Abstract
While workplace health promotion (WHP) carries a promise of supporting better health of the working population over the life course, there are many challenges that limit the approach. This chapter provides an overview of the evidence on WHP effects on physical and mental health and discusses the challenges. The first part of the chapter introduces the concept of WHP. The second part reviews recent evidence on the effectiveness of WHP and outlines key challenges that relate to the implementation of WHP interventions, participation, and evaluation. The role of WHP in worker retention is also addressed. The third part of the chapter places WHP in the broader context of labor market transformations that impact job quality through precarious employment. Precarious employment is linked to adverse health effects, mediated through psychosocial risks (PSR) in the working environment that hinder comprehensive WHP. The final part of the chapter provides an overview of legislation and policies on work-related psychosocial risks in Europe, and the chapter concludes with a reflection on future considerations for WHP from health equity perspective.
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Franklin, P. (2023). Worksite Health Promotion: Evidence on Effects and Challenges. In: Wahrendorf, M., Chandola, T., Descatha, A. (eds) Handbook of Life Course Occupational Health. Handbook Series in Occupational Health Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-30492-7_22
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