Women‐centred workplace health promotion interventions: a systematic review

Abstract

Aim: To analyse workplace health promotion interventions implemented exclusively for the female population. Background: The differences in biological, psychological and social characteristics, as well as the type of work carried out by men and women, make it necessary for workplace health promotion to be specific for each group. This study focussed on working women. Introduction: Workplace health promotion interventions are centred on increasing the well-being and health of the employees. Occupational health nurses play an essential role in the implementation of these interventions. Methods: A systematic review was carried out using the MEDLINE and Scopus databases, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria. Two lines of interventions were found: (1) promotion of breastfeeding (16.6%) and(2) promotion of physical activity and other healthy lifestyles (83.4%). The interventions studied underlined promoting breastfeeding, preventing a sedentary lifestyle, improving body composition, reducing cardiovascular risk, relieving premenstrual symptoms, time of breastfeeding after returning to work, and showing favourable results. Discussion: The lack of studies on the subject and the medium-to-low quality of the articles included in the review have made it difficult to analyse workplace health promotion interventions, making it necessary to continue research in this area. Conclusion: There are very few occupational health promotion interventions targeting women (1.9%), and the majority of them focus on promoting physical activity. It is worrying that specific aspects of women's health are poorly addressed. Implications for nursing practice and health policy: The work of the occupational nurse essentially is to guarantee the health of women in the workplace, being the key figure in the research and development of gender-related policies in the field of public health.

How to Address the Health of Home Care Workers: A Systematic Review of the Last Two Decades

“…Additionally, the included studies were not tailored to the characteristics of the participants, who were predominately female and had a relatively high average age, as none of the included interventions addressed gender issues or took a life course approach. This result is in line with the findings of Jiménez-Mérida et al (2021), which have shown that the proportion of publications on workplace health promotion measures aimed specifically at women is very low (1.9%). Gender-related interventions that address specific aspects of women’s health throughout working life, such as premenstrual syndrome and breastfeeding in younger ages, or menopause and reducing the risk of osteoporosis in older age, are urgently needed in the female-dominated work sector of home care (Crawford et al, 2016; Jiménez-Mérida et al, 2021).…”

“…This result is in line with the findings of Jiménez-Mérida et al ( 2021), which have shown that the proportion of publications on workplace health promotion measures aimed specifically at women is very low (1.9%). Gender-related interventions that address specific aspects of women's health throughout working life, such as premenstrual syndrome and breastfeeding in younger ages, or menopause and reducing the risk of osteoporosis in older age, are urgently needed in the female-dominated work sector of home care (Crawford et al, 2016;Jiménez-Mérida et al, 2021). The inadequate tailoring of interventions may be related to the lack of participation of home care workers in the development of the interventions, as the present review identified only one study using a participatory approach.…”

What works to protect, promote and support breastfeeding on a large scale: A review of reviews

“…Paid maternity leave is a key policy with significant impacts on breastfeeding prevalence and duration, although disparities in access and utilization persist (Andres, 2016; Nandi et al, 2018). Upon returning from paid leave, a broader package of supportive workplace policies and practices that include lactation spaces and breaks for milk expression were most effective (Jiménez‐Mérida et al, 2020; Tang et al, 2021) rather than just focusing on single policies. Research highlighted that broader organizational and interpersonal changes are necessary to achieve equitable working conditions for breastfeeding mothers (Vilar‐Compte et al, 2021) (Table 6).…”

‘Project period’: a workplace health promotion innovation in a higher education setting

“…via the debate relating to menstrual leave policies), 7 workplace occupational health promotion interventions rarely include gynaecological health awareness or free sanitary products. 8 Yet, menstruation is associated with sickness absence (time away from work) and presenteeism (productivity loss while at work), 9 so there are economic implications for employers. Furthermore, menstruation impacts negatively on students’ academic performance.…”