A cross-sectional sampling of 246 African-American and Hispanic women aged 40 to 70 completed questionnaires to determine the correlates of physical activity in minority women. Perceived barriers were predicted by an interaction of ethnicity, education, and income. Normative modeling was predicted by an interaction of education and income.

Nutrition-related stages of change were tracked for two years in a convenience sample of 118 cardiac rehabilitation patients who participated in a 12-week nutrition program. For dietary fat intake, 83.1% were in action or maintenance at baseline; this decreased to 68.7% at three months, but increased to 91.5% by the end of the second year. For consumption of 5 or more servings/day of fruit and vegetables, only 15.3% were in action or maintenance at baseline; this increased to 30.6% at three months, but decreased to 24.6% by the end of the second year. For this population, the intervention to reduce fat intake might have been most effective if it focused on practical suggestions on how to incorporate low-fat food into the diet, while the intervention for increasing fruit and vegetables might have focused first on the health advantages of doing so, then practical suggestions on how to do so.

Prevalence of prenatal alcohol use measured through oral interviewing techniques used in Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clinics in California were approximately half of the rates reported in the literature. To collect more accurate information, a new alcohol screening tool was developed which measured both quantity and frequency of drinking and utilized images to illustrate different types of drinks. Twelve of 53 clinics were randomly selected to administer the new screening tool, and 12 others composed a control group utilizing the standard questioning protocols. During the baseline period of four months, both groups detected prevalence rates of 4%–6%, and this trend continued for the remaining 21 months of the study at the control clinics. When the clinics started using the new tool, detection rates ranged from 12% to 19% during the remaining 21 months of the study at the treatment clinics.

Fifty-eight obese women without disease symptoms were randomly assigned to a treatment condition which consisted of a 24-week theory-based program based on self-efficacy and the processes of change from the Transtheoretical Model, or to a control condition which involved a free 24-week membership in a local fitness center preceded by a personalized exercise prescription and four educational classes. Nineteen women in the theory-based program and 14 in the fitness center program completed all of the assessment forms at baseline, 24 weeks and 48 weeks. In the theory-based program, improvements were seen in self-efficacy and in 8 of the 10 processes of change at 24 weeks, and all but one was maintained through 48 weeks. In the control condition, improvements were seen only in two processes of change with no changes in fitness or physical activity. Energy expenditure and cardiorespiratory fitness improved for those in the theory-based program, but not the control group. Both groups showed substantial positive progression in the stages of readiness to change.

A one-time cross-sectional design was used to measure the relationship between hardiness, group cohesion, supervisor support, job stress, and job satisfaction among 160 employees in a technology company. Using path analysis, lower job stress was found to be predicted by higher levels of hardiness, group cohesion, and supervisor support. Higher job satisfaction was predicted by higher levels of hardiness and supervisor support and lower levels of job stress. Hardiness, group cohesion, and supervisor support were all positively related to each other.

Telephone interviews among a nationally representative sample of 2500 employed Canadians found that most perceived their work environment to be both safe (85%) and healthy (72%). Socio-demographic, labor status, and organization characteristics were not highly correlated with a healthy environment. The factors most highly correlated were good communication and support, which explained 27% of the variance in multivariate analysis, followed by job demands, resources available, extrinsic rewards, autonomy, manual occupation, certain types of industries, not being injured on the job, intrinsic rewards, and job tenure. Together, these variables explained 38% of the variance in multivariate analysis.

Health and Productivity Management (H&PM) is a new way of looking at health promotion in the workplace. A definition, conceptual model, and supporting perspective for health promotion professionals is provided. References and recommended resources are provided along with practical examples of interventions that have appeared in the peer review literature. Defining attributes are also suggested that help differentiate H&PM from traditional health activities conducted for working populations.

Abstracts are provided for eleven articles on health and productivity–related issues.

Editorial comments on H&PM are offered in the Closing Thoughts column