Assessing Workplace Health and Safety Strategies, Trends, and Barriers through a Statewide Worksite Survey

Effects of occupational health promotion interventions on health-related outcomes among employees of small businesses and self-employed individuals: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Compared to workers of larger companies it is less clear what health promoting interventions might be beneficial for employees of small businesses and self-employed individuals.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to critically appraise trials investigating health promotion programs among small business workers and self-employed individuals, by means of a systematic review.

METHODS

We conducted a search of primary studies using MEDLINE, Web of Science, LIVIVO and the Cochrane library. Our assessment followed the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and PRISMA.

RESULTS

We identified six trials including 5,854 participants from Asia, North America and Australia. Most were of moderate methodological quality, only one was of low quality. Some of the supervised psycho-educational lifestyle programs focusing on individual behavior changes showed benefits in terms of stress reduction and increased physical activity levels among small enterprise employees.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a huge knowledge gap on evidence-based health promotion interventions for self-employed and for small business workers, especially in Europe.

The effect of a workplace wellness program on disability, function and pain in healthcare providers workers with low back pain-outcomes of 3040 academic health center employees

PURPOSE

(1) Identification of musculoskeletal risk factors for healthcare providers suffering low back pain (LBP) and the creation of risk profiles for those individuals and (2) analyze the impact of a workplace wellness program on healthcare providers who suffer from low back pain.

METHODS

A total of 3040 employees at an academic healthcare center underwent a computer-adaptive survey of health-related quality of life (HRQOL), biometric tests, and a disability and functional movement assessment as part of the workplace wellness program (WWP). Clinical interventions with a rehabilitation specialist were offered to employees identified as at risk for low back pain. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive methods and multivariable regressions to address the study objectives.

RESULTS

Of the 3040 healthcare providers enrolled in this study, 77% identified with non-specific LBP with greater weakness, numbness, reduced flexibility, and physical activity. The major predictive risk factors for LBP were Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pain interference score, PROMIS fatigue, previous work injury, flexibility, numbness, PROMIS social function, level of education, and BMI. Healthcare providers with LBP who completed the WWP improved in most dimensions of HRQOL and disability and functional outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

A high proportion of healthcare providers suffer from LBP as a result of the nature of their work. Disability and functional outcomes measurements and PROMIS results quantitatively assess healthcare providers with LBP. Organizations can develop injury mitigation programs to target employees at high risk of LBP using the risk factors we identify. Completion of the WWP was associated with improvements in disability, HRQOL and functional measures.

How Is Mobile User Behavior Different?—A Hidden Markov Model of Cross-Mobile Application Usage Dynamics

Driven by the ubiquity and strong context dependence of mobile app use, Internet companies are in a race of cross-industry expansion to build a seamless ecosystem incorporating various contexts. This paper offers several insights on improving app use in the era of mobile Internet. In contrast to PC Internet, in addition to hedonic and utilitarian states, we uncover a novel social state that is prevalent but transient, indicating mobile users have a fundamental need for frequent light-social activities. Thus, one strategy to increase use is to enrich an app’s social components, specifically on light-social functionalities. In addition, our results show that app use interdependence is the strongest under the hedonic state. This indicates the strategic value of boosting current app use is the highest in the hedonic state, providing guidance to companies on better spending of their limited marketing resources. Furthermore, we show that these internal states are interdependent of each other and their dynamic is affected by contextual factors that are distinct in the mobile context. Thus, companies should put more weight on tailoring their engagement strategies under different contexts in the ear of mobile Internet than the traditional PC context.

The Role of Governance in Solving the Problems of SMEs

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) face various challenges such as lack of resources, finance, networking capability. Many of the constraints could be mitigated with the help of proper governance in the SMEs. Many articles have explored the challenges faced by SMEs and how this challenge could be mitigated with the help of proper governance. However, very few studies have summarized the influence of governance in solving the problems of SMEs in one place. So, a systematic literature review has been made to find the role of governance in solving the problems of SMEs. As SMEs are the pillar of economic development for a country, their problems and solutions in one document could help practitioners and academician research and development further in this area. Our findings suggest that governance may influence the problems associated with corporate networking, finance, cross-cultural interactions of SMEs.

A mixed-method approach to tailor the implementation of a participatory Total Worker Health® program

Purpose –

Total Worker Health^® (TWH) programs, which represent a holistic approach for advancing worker safety, health and well-being, require an employer to adapt programmatic coordination and employee involvement in program design and delivery. Organizational readiness for such measures requires competencies in leadership, communication, subject expertise and worker participation. In the absence of documented methods for TWH readiness assessment, the authors developed a process to prospectively identify implementation facilitators and barriers that may be used to strengthen organizational competencies and optimize the organizational "fit" in advance.

Design/methodology/approach –

The mixed-method baseline assessment instruments comprised an online organizational readiness survey and a key leader interview; these were administered with key organizational and labor leaders in five US healthcare facilities. Findings about organizational resources, skills available and potential implementation barriers were summarized in a stakeholder feedback report and used to strengthen readiness and tailor implementation to the organizational context.

Findings –

The research team was able to leverage organizational strengths such as leaders' commitment and willingness to address nontraditional safety topics to establish new worker-led design teams. Information about program barriers (staff time and communication) enabled the research team to respond with proactive tailoring strategies such as training on participant roles, extending team recruitment time and providing program communication tools and coaching.

Originality/value –

A new method has been developed for prospective organizational readiness assessment to implement a participatory TWH program. The authors illustrate its ability to identify relevant organizational features to guide institutional preparation and tailor program implementation.

An ORBIT Phase 1: Design study of a citywide employer-based walking challenges in a predominantly Mexican American metropolitan area

Most Mexican-Americans do not meet current physical activity recommendations. This paper uses the ORBIT model of obesity intervention development as a framework to outline the process of establishing three employer-based walking challenges in El Paso, Texas, a predominantly Mexican American community. The walking challenges were planned and implemented through the Border Coalition for Fitness and participating partnering organizations. Over 2000 participants and several employers took part in the walking challenges. Results from this ORBIT Phase 1 design intervention suggest that walking challenges are a feasible approach to increase physical activity in Mexican-Americans.