Occupational health literacy and work ability: a moderation analysis including interpersonal and organizational factors in healthy organizations.

Introduction: Healthy organizations approach to occupational safety and health should holistically include individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels. There is an empirical research gap in considering different levels in organizations for health promotion in the context of maximizing work ability. This study aims to investigate the association of (1) occupational health literacy (on an individual level), (2) health-oriented leadership (interpersonal level), (3) participation possibilities in health, and (4) values of health in companies (both organizational levels) on work ability. Additionally, we examined the potentially moderating role of health-oriented leadership, participation possibilities in health, and values of health between occupational health literacy and work ability. Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained from 828 employers and employees in small and medium-sized enterprises. Self-report measures included occupational health literacy, health-oriented leadership, work ability, participation possibilities in health at work, and values of health in the company. Occupational health literacy comprises two factors: a knowledge-/skill-based approach to occupational health and a willingness/responsibility for occupational health. Participation possibilities in health are measured regarding participatory opportunities and co-creation of health at work. Values of health in the company capture the importance of health in the workplace and the scope for improving employees' health. Data were analyzed using latent regression and latent moderation analyses controlling for age, gender, and educational level. Results: Occupational health literacy (knowledge-/skill-based), health-oriented leadership, participation possibilities in health, and values of health in companies showed positive associations with work ability. Health-oriented leadership on an interpersonal level was found to moderate the positive relationship between (knowledge-/skill-based) occupational health literacy and work ability. Participation possibilities in health on an organizational level acted as a moderator on the relationship between both occupational health literacy factors and work ability. Discussion: Individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors play important roles in maintaining work ability in healthy organizations. This study highlights the importance of promoting occupational health literacy among employees and leaders, creating a healthy workplace through health-oriented leadership, and providing participatory opportunities for co-creation in health promotion at work. Future research should further explore these factors' roles in different industries and contexts and how they may be addressed effectively in tailored workplace interventions.

Occupational resource profiles for an addressee orientation in occupational health management: a segmentation analysis.

Introduction: In order to make sustainable decisions in precision prevention and health promotion, it is important to adequately assess people's demands and resources at work. To reach them in an addressee-oriented way, a segmentation of employers and employees based on occupational resources is a promising option. We identified profiles based on personal and perceived organizational resources. Furthermore, we used job demands for profile descriptions to obtain a deeper understanding of the profiles, characterizing people with similar occupational resources. Methods: Personal occupational resources (occupational health literacy and self-efficacy) and perceived organizational resources (job decision latitude and participation in health at work) were assessed among employers and employees (n = 828) in small- and medium-sized enterprises in Germany. Job demands, socioeconomic status, and hierarchy levels in the company were used for further profile descriptions. Results: A six-profile solution fitted best to the data based on cluster and profile analyses. One profile was characterized by above-average occupational resources, and another profile was characterized by below-average resources. The other four profiles showed that the individual and perceived organizational resources contrasted. Either organizational resources such as job decision latitude existed and personal resources were not highly developed or people had high individual motivation but few possibilities to participate in health at work. People with medium or high job demands as well as people with low socioeconomic status were most frequently in below-average resource profiles. Employers with high hierarchy levels were overrepresented in the above-average profiles with high organizational resources. Discussion: Following the segmentation of the addressees, organizations might be supported in identifying needs and areas for prevention and health promotion. Interventions can be optimally developed, tailored, and coordinated through a deeper understanding of job demands and resources. Especially employees with low socioeconomic status and high job demands might profit from an addressee-orientated approach based on resource profiles. For example, employees obtain an overview of their occupational resource profile to recognize the development potential for safe and healthy behavior at work. Follow-up research should be used to examine how this feedback to employers and employees is implemented and how it affects the sustainability of tailored interventions.

Association of length of service and job category with occupational health literacy of port employees in Shenzhen, China.

