Worksite wellness

Weight-based discrimination (WBD) is common and associated with reduced physical and emotional functioning. WBD is common in the workplace, yet no studies have evaluated a WBD intervention delivered in a worksite setting. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a 3-hour, remote-delivered WBD intervention at a large public university. Six workshops including 94 participants (41.76 ± 9.37 y; 92.8% women) were delivered December 2020 through May 2021; 88...

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused serious challenges for healthcare workers (HCWs) and HIV-related healthcare services. This study assessed the effects of the invasion on HCWs wellbeing and on continuity of HIV services, using in-depth interviews with HCWs from facilities offering HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services in the Donetsk region of Eastern Ukraine. A directed content analysis, with both inductive and deductive approaches, was conducted. Ten HCWs (6 [60%] doctors, 4 [40%] nurses; 9 [90%] female) were interviewed...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected workers in certain industries and occupations, and the workplace can be a high risk setting for SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In this study, we measured SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence and identified work-related risk factors in a population primarily working at industrial livestock operations. METHODS: We used a multiplex salivary SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody assay to determine infection-induced antibody prevalence among 236 adult (≥18 years) North Carolina residents between February 2021 and August 2022...

INTRODUCTION: The construction industry is high risk and unpredictable, requiring extensive safety preparation, practices, and effectiveness on worksites. While preventative measures are important and well documented, the industry, in general, lacks effective crisis management strategies when safety measures fail. The focus of this study was to evaluate dominant crisis communication and management best practices and adopt those methods into models that could be used following a construction worksite fatality...

Physical inactivity is a high-priority public health issue in U.S. worksites. There is evidence that physical activity (PA) goal-setting interventions can be effective. Smartphone apps have also been used to deliver accessible and appealing PA interventions. This article describes the use of goal setting and a no-cost PA smartphone app to pilot an 8-week PA intervention, Project Move 2.0, to increase PA among a nonprofit health and social assistance workforce. The community-based partnership identified intervention strategies that addressed moderators for setting PA goals: feedback, goal commitment, situational factors, and ability...

BACKGROUND: Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health issues experienced by workers. Although organizational intervention has been extensively evaluated as a primary prevention of depression and anxiety, the corresponding scientific evidence remains limited because of the lack of cluster randomized controlled trials (cRCT) and failure to detect organizational-level effects. Therefore, the present study aims to assess the preventive effects of four types of interventions on depression and anxiety among workers in an open, five-arm, parallel-group cRCT...

INTRODUCTION: Teaching kitchens are being used to facilitate lifestyle changes with a focus on culinary and nutrition programs to improve health behaviors. Less is known regarding their use as a worksite wellness program and their influence on employees' quality of life, body weight, and adoption of healthy behaviors. We evaluated changes in self-reported healthy behaviors, overall health, and weight during a one-year multidisciplinary teaching kitchen program. METHODS: Thirty-eight benefits-eligible employees were recruited, screened based on a priori eligibility criteria that prioritized elevated body mass index (BMI), co-morbid conditions, and high levels of motivation to make lifestyle changes, and consented to participate in The Emory Healthy Kitchen Collaborative...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) severe injuries reports include work-related injuries from establishments under federal OSHA jurisdiction that result in an amputation, loss of an eye, or inpatient hospitalization. Data from 32 jurisdictions were examined to determine oil and gas extraction industry-specific severe industry trends during January 2015-July 2022, using the 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes for oil and gas extraction. During this period, a total of 2,101 severe work-related injuries were reported in this sector...

INTRODUCTION: Growth in the field of clinical exercise science and the potential impacts on overall health and wellbeing have driven the need for qualified, clinically trained, exercise professionals. And yet, it is not well understood what specific credentials employers are seeking when hiring exercise professionals. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine the qualification requirements for professionals seeking employment in exercise science, exercise physiology, kinesiology or equivalent fields...

Social norm perceptions are implicit standards describing what is typically done or seen as acceptable and have shown to be important both in sustaining meat consumption as well as facilitating meat reduction. Norm perceptions depend on individual differences and the contexts (e.g., supermarket, restaurant). Yet, evidence how norm perceptions differ within and across individuals is scarce. The primary aim of this study was to investigate how descriptive, injunctive, and personal norms perceptions favouring meat consumption differ across contexts and meat consumer groups...

