Catherine A. Heaney

Chronic job insecurity among automobile workers: Effects on job satisfaction and health

Work conditions characterized by uncertainty and ambiguity are potential stressors for employees. One such stressor is job insecurity. This longitudinal study of 207 automobile manufacturing workers indicates that chronic job insecurity is predictive of changes over time in both job satisfaction and physical symptoms. Extended periods of job insecurity decrease job satisfaction and increase physical symptomatology, over and above the effects of job insecurity at any single point in time. These results indicate that job insecurity acts as a chronic stressor whose effects become more potent as the time of exposure increases. Worksite health professionals should develop strategies for reducing the impact of job insecurity on employee well-being, particularly in industries where employment opportunities are declining.

The influence of psychosocial stress, gender, and personality on mechanical loading of the lumbar spine.

Study Design. The effects of psychosocial stress on muscle activity and spinal loading were evaluated in a laboratory setting. Objective. To evaluate the influence of psychosocial stress, gender, and personality traits on the functioning of the biomechanical system and subsequent spine loading. Summary of Background Data. Physical, psychosocial, and individual factors all have been identified as potential causal factors of low back disorders. How these factors interact to alter the loading of the spine has not been investigated. Methods. Twenty-five subjects performed sagittally symmetric lifts under stressful and nonstressful conditions. Trunk muscle activity, kinematics, and kinetics were used to evaluate three-dimensional spine loading using an electromyographic-assisted biomechanical model. A personality inventory characterized the subject’s personality traits. Anxiety inventories and blood pressure confirmed reactions to stress. Results. Psychosocial stress increased spine compression and lateral shear, but not in all subjects. Differences in muscle coactivation accounted for these stress reactions. Gender also influenced spine loading; Women’s anterior–posterior shear forces increased in response to stress, whereas men’s decreased. Certain personality traits were associated with increased spine loading compared with those with an opposing personality trait and explained loading differences between subjects. Conclusions. A potential pathway between psychosocial stress and spine loading has been identified that may explain how psychosocial stress increases risk of low back disorders. Psychosocially stressful environments solicited more of a coactivity response in people with certain personality traits, making them more susceptible to spine loading increases and suspected low back disorder risk.

A Review of Health-related Outcomes of Multi-component Worksite Health Promotion Programs

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to critically review evaluation studies of the health-related effects (i.e., health risk modification and reduction in worker absenteeism) of multi-component worksite health promotion programs. Search method. A comprehensive literature search conducted under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified 36 articles that examined health-related outcomes of multi-component programs. The authors identified 11 additional articles through manual searches of recent journal issues and through personal contacts with worksite health promotion researchers. Forty-seven studies describing the results of 35 worksite health promotion programs were reviewed. Important findings. The worksite health promotion programs reviewed for this article varied tremendously in the comprehensiveness, intensity, and duration of the intervention activities. All of the programs provided health education to employees. In a majority of the programs, opportunities to learn and practice new skills were also offered. A smaller number of programs incorporated modifications in organizational policy or the physical work environment. Results from well-conducted randomized trials suggest that providing opportunities for individual risk reduction counseling for high risk employees within the context of comprehensive programming may be the critical component of an effective worksite health promotion program. Just offering low intensity, short duration programs aimed at increasing awareness of health issues for the entire employee population may not be sufficient to achieve desired outcomes. Major conclusions. The results of the studies reviewed provide both cautious optimism about the effectiveness of these worksite programs and some general guidance as to the critical components and characteristics of successful programs. Overall, the evidence suggests that a rating of indicative/acceptable may best characterize this literature.

The Intervention Research Process in Occupational Safety and Health: An Overview From the National Occupational Research Agenda Intervention Effectiveness Research Team

The goal of occupational safety and health intervention effectiveness research is to determine whether specific interventions work to prevent work-related injury and illness. But that is not the whole story. It is also important that the development and implementation of the intervention be evaluated. All three phases (development, implementation, and effectiveness) are central to a model of intervention research proposed by the National Occupational Research Agenda Intervention Effectiveness Research team. Areas for future research are also presented.

