Investigating Employee-Reported Benefits of Participation in a Comprehensive Australian Workplace Health Promotion Program

J Occup Environ Med. 2016 May;58(5):505-13. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000713.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate employee-reported benefits of participation, employee organizational commitment, and health-related behaviors and body mass index (BMI) following implementation of a comprehensive workplace health promotion (WHP) program.

Methods: State government employees from Tasmania, Australia, completed surveys in 2010 (n = 3408) and 2013 (n = 3228). Repeated cross-sectional data were collected on sociodemographic, health, and work characteristics. Participation in WHP activities, employee-reported organizational commitment, and benefits of participation were collected in 2013.

Results: Respondents who participated in multiple activities were more likely to agree that participation had motivated them, or helped them to address a range of health and work factors (trends: P < 0.05). There were significant associations between participation and employee organizational commitment. No differences were observed in health-related behaviors and BMI between 2010 and 2013.

Conclusions: Healthy@Work (pH@W) was either ineffective, or insufficient time had elapsed to detect a population-level change in employee lifestyle factors.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Body Mass Index
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Health Promotion*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupational Health*
  • Tasmania
  • Workplace*