Evaluation of social-cognitive versus stage-matched, self-help physical activity interventions at the workplace.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness of stage-matched vs. social-cognitive physical activity interventions in a work setting. Both interventions were designed as minimal-contact, self-help programs suitable for large-scale application. DESIGN: Randomized trial. Participants were randomized into one of the two intervention groups at baseline; the follow-up assessment was conducted 1 month later. SETTING: A large, public university in the southeastern region of the United States. SUBJECTS: Employees from two academic colleges within the participating institution were eligible to participate: 366 employees completed the baseline assessment; 208 of these completed both assessments (baseline and follow-up) and met the compliance criteria. INTERVENTION: Printed, self-help exercise booklets (12 to 16 pages in length) either (1) matched to the individual's stage of motivational readiness for exercise adoption at baseline or (2) derived from social-cognitive theory but not matched by stage. MEASURES: Standard questionnaires were administered to assess stage of motivational readiness for physical activity; physical activity participation; and exercise-related processes of change, decisional balance, self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and goal satisfaction. RESULTS: The two interventions were equally effective in moving participants to higher levels of motivational readiness for regular physical activity. Among participants not already in maintenance at baseline, 34.9% in the stage-matched condition progressed, while 33.9% in the social-cognitive group did so (chi2 = not significant). Analyses of variance showed that the two treatment groups did not differ in terms of physical activity participation, cognitive and behavioral process use, decisional balance, or the other psychological constructs. For both treatment groups, cognitive process use remained high across all stages, while behavioral process use increased at the higher stages. The pros component of decisional balance did not vary across stage, whereas cons decreased significantly between preparation and action. CONCLUSIONS: Minimal-contact, one-shot physical activity interventions delivered at work can help people increase their participation in regular physical activity. Stage matching may not necessarily add value to interventions that otherwise make good use of behavior change theory. The findings also reinforce the importance of barrier reduction in long-term adherence. A limiting factor in this study is that employees in the earliest stage of change (precontemplation) were not well-represented in the sample.

Mind over matter: exploring job stress among female blue-collar workers.

Although overall health has been defined holistically as the integration of a person's optimal mental, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual well-being, a mental health focus remains on the fringe of many public health efforts. This report describes recent efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to explore job stress among female blue-collar workers. Using a more holistic approach to understand its impact on blue-collar women's overall health, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was used to assess optimal human performance. Attempting to encapsulate how overall health affects one's ability to participate and fulfill daily personal/professional tasks, HRQOL yields a broader understanding of the interaction between psychological well-being (mind) and physical functioning (matter). Embedding CDC HRQOL-4 measures into a questionnaire used as part of a larger mixed methods project, blue-collar women responded to questions about their health, including both mental and physical. For these female workers, mental health appeared to be of greater consequence, which could be interpreted as mind being more significant than matter. This paper highlights the findings related to HRQOL issues experienced by these female blue-collar workers and summarizes recommendations for effective individual and organizational approaches to address job stress.

Effectiveness of a healthy work organization intervention: ethnic group differences.

This study examined ethnic group differences in the effectiveness of a healthy work organization intervention on organizational climate and worker health and well-being. Our sample consisted of employees from 21 stores of a large national retail chain. The intervention involved establishing and facilitating employee problem-solving teams in 11 of the stores. Teams were charged with developing and implementing action plans tailored to the needs of their specific site. Pre- and postcomparisons of the treatment and control groups showed that the intervention produced positive effects on both the climate and health and well-being outcomes; however, these effects varied significantly by ethnic group. Particularly in terms of organizational climate, black and Hispanic employees were the primary beneficiaries of the participatory intervention process. These results are interpreted in terms of social identification and self-categorization theories and are contrasted with traditional participatory and diversity training approaches.