The Australian National Workplace Health Project: Design and baseline findings

Background. This paper describes the study design, recruitment, measurement , and initial recruitment outcomes of Australia's largest workplace interve ntion trial, the National Workplace Health Project. Methods. This was a cluster-randomized trial of sociobehavioral and environ mental interventions focusing on key behaviors of physical activity, health y food choices, cigarette smoking, and alcohol consumption, as well as moti vational readiness for change. Twenty worksites were randomized separately for each intervention using a two by-two factorial design. All participants underwent a health risk appraisal and measurements were made at baseline a nd at 1 and 2 years. Results. The overall response rate for the baseline survey was 73% with 61% attending the health risk appraisal. The sample was predominantly male, En glish-speaking, married, blue-collar workers. Overall, 12% reported unsafe alcohol consumption, 26% were current smokers, 44% were physically inactive , 74% ate at most one piece of fruit per day, and 26% ate at most one servi ng of vegetables per day. Intervention and control conditions were similar at baseline for the primary outcomes, except that a higher proportion of th e sociobehavioral intervention condition was more physically active (59%) t han the corresponding control condition (53%). Conclusions. This study will permit the rigorous evaluation of the efficacy of sociobehavioral and environmental intervention approaches to workplace health promotion, Although participants were randomized by worksite, interv ention and control conditions were similar at baseline; any differences in the primary outcome variables will be controlled for in the analysis. (C) 2 000 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.