title: Act Healthy: promoting health behaviors and self-efficacy in the workplace.
abstract: Chronic health conditions and multiple health risk factors afflict Americans and burden employers, but effective, affordable, workplace-based health promotion interventions have not been widely implemented. This is the first study to adapt the empirically validated Chronic Disease Self-Management Program for a general employee population in a workplace setting with an emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion. A quasi-experimental, wellness standard of care comparison, prospective cohort design was used among employee participants at a large University employer. Ninety-one individuals participated in the program. Participants reported significantly increased health behavior frequency and self-efficacy after the intervention, compared with their pre-intervention scores, and improvements were sustained at 3-month follow-up [self-rated abilities for health practices scale (SRA): F = 30.89, P < 0.001; health promoting lifestyle profile-II (HPLP-II): F = 36.30 P < 0.001]. Individuals in the intervention group reported improved self-efficacy and health behaviors compared with the wellness standard of care comparison group at post intervention (SRA: F = 12.45, P < 0.001; HPLP-II: F = 25.28, P < 0.001). Adapting lay-facilitated self-management for the workplace offers promise as a replicable, scalable, affordable model for culture change in organizations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Psychology, schoppl@umsystem.edu.
authors.forename: Laura H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Schopp
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational, School and Counseling Psychology.
authors.forename: Denise H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bike
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Psychology.
authors.forename: Mary J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
authors.forename: Marian A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Minor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012648:Self Care; D020377:Self Efficacy; D017132:Workplace