Health-related motivational determinants and health practices of participants and nonparticipants before and after a worksite health screening
Abstract
The purposes of this investigation were to identify employee general health motivational characteristics, to determine differences between participants and nonparticipants of a worksite health screening, to predict participation in a worksite health screening based on motivational characteristics, and to determine if participation in a worksite health screening changed health-related characteristics or health behaviors. Personal Investment Theory provided a theoretical framework for this investigation. An original questionnaire, the General Health Personal Investment Questionnaire (GHPIQ), was developed to identify employee motivational characteristics and health practices. The GHPIQ was distributed to employees of a small manufacturing company one week before and twelve weeks after a worksite health screening. The subjects were primarily male hourly employees. Eighty-eight percent of the employees participated in the pre-screening session, 54% participated in the screening, and 53% participated in the post-screening session. Results of independent t-tests indicated that participants had significantly (p $<$.05) higher scores than nonparticipants for seven of twenty health practices. Participants and nonparticipants were more alike than different regarding motivational characteristics. A discriminant analysis correctly classified 62.8% of participants and 59.2% of nonparticipants based on their motivational characteristics. In a second discriminant analysis two significant functions emerged which accounted for 88.2% of the variance among four groups defined by occupational status and participation status. Multiple regression analysis indicated that motivational characteristics accounted for 31.5% of the variability of employees' health practice scores. Separate multiple regression analyses on groups defined by gender and occupational status provided evidence that determinants of health practices were different among these groups. A repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that participants of the health screening had improved dietary practices after the screening compared with pre-screening while nonparticipants did not change their dietary practices. The results of this investigation suggested that a worksite health screening could foster positive changes of some but not all health practices of employees. It also provided evidence that worksites should tailor health promotion programs for subpopulations of employees that match the different motivational characteristics of each group to enhance participation and thereby foster the development of healthful lifestyles of all employees.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Hyner, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Health education
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