The Sustainability of an Occupational Skin Cancer Prevention Program

Recognizing the preventive quality in the adoption of innovations: The case of third-party ownership photovoltaic systems in Finland

This study explores the role of the preventive quality of innovations on their adoption intention. The preventive quality of innovations is a distinctive feature of innovations that is directed towards avoiding a future, possibly harmful event. Empirically grounded in third-party ownership of photovoltaic systems in Finland, this study examines data collected from an online survey measuring respondent intention to adopt. A series of hypotheses theoretically grounded in the Diffusion of Innovations theory and the preventive quality of innovations were tested through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling with SmartPLS4. Findings for the overall sample reveal that the preventive quality and the relative advantage of innovations influenced adoption intention positively. Findings highlight the preventive quality of innovations as a construct that acts as the greatest contributor to the dependent variable.

Economic Evaluation of an Intervention Promoting Adoption of Occupational Sun Protection Policies

OBJECTIVE

Economic evaluation of an intervention promoting adoption of occupational sun protection actions by Colorado public sector employers.

METHODS

Randomized controlled trial with 2-year follow-up conducted during 2010 to 2013. Thirty-three intervention and 30 attention-control worksites in final economic sample. Twenty-four-month intervention of personal contacts, training, and materials. Intervention delivery micro-costed. Costs of implemented actions from employer self-report.

RESULTS

Twenty-four-month intervention costs: $121,789, 51.8% incurred by project staff (per-worksite mean=$1,732). Worksite costs: $58,631 (mean = $1,777). Per-employee costs: $118 project staff, $56 worksites. Materials cost: $5990 (mean = $181). Intervention worksites implemented 72 nontraining sun protection actions post-Sun Safe Workplaces (SSW) (mean = 2.18). Control worksites implemented 39 actions (mean = 1.30). Total costs to intervention worksites of implementing the 72 post-SSW actions: $90,645 (mean = $2,747). Control worksite costs: $66,467 (mean = $2,216). Per-employee implementation costs are comparable to other worksite health interventions.

CONCLUSION

SSW expanded adoption of sun protection actions at a reasonable per-employee cost.

Sun Safe Workplaces: Effect of an Occupational Skin Cancer Prevention Program on Employee Sun Safety Practices

OBJECTIVE

Occupational skin cancer prevention is a priority because outdoor workers are exposed to high levels of ultraviolet radiation, the primary risk factor for skin cancer.

METHODS

A 2-year follow-up assessment of the impact of Sun Safe Workplaces (SSW), a workplace sun safety program that promoted policy adoption and education, on employee sun safety behavior was conducted. Sixty-three of 98 local government organizations from the original study participated.

RESULTS

Outdoor workers (n = 1724) completed surveys on personal sun protection practices. Employees' sun protection improved statistically significantly in the intervention group receiving the SSW program. SSW's effect was mediated by the number of workplace actions to implement elements of the policy, including sun protection messages and equipment and employee reports of sun safety training.

CONCLUSION

Policy promotion is a feasible approach to occupational skin cancer prevention.

Senior managers' awareness of sun protection policy predicts implementation of worksite sun safety in a randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Outdoor workers experience chronic exposure to harmful ultraviolet radiation (UV) elevating their risk for skin cancer.

METHODS

A controlled randomized trial promoted the adoption of workplace sun safety policy and employee education at 98 public organizations in Colorado. A 2-year follow-up study with 68 organizations assessed the association of senior manager awareness of sun safety policies and implementation of sun safety actions.

RESULTS

Senior managers' awareness of existing sun safety policies, but not their personal sun protection behaviors, predicted implementation of sun safety actions including the number of sun protection messages and sun protection items in the workplace and increased communication about sun safety to employees.

CONCLUSIONS

Organizational adoption of sun safety policy must include efforts to broadly inform a workplace's senior management to ensure the policies are actually implemented and provide support for sun protection behaviors by outdoor workers to reduce UV exposure and skin cancer risk.

Implementation of Occupational Sun Safety at a 2-Year Follow-Up in a Randomized Trial: Comparison of Sun Safe Workplaces Policy Intervention to Attention Control

PURPOSE

Implementation of employer sun safety actions was assessed in a 2-year follow-up to an occupational sun protection policy intervention.

DESIGN

Two-year follow-up assessment in a randomized pretest-posttest controlled design.

SETTING

Local government organizations with workers in public safety, public works, and parks and recreation.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixty-three local government organizations (participation = 64%) and 330 frontline supervisors and 1454 workers.

INTERVENTION

Sun Safe Workplaces (SSW) intervention promoting occupational sun safety policy and education.

MEASURES

Observations of SSW messages and sun safety items and surveys on organizations' communication and actions on sun safety.

ANALYSIS

Comparison between SSW and control groups was conducted using regression models and adjusted for clustering where appropriate, with α criterion set at P = .05 (2-tailed).

RESULTS

At intervention worksites, more SSW messages ( P < .001) and sun safety items ( P = .025) were observed; more frontline supervisors reported organizations provided free/reduced price sunscreen ( P = .005) and communicated about sun safety ( P < .001); and more workers recalled receiving sun safety messages ( P < .001) and sun safety training ( P <.001) compared to control organizations. Implementation was greater at larger than smaller intervention organizations for wide-brimmed hats ( P = .009), long work pants ( P = .017), and shade structures ( P = .036). Older workers received the most written messages ( P = .015).

CONCLUSIONS

Sun Safe Workplaces appeared to produce actions by organizations to support employee sun safety. Large organizations may have processes, communication channels, and slack resources to achieve more implementation.

Results of a Randomized Trial on an Intervention Promoting Adoption of Occupational Sun Protection Policies

PURPOSE

To evaluate an intervention promoting adoption of occupational sun protection policies by employers in a randomized trial.

DESIGN

A randomized pretest-posttest controlled design with 2-year follow-up was conducted in 2010 to 2013.

SETTING

Local government organizations in Colorado who had outdoor workers in public works, public safety, and/or parks and recreation.

PARTICIPANTS

Ninety-eight local government organizations (n = 51 municipalities, 10 counties, and 37 special districts).

INTERVENTION

Organizations were randomly assigned to receive a policy and education intervention comprised of personal contacts and theory-based training and materials or to an attention control group.

MEASURES

Occupational policy documents were coded for sun safety content by a trained research assistant blind to condition.

ANALYSIS

Policy scores were analyzed with logistic and Poisson regression models using imputation.

RESULTS

At posttest, more organizations in the intervention group had a sun protection policy than in the control group (odds ratio [OR] = 4.91, P < .05; intent to treat: OR = 5.95, P < .05) and policies were more extensive (χ² = 31.29, P < .01; intent to treat: χ² =73.79, P < .01) and stronger (χ² = 24.50, P < .01; intent to treat: χ² = 51.95, P < .01). Policy adoption was higher when the number of contacts and trainings increased ( P < .05).

CONCLUSION

The intervention had a large effect on adoption of formal sun protection policies, perhaps because of its fit with legal requirements to maintain safe workplaces. Personal contacts with managers were influential on adoption of occupational policy even in this age of communication technology and social media.