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Timing of return to work and women's breastfeeding practices in urban Malaysia: A qualitative study

Sulaiman Z, Liamputtong P, Amir LH

Health Soc Care Community, 2018 01;26(1):48-55.
PMID: 28560792 DOI: 10.1111/hsc.12460

Nearly half of the working population in Malaysia are women, and with only a short period of maternity leave, they may struggle to achieve the recommended 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding. The aim of this paper was to explore the relationship between the timing of return to work and beliefs and breastfeeding practices among women in urban Malaysia. A qualitative inquiry based on a phenomenological framework and multiple methods was used: face-to-face interview, participant diary and researcher field notes. Data collection took place in Penang and the Klang Valley, Malaysia, from March to September 2011. Eligible participants were purposely identified at randomly selected recruitment sites. A thematic analysis method was used to develop the typologies and categories of the findings. A total of 40 working women with a mean age of 32 years (SD 3.4) were interviewed and 15 participated in the diary writing. Most women (75%) returned to work between 2 and 3 months. Only 10% returned to work 4 months or later postpartum, and 15% had an early return to work (defined here as less than 2 months). The women fell into three groups: Passionate women with a strong determination to breastfeed, who exclusively breastfed for 6 months; Ambivalent women, who commenced breastfeeding but were unable to sustain this after returning to work; and Equivalent women, who perceived formula feeding as equally nutritious as breast milk. Although longer maternity leave was very important for Ambivalent women to maintain breastfeeding, it was not as important for the Equivalent or Passionate women. In conclusion, returning earlier was not an absolute barrier to continuing breastfeeding. Instead, a woman's beliefs and perceptions of breastfeeding were more important than the timing of her return to work in determining her ability to maintain breastfeeding or breast milk feeding.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace/psychology
Fulltext Job satisfaction and intention to quit: an empirical analysis of nurses in Turkey

Masum AK, Azad MA, Hoque KE, Beh LS, Wanke P, Arslan Ö

PeerJ, 2016;4:e1896.
PMID: 27168960 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1896

The aim of this study was to identify the facets influencing job satisfaction and intention to quit of nurses employed in Turkey. Using a non-probability sampling technique, 417 nurses from six large private hospitals were surveyed from March 2014 to June 2014. The nurses' demographic data, their job-related satisfaction and turnover intentions were recorded through a self-administered questionnaire. In this study, descriptive and bivariate analyses were used to explore data, and multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression. Nurses' job satisfaction was found at a moderate level with 61% of the nurses intended to quit. Nevertheless, nurses reported a high satisfaction level with work environment, supervisor support, and co-workers among the selected nine facets of job satisfaction. They also reported a low satisfaction level with contingent reward, fringe benefits, and pay. The impact of demographic characteristics on job satisfaction and intention to quit was also examined. The study revealed a negative relationship between job satisfaction and intention to quit the existing employment. Moreover, satisfaction with supervisor support was the only facet that significantly explained turnover intent when controlling for gender, age, marital status, education, and experience. The implications for nurse management were also described for increasing nurses' job satisfaction and retention. This study is beneficial for hospital management to ensure proper nursing care that would lead to a better quality healthcare service.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Development of a Personalized Mobile Mental Health Intervention for Workplace Cyberbullying Among Health Practitioners: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study

