A psychosocial-approached health promotion program at a Japanese worksite

This study examined trends of sickness absence before and after a psychosocial-approached health promotion program (HPP) at a Japanese worksite. The subjects were 1029 male employees working at a manufacturing company from April 1991 to March 1999. The HPP was performed from April 1995 to decrease sickness absence through helping to improve all employees' lifestyles according to a psychosocial approach incorporating six characteristics: 1) concept based on the population strategy, 2) use of a health risk appraisal (HRA), 3) setting easy lifestyle targets, 4) praising the employees' personal lifestyle initiatives, 5) supported (sponsored) by the management, 6) award of subsidiary payments. Sickness absence was considered to be consecutive days calculated by medical certification and company records. Absences due to musculoskeletal diseases and total diseases decreased, when comparing four-year periods before and after the program's introduction. In this report we show that trends of sickness absence changed after the introduction of the psychosocial-approached health promotion program.