BACKGROUND: Health literacy (HL) is associated with health outcomes, but little is known about the occupational HL (OHL) for port employees and its link to the length of service and job category. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 3492 port employees from the Occupational Health Survey for Port Employees project, and a special questionnaire was utilized to measure the OHL status. Binary and ordinal logistic regressions were used to estimate the association. RESULT: Among the participants, 72.90% had sufficient OHL with a mean score (standard deviation) of 53.10 (7.26). Binary logistic regression results indicated that the association between length of service (33-40 years group Adjusted OR = 1.11; 41-49 years group Adjusted OR = 1.14; ≥50 years group Adjusted OR = 1.19) and job category (longshoremen Adjusted OR = 0.90; driver Adjusted OR = 0.91) with OHL were statistically significant. Ordinal logistic regression results indicated that, for OHL, Adjusted OR was increased in different lengths of service level (33-40 years group, Adjusted OR = 1.50; 41-49 years group, Adjusted OR = 1.75; ≥50 years group, Adjusted OR = 2.19), and the Adjusted OR of skilled workers was 1.60. CONCLUSION: Most port participants had sufficient OHL, and the length of service and job category could affect OHL. The effect of the length of service may be more obvious; the length of service can promote the improvement of OHL continuously.

Occupational Health Literacy Scale (OHLS): development and validation of a domain-specific measuring instrument.

Occupational health literacy (OHL) is a domain-specific approach that can empower people to make health-appropriate decisions in the work environment. OHL comprises the knowledge, skills and willingness of people to access and process health-related information and to apply it in work situations. The aim of this study was to evolve a conceptual model and validate a scale for OHL, that can be used in many sectors in the Western industrial countries, which does not yet exist. After piloting, item selection and alteration were carried out in a pretest with n = 163 working adults in diverse small- and medium-sized enterprises in Germany. The resulting OHL items were validated in a main survey with n = 828 participants working in small- and medium-sized enterprises and among them 47.5% people with migration background. The final 12-item questionnaire had good structural characteristics and is reliable and valid for measuring OHL. Using exploratory structural equation modeling, good fit indices (root mean square error of approximation = 0.063, comparative fit index = 0.940) confirmed a two-factor structure: (i) knowledge and skill-based processing of health information (internal consistency α = 0.88) and (ii) willingness and responsibility for occupational health (α = 0.74). The OHL scale fills the gap regarding domain-specific OHL questionnaires for working adults in diverse sectors in Western industrial countries. The Occupational Health Literacy Scale can be used to identify the needs of employees and companies and then to adapt and evaluate health promotion measures. Further research could include validation and use in other countries and large companies.

Introduction of the national technical plan for monitoring occupational health literacy of key population groups in 2022 / 中国职业医学

Occupational health literacy refers to the awareness and ability of workers to obtain basic knowledge of occupational health, practice healthy working styles and lifestyles, prevent the risk of occupational and work-related diseases, and maintain and promote their own health. In 2022, for the first time, China carried out nationwide monitoring for occupational health literacy of key populations. The National Institute for Occupational Health and Poison Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention was responsible for technical support, formulating the National Technical Plan for Occupational Health Literacy Monitoring and Intervention of Key Populations, and formulating relevant requirements and specifications for monitoring purposes, monitoring scope and objects, sampling methods, monitoring content and methods, organization and implementation of field investigation, and quality control. In addition, the National Occupational Health Literacy Monitoring Questionnaire for Key Groups was provided, and the monitoring and intervention of occupational health literacy for key groups in the second- and third-key industries has been organized nationwide, so as to understand the occupational health literacy of the occupational population in China and provide important support for promotion of high-quality construction of healthy China.

