An organization-based intervention to improve support for employee heart health.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a management training seminar, developed through a partnership among a college, a managed care company, and a state public health department, to increase the level of organizational support for employee heart health in selected companies.


METHODS
Quasiexperimental.


METHODS
Worksites, including heavy and light industries, school districts, insurance companies, county health agencies, and health care centers.


METHODS
Twenty western New York companies matched on size, industry type, and interest in worksite health promotion.


METHODS
Seven training seminars held at a college for 1 year and directed primarily at human resource managers. Training was supplemented by the availability of student interns, faculty consulting, a vendors' fair, and various program planning aids.


METHODS
Groups were assessed using HeartCheck, a measure of organizational support for employee heart health.


RESULTS
A fourfold difference in change for HeartCheck was observed by the experimental vs. comparison groups (p < .01), along with significantly greater increases on five of the instrument's six subscales (p < .05). The level of HeartCheck reached in the experimental group matched those seen in highly acclaimed commercially sponsored programs.


CONCLUSIONS
This study represents one of the first attempts to intervene at the organizational level within a worksite health promotion initiative. Positive results were observed that appear to be both meaningful and cost-effective.
Golaszewski
T
T
Department of Health Science, SUNY College at Brockport, USA.
Barr
D
D
Cochran
S
S
D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D009518:New York; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D016134:Organizational Policy; D015397:Program Evaluation