BACKGROUND: Although Botswana has made great progress in expanding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing, men are less likely to be tested for HIV and test at a later stage compared with women. For Botswana to increase HIV testing coverage among men, HIV self-testing (HIVST) may be a promising supplement to standard, healthcare facility-based HIV testing. We conducted a pilot test of the feasibility and acceptability of HIVST for men of middle-to-upper socioeconomic status in Botswana...

Around the world, paid work without appropriate structural support, is a key barrier to optimal breastfeeding practices. To better protect, promote, and support optimal breastfeeding practices among working women in Africa, this scoping review sought to understand how paid work influences infant feeding practices in the first six months of life and what support women need to manage work and optimal infant feeding practices. We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, Global Health, and CINAHL Plus, screened 2,436 abstracts, and reviewed 322 full-text articles using Covidence for review and charting...

BACKGROUND: Over 1.3 million people die each year as a result of traffic collisions and hundreds of thousands of others are permanently and seriously injured. Most of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where mortality rates can be up to 10 times higher than those of some high-income countries. Seat belts are designed to accomplish two key functions - to prevent the occupant from being ejected from the vehicle by the force of impact, and to extend the time that the decelerating force is applied to a person...

BACKGROUND: Traditional methods for investigating work hours rely on an employee's physical presence at the worksite. However, accurately identifying break times at the worksite and distinguishing remote work outside the worksite poses challenges in work hour estimations. Machine learning has the potential to differentiate between human-smartphone interactions at work and off work. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to develop a novel approach called "probability in work mode," which leverages human-smartphone interaction patterns and corresponding GPS location data to estimate work hours...

BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests a need for worksite programs that promote structured physical activity (PA) among hospital staff. The objectives of this study were to assess the hospital employees' acceptance of PA opportunities that could be implemented at the worksite, and the association between worksite PA and commuting and other sociocognitive factors. METHOD: Acceptance of seven PA opportunities from the WHO guidelines was correlated with commuting and socio-cognitive factors through an online survey conducted among the workforce of the University Hospital of Angers, France ( N = 6874) between April 25 and May 22, 2022...

BACKGROUND: Structured lifestyle change education reduces the burden of cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes. Delivery of these programs at worksites could overcome barriers to program adoption and improve program sustainability and reach; however, tailoring to the worksite setting is essential. METHODS: The Integrating Diabetes Prevention in Workplaces (INDIA-WORKS) study tested the implementation and effectiveness of a multi-level program for reducing cardiometabolic disease risk factors at 11 large and diverse worksites across India...

The objective of this study is to identify problem nutrients and to develop food-based recommendations (FBRs) and nutrient-dense menus based on the nutrient gaps. This study was conducted among male workers ( n = 31) in an oil and gas worksite in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Body weight, height, waist circumference, as well as systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured. Weekly food consumption patterns were assessed using 1 day 24 h dietary recall (24HR), 1 day weighed food record (WFR), and 5 day food tally...

BACKGROUND: The school environment, consisting of the physical environment and social-emotional climate (SEC), plays a crucial role in both student and employee health; however, there is a lack of recent literature synthesizing school environment interventions in K-12 settings. We describe updated evidence about school environment interventions to support K-12 student and employee health in the United States. METHODS: A 2-phase search included a review of reviews (2010-2018), followed by a search for individual articles (2010-2020) that targeted school physical environment and/or SEC to address physical activity (PA) and/or nutrition...

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has been established as a powerful tool that can guide health policy at multiple levels of government. However, this approach has not been well assessed at more granular scales, including large work sites such as University campuses. Between August 2021 and April 2022, we explored the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater using qPCR assays from multiple complimentary sewer catchments and residential buildings spanning the University of Calgary's campus and how this compared to levels from the municipal wastewater treatment plant servicing the campus...

OBJECTIVE: To study whether being aware of the existence of worksite health promotion (WHP), using it, or both is related to employees' task and contextual performance. METHODS: Multilevel cross-sectional data came from the European Sustainable Workforce Survey, with data from over 11,000 employees in 259 organizations. Generalized structural equation modelling was used to examine two types of WHP: healthy menus and sports facilities. RESULTS: Awareness of healthy menus and sports facilities was positively associated with task and contextual performance...