Promoting behavior change among working-class, multiethnic workers: results of the healthy directions--small business study.
OBJECTIVE
We examined the efficacy of a cancer prevention intervention designed to improve health behaviors among working-class, multiethnic populations employed in small manufacturing businesses.


METHODS
Worksites were randomly assigned to an intervention or minimal-intervention control condition. The intervention targeted fruit and vegetable consumption, red meat consumption, multivitamin use, and physical activity.


RESULTS
Employees in the intervention group showed greater improvements for every outcome compared with employees in the control group. Differences in improvement were statistically significant for multivitamin use and physical activity. Intervention effects were larger among workers than among managers for fruit and vegetable consumption and for physical activity.


CONCLUSIONS
The social-context model holds promise for reducing disparities in health behaviors. Further research is needed to improve the effectiveness of the intervention.
Sorensen
Glorian
G
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Center for Community-Based Research, 44 Binney St, Boston MA 02115, USA. glorian_sorensen@dfci.harvard.edu
Barbeau
Elizabeth
E
Stoddard
Anne M
AM
Hunt
Mary Kay
MK
Kaphingst
Kimberly
K
Wallace
Lorraine
L
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D017132:Workplace