Status and influencing factors of occupational health literacy among workers in automobile manufacturing industry in Beijing City / 中国职业医学

Objective To analyze the current status and influencing factors of occupational health literacy(OHL) among workers in automobile manufacturing industry in Beijing City. Methods A total of 1 639 frontline workers from 15 automobile manufacturing enterprises in Beijing City were selected using stratified cluster sampling method. The National Occupational Health Literacy Monitoring for Key Groups Questionnaire was used to investigate the OHL of the workers. Results The overall awareness of OHL was 60.5% in these 1 639 automobile manufacturing workers. The awareness of OHL in the four dimensions, from high to low, were basic knowledge of occupational health protection, info of healthy working style and behaviors, legal knowledge of occupational health and basic skills of occupational health protection (82.1% vs 73.2% vs 57.5% vs 43.3%, P<0.01). The multivariate logistic regression analysis results showed that gender, marriage status, education level, personal monthly income and enterprise scale were influencing factors of OHL of automobile manufacturing workers (all P<0.05). Conclusion The OHL awareness among workers of automobile manufacturing industry in Beijing City, especially the basic skills of occupational health protection and the legal knowledge of occupational health, needs to be improved. It is essential to focus on promotion and intervention of occupational health in female workers, those with low education levels, low-income levels, and workers in small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Effect of traditional occupational health training on occupational health literacy of employees in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises / 中国职业医学

Objective To explore the effects and influencing factors of traditional occupational health training on occupational health literacy (OHL) of employees in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. Methods A total of 540 employees from 154 micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, who participated (347 employees) and not-participated (193 employees) in traditional occupational health training, and 171 community residents/students (not-participated in occupational health training) were selected as the research subjects using the convenient sampling method. The OHL level was investigated using Occupational Health Literacy Questionnaire of National Key Populations. Results The overall OHL level of employees was 43.3% (234/540). Among them, the overall OHL level of untrained and trained employees was 38.9% and 45.8%, respectively, and the overall OHL level of community residents/students was 43.3%. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the higher the educational level, the higher the OHL level (all P<0.01). The OHL level of untrained and trained employees was higher than that of untrained community residents/students (all P<0.05). The interaction of education level and training status had no statistical difference on the OHL level of the research subjects (P>0.05). The results of factorial design analysis of variance showed that the overall OHL score rate of untrained employees and trained employees was higher than that of untrained community residents/students (all P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in overall OHL score rate between untrained and trained employees (P>0.05). Conclusion The role of traditional occupational health training in improving the OHL level of employees in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises needs to be improved. The responsibility of enterprise occupational health training should be implemented, and multiple measures should be taken to enrich the ways and approaches of occupational health education for enterprise employees, to effectively improve the OHL of workers.

Analyzing the occupational health literacy and its influencing factors among occupational populations in Guizhou Province, 2022 / 中国职业医学

Objective To analyze the awareness of occupational health literacy (OHL) and its influencing factors among occupational population in key industries of Guizhou Province in 2022. Methods A total of 11 153 workers from eight key industries in 88 counties and districts of Guizhou Province was selected as the research subjects in 2022 using a stratified cluster sampling method. The OHL levels were surveyed using the Occupational Health Literacy Questionnaire of National Key Populations. Results The overall OHL level of the research subjects in 2022 was 57.7%. The OHL levels of basic knowledge of occupational health protection, healthy lifestyle and behavior, legal knowledge of occupational health, and basic skills of occupational health protection were 79.6%, 69.7%, 60.0%, and 42.0%, respectively. The overall OHL level of the tertiary industry population was higher than that of the secondary industry (59.8% vs 54.9%, P<0.01). The overall OHL levels of occupational population in the eight key industries from high to low were medical and health, electric heating water supply, environmental health, transportation, non-metallic mineral products, express delivery/take-out,education and coal mining, with the overall OHL level of 82.5%, 64.2%, 64.0%, 55.9%, 52.8%, 48.8%, 46.1% and 44.7%, respectively (P<0.01). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, ethnicity, marital status, educational level, personal monthly income, length of employment, and industry category were independent influencing factors of OHL levels (all P<0.05). The OHL level of females was higher than that of males (P<0.01). The older age, higher educational level, and higher personal monthly income were associated with higher OHL levels in workers (all P<0.01). The OHL level of Han population was higher than that of Miao and other ethnic groups (all P<0.01). The OHL level of unmarried population was higher than that of married and widowed/divorced population (all P<0.01). The OHL level of workers with less than 3.0 years of employment was lower than that of workers with 3.0 - < 6.0 and 6.0 - < 10.0 years of employment (all P<0.01). The OHL level of workers in the tertiary industry was higher than that in the secondary industry (P<0.01). Conclusion The OHL level of occupational population in Guizhou Province needs to be further improved. Special attention should be paid to the industry of coal mining and selection, education, express delivery/take-out, and occupational population in ethnic minority areas, low educated, low-income, and newly employed occupational population.