Kim YJ, Qian L, Aslam MS

JMIR Res Protoc, 2020 Nov 20;9(11):e23112.
PMID: 33216000 DOI: 10.2196/23112

BACKGROUND: Workplace cyberbullying harms the psychological and social functioning of professionals working in an organization and may decrease the productivity and efficiency of daily life tasks. A recent study on trainee doctors across 8 different United Kingdom National Health Service trusts found health issues and job dissatisfaction in people who have experienced workplace cyberbullying. This disabling effect is even more noticeable in low-socioeconomic communities within low-income countries. In Malaysia, there is a need to create a personalized mobile mental health intervention program for health care professionals. These programs should be directed to prevent and decrease psychosocial issues and enhance coordination among health care professionals to solve health issues in the community.
OBJECTIVE: Our main objective is to study the pre-effects and posteffects of the Personalized Mobile Mental Health Intervention (PMMH-I) for workplace cyberbullying in public and private hospitals in Malaysia.
METHODS: A hospital-based multimethod multi-analytic evidential approach is proposed, involving social and psychological health informatics. The project has been subdivided into 3 stages, starting with Phase 1, a prevalence study, followed by exploratory studies. Phase 2 consists of a quasi-experimental design, whereas the development of a prototype and their testing will be proposed in Phase 3. Each stage includes the use of quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed-method program), using SPSS (version 26.0; IBM Corp) and Stata (version 16.1; StataCorp) as tools for quantitative research, and NVivo (version 1.0; QSR International) and Atlas.ti (version 9.0.16; ATLAS.ti Scientific Software Development GmbH) for qualitative research.
RESULTS: The results of this study will determine the pre- and posteffectiveness of an integrated PMMH-I for health care professionals. The prototype system platform will be developed and implemented in a public and private hospital. Results from Phase 1 will be published in 2021, followed by the implementation of Phase 2 in subsequent years.
CONCLUSIONS: This study will provide evidence and guidance regarding the implementation of a personalized mobile mental health intervention for health care professionals into routine public and private hospitals to enhance communication and resolve conflicts.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/23112.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Perceptions and implementation of orthodontic clinical practice guidelines (CPG) by dental officers and orthodontists in Malaysia

Lake, S.T., Aug, L.C.

Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine, 2007;7(2):35-41.
MyJurnal

This survey elucidated the perceptions and implementation 0f orthodontic Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) by all ortlmduntistc and dental officers in the Ministry of Health Mahysia (MOH). Two different set: uf xelf-administered questionnaires were targeted at first·year dental officers (FYDO), dental officcrx (DO) and administrative Senior Dental Officers (SDO) in one group and unhocluntists in another group. Only 30% responded from a total of 1,327 MOH dental officers, with no participation from three States. Majority (89%) of officers have heard of CPG: although some were unsure of their purpose and usage. About 69% have read orthodontic CPG; of whom 87% have read other MOH dental CPG:. About 78.6% found CPGs 'gaud to excellenf but 16,0% did not answer this question. Same comments received included: language was confusing, inadequate details and pictures, need improvement, irrelevant, need CPG: for other orthodontic problems, need more knowledge first and requests for mare copies. Only 27.7% used them often, 53% occasionally and 15% hardly follow CPG:. About 82% felt that they were encouraged to use CPGx in their workplace and the majority (86%) knew where they were kept especially SDC: and DO; About 90% in the orthndonzist group have received hard copies of orthodontic CPGs but the majority (76%) has not seen them on the website. Although all felt that CPG; were useful to officers and encouraged their use, only 62.5% have introduced CPGs to their officers. There was generally more awareness and usage of CPGS among SDOs compared with DOs and FY DO; The dissemination and availability of orthodontic CPG: is reasonably good. However, the implementation by mthodontists and administrative officers can be improved for better awareness, understanding and usage by dental officers, especially FYDOs.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Exposure risk assessment of the municipal waste collection activities during COVID-19 pandemic

Salvaraji L, Jeffree MS, Avoi R, Atil A, Mohd Akhir H, Shamsudin SBB, et al.

J Public Health Res, 2020 Oct 14;9(4):1994.
PMID: 33312989 DOI: 10.4081/jphr.2020.1994

An increasing amount of waste concurrently further extends the risk of exposure to hazardous material among waste collectors. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, municipal waste collectors are one of the most at-risk groups of SARS-Cov-2 exposure. Risk assessment included hazard identification, evaluation of existing control level at the workplace, estimation of likelihood and severity of hazard, risk determination, and control measure recommendations. Five waste collection activities were identified and reviewed. High-risk exposure includes collection of garbage, mechanical manipulation of compactor lorries and unloading of garbage at the disposal site. There is poor practice of personal hygiene and unestablished continuous monitoring of personal protective equipment supplies. The preventive measures in the waste collection industry are influenced by several factors. Until the preventive measures are adopted into practice and adapted according to each company's requirements, biological agents continue to be risk factor to the health workers.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext The Relationship Between Job Satisfaction and Psychological/Physical Health among Malaysian Working Women

Aazami S, Shamsuddin K, Akmal S, Azami G

Malays J Med Sci, 2015 Jul-Aug;22(4):40-6.
PMID: 26715907 MyJurnal

The workplace environment has a great influence on employees' health. Job dissatisfaction has been widely recognised as a workplace stressor that can influence employees' psychological and physical health statuses. However, job satisfaction is a multi-dimensional concept, and it is necessary to investigate its different facets and their unique consequences. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the nine facets of job satisfaction and psychological health and somatic complaints (i.e., sleep disorders, headache, gastro-intestinal and respiratory problems).

