Does employee participation in workplace health promotion depend on the working environment? A cross-sectional study of Danish workers.
To investigate if participation in workplace health promotion (WHP) depends on the work environment.



Questionnaire data on participation in WHP activities (smoking cessation, healthy diet, exercise facilities, weekly exercise classes, contact with health professionals, health screenings) and the work environment (social support, fatiguing work, physical, quantitative and emotional demands, job control and WHP availability setting) were collected cross-sectionally in 2010 in a representative sample (n=10 605) of Danish workers. Binary regression analyses of the association between work environment characteristics and participation in WHP were conducted and adjusted for age, gender and industry.



WHP offered during leisure time was associated with lower participation in all measured activities compared with when offered during working hours. Low social support and fatiguing work were associated with low participation in WHP. No associations with participation in WHPs were observed for physical work or quantitative demands, work pace or job strain. However, high physical demands/low job control and high emotional demands/low job control were associated with low participation.



Lower participation in WHP was associated with programmes during leisure, low social support, very fatiguing work and high physical or emotional demands with low job control. This suggests that to obtain proper effect of health promotion in a workplace setting, a good work environment is essential.
National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Marie Birk
MB
Jørgensen
National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Ebbe
E
Villadsen
Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), Berlin, Germany.
Hermann
H
Burr
Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA.
Laura
L
Punnett
National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark Institute of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Andreas
A
Holtermann
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D004644:Emotions; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005221:Fatigue; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000074824:Work Engagement; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult
demand-control; exercise; health screening; smoking cessation; social support