Overview of empirical evidence for health protection/health promotion model

There is mounting evidence that worksite cancer prevention interventions that integrate health promotion and occupational health and safety are efficacious is promoting changes in risk-related behaviors, particularly for blue-collar workers. These workers face dual health risks through their exposures to occupational hazards and their high rates of risk-related behaviors, such as tobacco use or being overweight. This presentation will overview findings from four randomized controlled intervention studies have documented the impact of this intervention model, including in improved smoking quit rates for blue-collar workers, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables and improved physical activity, increased levels of worker participation, and improved employer commitment to occupational health and safety programs. Looking only at the effects in terms of increased smoking cessation rates relative to standard worksite health promotion approaches, one estimate of the societal impact of the broad adoption of this integrated model reported that if this intervention were disseminated to blue-collar workers in Massachusetts, an estimated 700,000 workers, it may be possible to reach 250,000 smokers and prevent 2880 lung cancers.