Evaluation of Health Education Programs: Current Assessment and Future Directions

Recently there has been an increase in the different types of strategies used in health education interventions, including an emphasis on broadening programs focused on individual behavior change to include larger units of practice. There has also been an increasing critique of the traditional physical science paradigm for evaluating the multiple dimensions inherent in many interventions. Additionally, there is a growing recognition of the importance of involving multiple stakeholders in designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions. Each of these factors carries specific evaluation challenges. With the overall aim of strengthening the evaluation of health education programs, this article aims to (a) present conceptual and technical design issues and options, (b) describe different approaches to evaluation, (c) highlight evaluation approaches that have been effective, (d) critique the limitations of traditional evaluation approaches, (e) examine promising approaches and implications for future evaluations, and (f) provide recommendations for evaluation designs, data collection methods, roles, responsibilities, and principles for evaluating interventions.

The relation of personal resources, participation, influence, interpersonal relationships and coping strategies to occupational stress, job strains and health: A multivariate analysis

Abstract The relation of personal resources, participation, influence, interpersonal relationships and coping strategies to occupational stress, job strains and health: a multivariate analysis

Computer use, symptoms, and quality of life.

Purpose. To model the effects of computer use on reported visual and physical symptoms and to measure the effects upon quality of life measures. Methods. A survey of 1000 university employees (70.5% adjusted response rate) assessed visual and physical symptoms, job, physical and mental demands, ability to control/influence work, amount of work at a computer, computer work environment, relations with others at work, life and job satisfaction, and quality of life. Data were analyzed to determine whether self-reported eye symptoms are associated with perceived quality of life. The study also explored the factors that are associated with eye symptoms. Structural equation modeling and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the hypotheses. Results. Seventy percent of the employees used some form of vision correction during computer use, 2.9% used glasses specifically prescribed for computer use, and 8% had had refractive surgery. Employees spent an average of 6 h per day at the computer. In a multiple regression framework, the latent variable eye symptoms was significantly associated with a composite quality of life variable (p = 0.02) after adjusting for job quality, job satisfaction, supervisor relations, co-worker relations, mental and physical load of the job, and job demand. Age and gender were not significantly associated with symptoms. After adjusting for age, gender, ergonomics, hours at the computer, and exercise, eye symptoms were significantly associated with physical symptoms (p < 0.001) accounting for 48% of the variance. Conclusions. Environmental variability at work was associated with eye symptoms and eye symptoms demonstrated a significant impact on quality of life and physical symptoms.

What's the Use of Theory?

The barriers to the use of theory in health education practice are addressed by exposing common misperceptions of the nature and usefulness of theory. First, the mystique of theory is addressed through a discussion of theory development and the roots of theory in everyday experience. Two characteristics of theory, generalizability across settings or situations and testability, are described and linked to benefits for practice. Second, a guide for practitioners in applying theory to each stage of the intervention process is provided. A case example illustrates how theory can guide practice as well as the benefits to be gained by applying theory to program development. Finally, the bases for common negative misperceptions of theory are identified and clarified, and the beneficial nature of theory reviewed.

Justice at Work, Job Stress, and Employee Health

A small but growing literature has documented an association between justice at work and employee health. However, the pathways and mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. This article proposes a conceptual framework that bridges the organizational justice, occupational stress, and occupational epidemiology literatures. Justice appraisals are proposed to be both important mediators and moderators in the causal flow from exposure to the organizational environment to employee health. The potential role of justice in enhancing employee health is compared to that of the well-established concepts of social support and job control. Directions for future research are suggested, along with strategies for overcoming challenges inherent in this multidisciplinary area of research. Implications for work-site health interventions are discussed.

African American Social and Cultural Contexts and Physical Activity: Strategies for Navigating Challenges to Participation

We examined the influence of social and cultural contexts on participation in recommended levels of physical activity (PA) among African American women using a grounded theory approach. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus groups with 15 physically active African American women. Participants described social and cultural factors that served as challenges for participation in PA. Of particular importance, participants discussed their strategies for overcoming these challenges to initiate and maintain an active lifestyle. Strategies emerged to address three main areas: lack of PA exposure, PA norms and beliefs, and hair maintenance. Understanding contextually appropriate strategies to assist African American women in long-term PA maintenance will help inform effective health promotion efforts to reduce the burden of sedentary lifestyle and chronic disease in this community of women.