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Reducing the stigma of mental health disorders with a focus on low- and middle-income countries

Javed A, Lee C, Zakaria H, Buenaventura RD, Cetkovich-Bakmas M, Duailibi K, et al.

Asian J Psychiatr, 2021 Apr;58:102601.
PMID: 33611083 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102601

Mental health disorders are a burgeoning global public health challenge, and disproportionately affect the poor. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear 80 % of the mental health disease burden. Stigma associated with mental health results in delayed help seeking, reduced access to health services, suboptimal treatment, poor outcomes and an increased risk of individuals' human rights violations. Moreover, widespread co-occurrence of physical comorbidities such as noncommunicable diseases with mental health disorders makes the treatment of both conditions challenging and worsens prognosis. This paper explores various aspects of stigma towards mental health with a focus on LMICs and assesses measures to increase help-seeking and access to and uptake of mental health services. Stigma impacts persons living with mental illness, their families and caregivers and healthcare professionals (mental health professionals, non-psychiatric specialists and general practitioners) imparting mental health care. Cultural, socio-economic and religious factors determine various aspects of mental health in LMICs, ranging from perceptions of health and illness, health seeking behavior, attitudes of the individuals and health practitioners and mental health systems. Addressing stigma requires comprehensive and inclusive mental health policies and legislations; sustainable and culturally-adapted awareness programs; capacity building of mental health workforce through task-shifting and interprofessional approaches; and improved access to mental health services by integration with primary healthcare and utilizing existing pathways of care. Future strategies targeting stigma reduction must consider the enormous physical comorbidity burden associated with mental health, prioritize workplace interventions and importantly, address the deterioration of population mental health from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Statistical analysis of metalworking accidents within small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia

Kamarizan Kidam, Saharudin Haron, Zainazrin Zainal Abidin, Mimi Haryani Hashim, Adnan Ripin, Mohammed Wijayanuddin Ali, et al.

Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, 2015;12(1):161-164.
MyJurnal

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are known to be one of the major contributors to the national economy.
However, in terms of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) implementation and performance, these SMEs,
especially in the metalworking sector have yet to meet the necessary standard. This paper discusses the statistical
analysis of accidents in metalworking industry by using accident reports submitted to the Department of Safety and
Health (DOSH) which involved 740 accident cases. The main objective is to identify the real causes of accidents and
recommend an appropriate action plan for accidents prevention at the workplace.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Occupational stress and personality characteristics: are they related?

Rosnah, I., Azmi, M.T.

Malaysian Journal of Community Health, 2008;14(2):78-85.
MyJurnal

Introduction: To determine association between occupational stress and personality characteristics among nurses at Maternal and Child Health Clinic in the state of Malacca, emphasizing on type of personality and personal perception of stress.
Methods : A cross sectional study was conducted among 152 nurses of Maternal and Child Health Clinics in Malacca using self administered questionnaires and selected via multistage sampling.
Results : This study showed that a total of 28.3% of the nurses were found to be stressed. Almost half (41.2%) of those who perceived that they were stressed were likely to be really stressed (p = 0.004). Therefore those who perceived themselves to be stressed should be referred for stress evaluation and further management if necessary. However selfperception of stress cannot be used as a screening tool for stress due to its lack of sensitivity (56.8%) and poor Positive Predictive Value (41.2%). Majority of the nurses were of Guardians Personality Type (98%) and 72.4% of them had extrovert trait. However there were no significant associations between stress with personality type or characteristic, most probably due to the preponderance of one personality type or characteristic. Other studied variables such as socio-demographic factors (age, gender, ethnicity, religion, marital status, educational level, body mass index, type of work place, position, duration of service and poverty level) and social factors (placement, chronic medical illness, chronic care taker, smoking status and alcohol drinker) were suggestive of an association between them and stress but were not statistically significant.
Conclusion : There is no association between occupational stress and personal characteristics among nurses in Malacca.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Prevalence of Psychological Distress and Depressive Disorders among Married Working Women in Malaysia

Umi Adzlin, S., Marhani, M., salina, A.A., Ruzanna, Z., Rosdinom, R., Rozhan Sharif, M.R., et al.

