Assessment of feasibility of workplace health promotion.
BACKGROUND
A simple empirically based method for assessment of the feasibility of workplace health promotion programs is described, focusing on cancer hazards (lifestyles, workplace hazards, deficient early detection). The basic components of feasibility are addressed: extent of hazards; needs of employees for hazard reduction and acceptability of WHP; and social context.


METHODS
The procedure consists of six modules: guidelines on feasibility assessment; employee questionnaire; interview checklists for probing attitudes of management and partners (social context); data form; debriefing; and assessment of feasibility. Pretesting was completed in 16 workplace communities representing industry, construction, transport, telecommunications, health care, lodging and catering, teaching, and municipality jobs in five countries; a total of 1,085 subjects completed the employee questionnaire on health hazards, needs, and acceptability.


RESULTS
The method demonstrated its utility in obtaining and summarizing the necessary data. Feasibility was assessed for the 16 test communities.


CONCLUSIONS
The procedure can be customized; it has a high degree of face validity or understandability, and it is applicable in a wide variety of settings.
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland. timo_partanen@yahoo.com
Timo
T
Partanen
Mauri
M
Johansson
Wolfgang
W
Ahrens
Maria
M
Sala
Catharina
C
Wesseling
Paolo
P
Boffetta
Freddy
F
Brenes
Carmen
C
Font
Rainer
R
Frentzel-Beyme
Isabel
I
Garau
Gemma
G
Janer
Tarja
T
Kallas-Tarpila
Manolis
M
Kogevinas
Minna
M
Loponen
Laila
L
Østergren
Päivi
P
Peltomäki
Maria Dolores
MD
Solér
Leif
L
Svanström
Jürgen
J
Tempel
Kaisa
K
Neuvonen
D001294:Attitude to Health; D005060:Europe; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009786:Occupational Health Services; D009790:Occupations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires