The Art of Health Promotion

Abstract

A conccptual model for addressing the creation of supportive environments for worksite health promotion settings is presented. The authors also discuss the variety of organizational and cultural interventions that are necessary in creating a supportive environment for healthy behavior using a social ecology perspective. The connection to next generation strategies in worksite health promotion is proposed and summaries of the relevant literatures are cited.

Towards a HR Framework for Developing a Health-Promoting Performance Culture at Work: A Norwegian Health Care Management Case Study

“…Offering healthy and tasty canteen food and worksite physical activities are indicators that the companies are moving toward a health culture [15]. Based on the companies' values, the companies promote physical activities and facilities with a high standard of supportive structural factors [50]. The health programs consist of various group activities such as yoga, circuit training, dancing and a number of team sports.…”

“…Based on these findings, it can be argued that three of the four companies have developed a health-promoting environment [4,99] but not yet a health culture [15]. However, Findus can be argued to have a health culture [50] due to the link to the HR strategy, the health values, the 'Our Well Way' program, the three focus areas a year, and the goal to improve employees' understanding of health benefits of physical activity and a healthy diet [5]. There are also indicators that Findus is in a process of developing a health-promoting performance culture, as the company is goal-oriented and has implemented the health program 'Our Well Way'.…”

“…Golaszewski et al [15] suggest that a health culture is a social and organisational construction based on a collective set of core values, assumptions, and expectations guiding how employees think, feel, and behave in order to improve personal and employee health. Golaszewski, Allen and Edington [50] underline the importance of cultural (e.g., values, norms, physical touch points, and rituals) and structural factors (e.g., facilities, service, and administrative support) of an organisational health environment. Hoebbel et al [51] discuss the Life-gain Health Culture Audit (LHCA) instrument which is intended to aid health promotion planning and evaluation (measure health culture) and includes factors such as norms, values, social support, touch points, and climate.…”

“…Bakker and Demerouti [74] concluded that committed employees are more creative, productive and prepared to make an extra effort. Work commitment is positively related to job satisfaction, organisational commitment and good health, and a health culture can be established by developing an organisational health environment [50]. Results in the study by Ford et al [16] show that poor health is associated with significant reductions in work performance.…”

“…Brynjolfsson, Hitt and Yang [77] emphasised that health-promoting projects need the managers' attention and documented that an employee portal/health portal improved communication about health-related content. Golaszewski, Allen, and Edington [50] stressed the importance of a supportive environment (work factors, cultural factors, and structural factors), and also a portal, a supportive structural factor, was argued to have an effect on employee health. They developed a conceptual model related to health promotion programs in the workplace and determined also that supporting structural factors were the most important.…”