Malaysian Journal of Psychiatry, 2011;20(1):1-12.
MyJurnal

This two-phase study examined the prevalence of depressive disorders among married working women in a sub-urban area in Malaysia. The Malay version of the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) was used for initial screening. Using multistage cluster sampling, there were 700 subjects from 25 workplaces that were approached, of which 307 filled out GHQ-12 in the initial phase. The prevalence of psychological distress (GHQ 2/3 cut off) is 22.8% (n=70, 95% CI 18.1-27.5). In the second phase, all 49 consenting patients who were screened positive for severe psychological distress (GHQ 3/4 cut off point) were telephone-interviewed by a trained psychiatrist with the Malay version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I) to diagnose depressive disorders. The prevalence of depressive disorders was 5.5% (n=17, 95% CI 3.5-7.5). The prevalence of depressive disorders is comparable to those found in the working population worldwide.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext The implementation of OSH management system in small and medium enterprise for sustainable development

Muhammad Hasbullah, M.A., Leman, A.M., Baba, I.

Journal of Occupational Safety and Health, 2015;12(1):91-94.
MyJurnal

Occupational safety and health (OSH) in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have not received the proper
attention not only in Malaysia, but also in most countries all over the world, in terms of research or support for
implementation. In Malaysia, many agencies such as the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH),
Social Safety Organization (SOCSO), National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and many more
agencies related to OSH have been in collaborations to conduct and promote a safety working environment and to
protect human rights economically, morally and legally. This research mainly focuses on the implementation of the
occupational safety and health in small and medium industries in the southern region of peninsular of Malaysia. This
exploratory study will be based on conducting a survey to 500 SMEs owners and workers throughout the southern
region of Malaysia to get the in-depth knowledge on how the implementation of safety and health management system
in the SMEs will affect them both morally and economically. A site visit will also be conducted in order to enhance
and to get to know the real situation happening in the real working environment. The results of this study will be used
to make and initial evaluation of the implementations of OSH management system in SMEs and hopefully will help
for future interventions and researches.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Trends in absenteeism rates following psychological intervention-preliminary results

Saroja KI, Ramphal KG, Kasmini K, Ainsah O, Bakar OC

Singapore Med J, 1999 May;40(5):349-51.
PMID: 10489494

To determine the relationship between absenteeism rates and psychological intervention over a 6-month period in an agency with 334 employees in Klang Valley, Malaysia, which had the highest absenteeism rates.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Determinants of academics' job satisfaction: empirical evidence from private universities in Bangladesh

Masum AK, Azad MA, Beh LS

PLoS One, 2015;10(2):e0117834.
PMID: 25699518 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117834

The job satisfaction of academics is related to a number of variables of complex function such as demographic characters, the work itself, pay, work responsibilities, variety of tasks, promotional opportunities, relationship with co-workers and others. Academics may be simultaneously satisfied with some facets of the job and dissatisfied with others. This paper aims at determining the influential factors that contribute to the enhancement or reduction of academics' job satisfaction among private universities in Bangladesh with special reference to Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. A total of 346 respondents are considered from ten private universities using non-probability sampling. A pre-tested and closed-ended questionnaire using a seven-point Likert scale is used for data collection. In this study, descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation, multiple regression, and factor analysis are exercised as statistical tools. A conceptual model of job satisfaction is developed and applied for academics' job satisfaction. The results reveal that compensation package, supervisory support, job security, training and development opportunities, team cohesion, career growth, working conditions, and organizational culture and policies are positively associated with the academics' job satisfaction. Amongst them, three factors stood out as significant contributors for job satisfaction of academics i.e. compensation package, job security, and working conditions. Therefore, the management of private universities should focus their effort on these areas of human resource management for maintaining academics' job satisfaction and employee retention. The study will be useful for university management in improving overall job satisfaction as it suggests some strategies for employee satisfaction practices.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace/standards
Fulltext Work-life balance amongst dental professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic-A structural equation modelling approach

Pai S, Patil V, Kamath R, Mahendra M, Singhal DK, Bhat V

PLoS One, 2021;16(8):e0256663.
PMID: 34428247 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256663

