Predictors of Employee Interest and Participation in Worksite Health Promotion Programs

Date of Conferral

2016

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Linda Whinghter

Abstract

Many companies in the private sector have established workplace health promotion programs (WHPP) that enhance employee health, engagement, and performance. Employee participation is voluntary and usually low, which limits the health effectiveness of WHPP. Further, the influence of implicit factors such as attitudes, health self-perceptions, or job satisfaction is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to addresses the problem of low employee participation in WHPP and to contribute to an understanding of wellness in the workplace. The theoretical framework was the theory of attitude-behavior consistency and models of expectancy-value. The research was designed as a quantitative cross-sectional study that used the Wellness Evaluation of Lifestyle instrument. Research questions examined the influence of psychosocial and demographic variables on employee participation in WHPP. The survey was administered as an online self-assessment. The questionnaire was completed by 115 members of 3 professional networking groups. The respondents were based in Silicon Valley, California, and employed for at least 1 year by a company with WHPP. Statistical analysis with an independent-samples t test, partial correlation, and standard multiple regression indicated no significant association between gender and WHPP participation and no statistically significant relationship between psychosocial variables and WHPP participation in men and women, controlling for age. Data showed statistically significant positive correlational relationships among several variables. The study contributes to the literature on health behavior in the workplace by providing a theory-based approach to analyzing personal and attitudinal variables of WHPP participation.

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