CANADIAN APPROACHES TO THE PROMOTION OF HEALTH IN SMALL WORKPLACES

The promotion of health in small work-places is particularly challengi ng. Research was conducted to identify the types of agencies offering prevention and promotion services to small workplaces, and to describe the activities and strategies used to engage this ''hard-to-reach'' p opulation. This paper reports on a survey of 58 agencies located acros s Canada. Agencies were mostly of recent origin, many having arisen in response to legislative and government initiatives, and of two essent ial types: those that used the workplace as a site for addressing gene ral lifestyle health behaviours, and those addressing the occupational determinants of health. Their location, staffing and program focus re flected their orientation. Factors believed by respondents to influenc e program effectiveness are summarized. The paper notes the top-down o rigins of many prevention/promotion efforts, their inherent management bias, and the differing perspectives underlie the lifestyle and occup ational to workplace health. A call for integration of the two approac hes is made.