BACKGROUND: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in 2019, has shocked the entire world. As an effort to control the disease spread, the Indian government declared a nationwide lockdown on March 25th, 2020. As dental treatment was considered high risk in the spread of COVID-19, dentistry became one of the most vulnerable professions during this time. Dental professionals had to face job layoffs, salary cuts in professional colleges, closure of private clinics resulting in huge psychological, moral, and financial crises. Studies during the previous and present pandemics have shown mental issues among health care workers necessitating institutional reforms, along with early care and support. A balance in the work-life amongst professionals is the key to better efficiency and, was majorly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown due to sudden unexpected changes. Hence this study was conducted to understand the changes they underwent both at home and professional front with a hypothesis that physical and mental health, activities, relationship status, and workplace influence the work-life balance.
METHODS: A pre-validated questionnaire survey was done on dentists across India. Structural Equation Modelling and path analysis were applied to the data collected.
RESULTS: The results of the study supported the hypothesis that factors like physical and mental health, activities, relationship status, and workplace influenced the work-life balance directly. A significant imbalance was seen amongst the female dentists.
CONCLUSION: The present study proved the unpreparedness among dental professionals. Hence an evolutionary phase in every field with better working protocols, robust mental health support, and a focus on strategies to face future such emergencies is required.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace/psychology
The efficacy of smoking ban policy at the workplace on secondhand smoking: systematic review and meta-analysis

Rashiden I, Ahmad Tajuddin NANB, Yee A, Zhen STE, Bin Amir Nordin AS

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2020 Aug;27(24):29856-29866.
PMID: 32483718 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09407-7

Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) in the workplace has led many workplaces to set up smoke-free policies to protect non-smoking employees. Although smoke-free workplaces are pervasive, the intensity of the practice is questionable. The purpose of this review is to identify the pooled prevalence estimate of secondhand smoke at smoke-free workplaces and the factors associated with SHS exposure at the workplace despite existing smoke-free policies. Fourteen studies (total 7458 employees) were identified from Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Cinahl, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception to December 2017. Results indicate that despite the existence of smoke-free policies at the workplace, 14 studies reported exposure to secondhand smoke. The pooled prevalence of the SHS exposure was 0.29 (95% CI = 0.23 to 0.36) (P

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace*
Fulltext Evaluating the Feasibility of an Innovative Self-Confidence Webinar Intervention for Depression in the Workplace: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Wan Mohd Yunus WMA, Musiat P, Brown JS

JMIR Ment Health, 2019 Apr 26;6(4):e11401.
PMID: 31025943 DOI: 10.2196/11401

BACKGROUND: Depression in the workplace is a very common problem that exacerbates employees' functioning and consequently influences the productivity of organizations. Despite the commonness of the problem and the currently available interventions, a high proportion of employees do not seek help. A new intervention, a webinar (Web-based seminar), was developed, which integrated the use of technology and the traditional guided therapist support to provide accessible help for the problem of depression in the workplace.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility, preliminary outcome, and acceptability of the webinar intervention conducted in organizations.
METHODS: In total, 2 organizations were invited to participate, and 33 employees participated in this proof-of-concept study. The webinar intervention consisted of 6 1-hour sessions conducted via the Adobe Connect platform, developed by Adobe Inc. The intervention was developed based on a systematic review, focus group studies, and face-to-face self-confidence workshops that utilized cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). The final webinar intervention used CBT and the coping flexibility approach. The structure of the intervention included PowerPoint presentations, animation videos, utilization of chat panels, and whiteboard features. The intervention was conducted live and guided by a consultant psychologist assisted by a moderator. Study outcomes were self-assessed using self-reported Web surveys. The acceptability of the intervention was assessed using self-reported user experience Web surveys and open-ended questions.
RESULTS: The findings showed: (1) evidence of feasibility of the intervention: the webinar intervention was successfully conducted in 3 groups, with 6 1-hour sessions for each group, with 82% (23/28) participants completing all 6 sessions; (2) positive improvements in depression: the linear mixed effects modeling analysis recorded a significant overall effect of time primarily for depression (F2, 48.813=31.524; P

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Innovative Self-Confidence Webinar Intervention for Depression in the Workplace: A Focus Group Study and Systematic Development

