Environment and Public Health Research

Evaluating the implementation of an integrated work health intervention among cleaners in Denmark: Challenges and lessons learned

Tue, 18 Feb 2025 03:00:18 +0000

Introduction: Work-related diseases and injuries represent a rising global health challenge, with 2.9 million deaths attributed to work-related causes in 2019. Work-related risk factors and diseases are unequally distributed across occupational groups, with cleaners identified as a vulnerable occupational group. Integrated approaches combining the prevention of disease and promotion of health in work health interventions have been developed. This process evaluation aims to assess the implementation of the Integrated Approach to Health, Wellbeing, and Productivity at Work (ITASPA) intervention. Methods: The ITASPA intervention was implemented at two workplaces among cleaners in Denmark. At each workplace, a committee of employees and line managers was formed to develop initiatives to prevent work-related injuries and diseases and promote workers’ health, safety, and well-being. Using the British Medical Research Council’s framework, this process evaluation assessed the implementation through reach, dose, fidelity, adaptations, mechanisms of impact, and contextual factors. Data from focus group interviews and field notes were utilized to evaluate the implementation. Results: A total of 91 cleaners provided data, and three workshops were held at each workplace. Lack of information about the intervention and motivation challenged the implementation. Furthermore, unwanted power dynamics were unintended consequences of the intervention. Contextual factors, such as many replacements, time pressure, and the absence of managers, challenged the implementation and fidelity. Conclusion: Integrated approaches to work health interventions among employees with short or no education can positively impact employees’ health, well-being, and safety if comprehensively implemented. However, attention should be given to unintended power dynamics arising from participatory approaches and the importance of management during implementation. Future interventions may benefit from increased attention to such factors to enhance long-term sustainability as well as realist evaluation approaches for more comprehensive evaluations of contextual factors. Trial registration: ITASPA was retrospectively registered at Clinicaltrials.gov on the 19 May 2023 (NCT05866978).

Rich people have better health than the poor: Health equity in an unequal world

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 02:22:17 +0000

Many accept as inevitable that the rich have better health than the poor; at the same time, many would view this as contravening social justice. This topic was discussed between experts from diverse disciplines at a colloquium on 15th November 2024 in Hong Kong, jointly organized by the Institutes of Health Equity of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and University College London. To address health equity, there need to be indicator(s) that consist of health data, disaggregated by age groups, gender, and measures of deprivation, that are regularly collected. Social determinants of health that give rise to health inequalities need to be documented, to enable measures to be developed to counter such inequalities in the presence of wealth disparities. Such measures include government policies covering health, social, and other areas such as housing, transport, urban planning etc. Civil society also has an important role in mitigating health inequalities, particularly in societies with a steep gradient in wealth, such as Hong Kong.

Comparisons of cost-utility analyses for major diseases: A focus in the Australian context

Alan Silburn — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 02:31:37 +0000

This article delves into the nuances of cost-utility analyses applied to prevalent health conditions, examining the distinctive approaches for lung cancer, ischemic heart disease, and depressive disorders in Australia. The study explores the impact of utility-based units such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years, Quality-Adjusted Life Years, and Potential Years of Life Lost in economic evaluations. Notably, variations in disability weights and their implications on comparability are scrutinized, providing insights into the economic burden and cost-effectiveness of interventions. Findings reveal nuanced evaluation techniques’ critical importance and contextual relevance in health economic assessments.