities (Spilman 1982), particularly women employed in blue-collar workplaces (Hope et al 1999).…”