title: Employees are ambivalent about health checks in the occupational setting.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Employees are increasingly provided with preventive health checks. However, participation rates are low and several ethical issues arise, such as a potential perceived threat to autonomy and privacy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess what employees think about preventive health checks in the occupational setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples of construction workers and the general working population in the Netherlands completed a survey about preventive health checks in the occupational setting. We asked half of each sample about potential benefits and drawbacks of health checks, and the other half about how they should be offered. We employed explorative factor analysis to identify constructs related to perceived benefits and drawbacks, and the way health checks should be provided. We then conducted descriptive analyses and t-tests to compare subgroups of respondents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 482 (27%) of construction workers and 738 (65%) employees from the general population responded. The overall survey response rate was 42% with 41% completing the first questionnaire and 42% the second. We identified three constructs related to perceived benefits and drawbacks: self-control over health, disturbance and negative emotion and lack of autonomy. Participants rated 'self-control over health' as the highest potential benefit (mean = 3.40; SD = 0.69), and 'your employer interfering in your personal life' as the most important potential drawback (mean = 3.27; SD = 1.00). Participants indicated that they would like to receive help from their occupational physician when an increased health risk is identified (mean = 4.02; SD = 0.69).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Employees are ambivalent and hesitant concerning preventive health checks in the occupational setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, PO Box 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands, o.damman@vumc.nl.
authors.forename: O C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Damman
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, PO Box 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: van der Beek
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Occupational Health and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, PO Box 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: D R M
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Timmermans
mesh_terms: D004651:Employment; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D009786:Occupational Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace
keywords: Consumer attitudes; health promotion; healthy lifestyles; lay perspectives; occupational health services; patient attitudes; prevention; risk assessment; survey.