Oral

The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace (CPH-NEW) is a NIOSH Center for Excellence for Promoting a Healthy Workforce. Our research goals are to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions that combine workplace health promotion and health protection for employee health outcomes, their costs and benefits, and obstacles to structural barriers within organizations. Participatory programs are emphasized. The four presentations in this session summarize the occupational and personal health concerns of workers in three sectors. The first two presentations describe findings from surveys, focus groups and interviews conducted with clinical and management personnel in nursing homes (predominantly female workforce). Epidemiological analysis of survey data show a correlation between work organization factors and employee health behavior. Qualitative data gathered from management and workers concerning priority health and safety issues will be compared and contrasted. The remaining two presentations discuss key health concerns and perceptions of wellness program participation in corrections and manufacturing industries (both predominantly male). Relationships between work organization factors and health outcomes will be discussed, as well as the benefits of triangulating numerous data sources from the target population. Additional CPH-NEW work is being presented in OHS session 5178.

Session Objectives: Compare priority health concerns among a sample of New England workers in long-term care, corrections and manufacturing industries. Describe the benefits of using multiple methods for enhancing validity of health assessment findings.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)