Wan Mohd Yunus WMA, Musiat P, Brown JSL

Behav Sci (Basel), 2020 Dec 16;10(12).
PMID: 33339086 DOI: 10.3390/bs10120193

Brief face-to-face self-confidence workshops were effective in reducing depression among the public. Technological advances have enabled traditional face-to-face interventions to be adapted using unique technology-mediated platforms. This article details the formative development of a self-confidence web-based seminar (webinar) intervention for workplace depression. The first section discusses a qualitative study that explores the feasibility and acceptability of adapting the self-confidence workshops into a webinar platform on employees in the workplace. The second section describes the systematic development of this new webinar intervention informed by the qualitative study findings, a published systematic review, and previous face-to-face self-confidence workshops. The qualitative study involves three focus groups (n = 10) conducted in a small organization. Three themes were identified relevant to the running of the new self-confidence webinars in the workplace: personal (content, time and duration preference, features of the webinar, individual participation, personalization), interpersonal (stigma from others, engagement with participants/presenter, moderated interaction), and organizational (endorsement from management, work demand). For the intervention development, the format, structure, features, and content of the self-confidence webinar intervention are described. Features such as file sharing, virtual whiteboard, live chat, and poll are explained with the intervention primarily based on cognitive behavior therapy and coping flexibility concepts.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Systematic review of universal and targeted workplace interventions for depression

Wan Mohd Yunus WMA, Musiat P, Brown JSL

Occup Environ Med, 2018 01;75(1):66-75.
PMID: 29074553 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2017-104532

Depression is increasingly being recognised as a significant mental health problem in the workplace contributing to productivity loss and economic burden to organisations. This paper reviews recently published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of universal and targeted interventions to reduce depression in the workplace. Studies were identified through searches of EMBASE, MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES Full Text, and Global Health and Social Policy and Practice databases. Studies were included if they included an RCT of a workplace intervention for employees targeting depression as the primary outcome. Twenty-two published RCTs investigating interventions utilising various therapeutic approaches were identified. The cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) approach is the most frequently used in the workplace, while interventions that combine different therapeutic approaches showed the most promising results. A universal intervention in the workplace that combines CBT and coping flexibility recorded the highest effect size (d=1.45 at 4 months' follow-up). Most interventions were delivered in group format and showed low attrition rates compared with other delivery formats. Although all studies reviewed were RCTs, the quality of reporting is low. Interventions using different therapeutic approaches with different modes of delivery have been used. Most of these interventions were shown to reduce depression levels among employees in the workplace, particularly those that combine more than one therapeutic approaches.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace*
Fulltext Impact of a Workplace Health Promotion Program on Employees' Blood Pressure in a Public University

Eng JY, Moy FM, Bulgiba A

PLoS One, 2016;11(2):e0148307.
PMID: 26840508 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148307

INTRODUCTION: Workplace health promotion is important in the prevention of non-communicable diseases among employees. Previous workplace health programs have shown benefits such as lowered disease prevalence, reduced medical costs and improved productivity. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a 6-year workplace health promotion program on employees' blood pressure in a public university.
METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, we included 1,365 employees enrolled in the university's workplace health promotion program, a program conducted since 2008 and using data from the 2008-2013 follow-up period. Participants were permanent employees aged 35 years and above, with at least one follow up measurements and no change in antihypertensive medication during the study period. Baseline socio-demographic information was collected using a questionnaire while anthropometry measurements and resting blood pressure were collected during annual health screening. Changes in blood pressure over time were analyzed using a linear mixed model.
RESULTS: The systolic blood pressure in the hypertension subgroup decreased 2.36 mmHg per year (p<0.0001). There was also significant improvement in systolic blood pressure among the participants who were at risk of hypertension (-0.75 mmHg, p<0.001). The diastolic blood pressure among the hypertensive and at risk subgroups improved 1.76 mmHg/year (p<0.001) and 0.56 mmHg/year (p<0.001), respectively. However, there was no change in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure among participants in the healthy subgroup over the 6-year period.
CONCLUSION: This study shows that continuing participation in workplace health promotion program has the potential to improve blood pressure levels among employees.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace
Fulltext Cohort study on clustering of lifestyle risk factors and understanding its association with stress on health and wellbeing among school teachers in Malaysia (CLUSTer)--a study protocol

Moy FM, Hoe VC, Hairi NN, Buckley B, Wark PA, Koh D, et al.

BMC Public Health, 2014;14:611.
PMID: 24938383 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-611

The study on Clustering of Lifestyle risk factors and Understanding its association with Stress on health and wellbeing among school Teachers in Malaysia (CLUSTer) is a prospective cohort study which aims to extensively study teachers in Malaysia with respect to clustering of lifestyle risk factors and stress, and subsequently, to follow-up the population for important health outcomes.

Matched MeSH terms: Workplace/psychology

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