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.
Partanen
Timo
T
Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland. timo_partanen@yahoo.com
Johansson
Mauri
M
Ahrens
Wolfgang
W
Sala
Maria
M
Wesseling
Catharina
C
Boffetta
Paolo
P
Brenes
Freddy
F
Font
Carmen
C
Frentzel-Beyme
Rainer
R
Garau
Isabel
I
Janer
Gemma
G
Kallas-Tarpila
Tarja
T
Kogevinas
Manolis
M
Loponen
Minna
M
Østergren
Laila
L
Peltomäki
Päivi
P
Solér
Maria Dolores
MD
Svanström
Leif
L
Tempel
Jürgen
J
Neuvonen
Kaisa
K
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