Occupational health literacy level and its influencing factors among key populations in China in 2022 / 中国职业医学

Objective To analyze the level of occupational health literacy (OHL) and its influencing factors among key populations in China. Methods The front-line workers from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China were selected as the research subjects using a combination of stratified cluster random sampling and probability proportional sampling. The Occupational Health Literacy Questionnaire of National Key Populations was used to investigate the OHL level. Results In 2022, a total of 340 506 people from 23 industries were surveyed. Among them, 168 455 and 172 051 people were surveyed in the secondary and tertiary industries, respectively. The OHL level of the research subjects was 52.6%. The OHL levels of workers in the secondary and tertiary industries were 56.5% and 48.9%, respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender, age, marital status, educational level, household registration, monthly income, employment nature, years of service and industry category were independent influencing factors for OHL level of the research subjects (all P<0.01). Specifically, females had a higher OHL level than males (P<0.01); the older the age, the higher the education level, the higher the monthly income level, the higher the OHL level (all P<0.01); the level of OHL in unmarried people was higher than that in married people (P<0.01); the OHL level of workers with non-agricultural household registration was higher than that of workers with agricultural household registration (P<0.01); the OHL levels of workers in state-owned enterprises, foreign-funded enterprises and public institutions were higher than those in private enterprises (all P<0.01); the level of OHL in the group with 21.0-43.0 years of service was lower than that in the other years of service groups (all P<0.01); the OHL level of workers in the secondary industry was higher than that in the tertiary industry (P<0.01). Conclusion The workers in the key industries selected by the tertiary industry, the private enterprises in the secondary industry, those with more than 21.0 years of service, and the disadvantaged groups with younger age low income, low education level, and the agricultural household registration are the key groups for the improvement of OHL level in the future. Appropriate intervention methods and strategies should be actively explored to improve the OHL of these key populations.

Scale Development and Validation to Measure Occupational Health Literacy Among Thai Informal Workers.

BACKGROUND: The high incidence of work-related diseases and injuries among day-laborers and workers with no legal contracts (informal workers) has received the attention of the Thai authorities. Workers' low occupational health literacy (OHL) has been reasoned as one contributing factor. Absence of a valid tool has prevented assessment of informal workers' OHL. The aim of this study was to create a valid and reliable Occupational Health Literacy Scale within the context of Thai working culture (TOHLS-IF). METHODS: This study used the mixed method approach to develop TOHLS-IF. Questions were generated using in-depth interviews and an extensive review of the literature. Experts' assessment confirmed the content validity of TOHLS-IF. The scales of its psychometric properties were assessed in a sample of 400 informal workers using cluster random sampling. RESULTS: The final version of the TOHLS-IF comprises 38 items within 4 dimensions: Ability to Gain Access, Understanding, Evaluation, and Use of occupational health and safety information. Factor analysis identified items explaining 50.22% of the total variance. The final confirmatory analysis confirmed the model estimates were satisfactory for the construct. TOHLS-IF demonstrated a high internal consistency and satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .98). CONCLUSION: The TOHLS-IF is a valid and reliable instrument to assess informal workers' OHL. The structural dimensions of this instrument are based on the concept of health literacy and Thai culture. Thai health professionals are encouraged to benefit from this instrument to assess their workers' OHL and apply findings as guidelines for effective occupational health and safety interventions.