Work and health is closely
connected
Health promotion is not just a matter of helping people to quit smoking,
get at healthy diet or exercise more. The latest scientific literature
shows that there is a close connection between workers’ health conditions
and their experience of stress at work. Senior researcher Laura Punnett
from The Centre for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace,
CPH-NEW, explains:
“With more job stress you are more likely to smoke, you’re less likely to
get leisure time exercise, etc. So it is really impossible to improve these
behaviours if you’re not examining the possible role of job stress in those
behaviours.”
Working conditions part of caregivers’ health needs
Laura Punnett is leading a scientific project about physical and mental
health among caregivers at nursing homes in the eastern USA. The project
builds on the latest literature suggesting that one of the many risk
factors for workers’ health conditions is their experience of stress at
work. She clarifies:
“When thinking broadly about their health needs, the caregivers included a
wide range of topics regarding their daily work, for instance,
organizational factors, communication within the organization, decision
making authority, work schedule, and work overload. So they actually do
consider organizational features as a potential obstacle to improving their
health. This implies that workplaces changes are a natural part of
health promotion.”
Cross disciplinary approach needed in science and practice
Both new literature and preliminary results from the ongoing research
project in New England nursing homes suggest that a more cross-disciplinary
approach from both scientists and practitioners is needed when dealing with
occupational safety and health and health promotion. To do that implies
that they minimize the present gap in both knowledge and culture between
them. CPH-NEW and their scientific projects is one of the first attempts to
do that.
Combining occupational safety and health with health
promotion
The Centre for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace
(CPH-NEW) was funded in 2006 by the U.S. National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). It is a collaborative
research-to-practice initiative by researchers from the University of
Massachusetts Lowell and the University of Connecticut. The overall goal is
to explore several different approaches for combining occupational safety
and health with health promotion.
Danish research project on interventions on preserved work
ability
Laura Punnett visited Copenhagen 20-21 January as member of the
international advisory board for the research project “The FINALE project -
Frame for interventions for preserved work ability, long term effect.” The
project is conducted by scientists at The National Research Centre for the
Working Environment (NRCWE). She explains:
“The project addresses a similar issue but uses different methods. For
example, motivating the workers is part of both projects. It is interesting
for me to compare the different approaches close up. At the same time I get
a chance to learn more about health promotion”.
Further information
Senior researcher Laura Punnett, CPH-NEW, laura_punnett@uml.edu
CPH-NEW, http://www.uml.edu/centers/cph-new/
The article "Integrating health protection and health promotion at the
workplace", from GOHNET No. 14 2007/2008, page 22
Further information about the FINALE project at NRCWE
Senior researcher Karen Søgaard, University of Southern Denmark,
DK, ksogaard@health.sdu.dk
Researcher Andreas Holtermann, NRCWE, DK, aho@nrcwe.dk
Read
more about “The FINALE project - Frame for interventions for preserved work
ability, long term effect”
