A comprehensive worksite cancer prevention intervention: behavior change results from a randomized controlled trial (United States).
OBJECTIVE
Workplace cancer prevention initiatives have been least successful with blue-collar workers. This study assess whether an intervention integrating health promotion with occupational health and safety results in significant and meaningful increases in smoking cessation and consumption of fruits and vegetables, compared to a standard health promotion intervention, for workers overall and for blue-collar workers in particular.


METHODS
A randomized controlled design was used, with 15 manufacturing worksites assigned to a health promotion (HP) or a health promotion plus occupational health and safety intervention (HP/OHS), and compared from baseline (1997) to final (1999). The response rates to the survey were 80% at baseline (n = 9019) and 65% at final (n = 7327). Both groups targeted smoking and diet; the HP/OHS condition additionally incorporated reduction of occupational exposures.


RESULTS
Smoking quit rates among blue-collar workers in the HP/OHS condition more than doubled relative to those in the HP condition (OR = 2.13, p = 0.04), and were comparable to quit rates of white-collar workers. No statistically significant differences between groups were found for mean changes in fruits and vegetables.


CONCLUSIONS
Integration of occupational health and safety and health promotion may be an essential means of enhancing the effectiveness of worksite tobacco control initiatives with blue-collar workers.
Sorensen
Glorian
G
Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. glorian_sorensen@dfci.harvard.edu
Stoddard
Anne M
AM
LaMontagne
Anthony D
AD
Emmons
Karen
K
Hunt
Mary Kay
MK
Youngstrom
Richard
R
McLellan
Deborah
D
Christiani
David C
DC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education; D016272:Occupational Health; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017751:Safety Management; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D017132:Workplace