Beyond fun runs and fruit bowls: An evaluation of the meso-level processes that shaped the Australian Healthy Workers Initiative

Grunseit, A; Rowbotham, S; Pescud, M; Indig, D; Wutzke, S

Beyond fun runs and fruit bowls: An evaluation of the meso-level processes that shaped the Australian Healthy Workers Initiative

Grunseit, A

Rowbotham, S Pescud, M Indig, D Wutzke, S

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Publisher:: Australian Health Promotion Association
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2016, 27, (3), pp. 251-258
Issue Date:: 2016

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Grunseit, A https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0783-4596
dc.contributor.author	Rowbotham, S
dc.contributor.author	Pescud, M
dc.contributor.author	Indig, D
dc.contributor.author	Wutzke, S
dc.date.accessioned	2022-08-11T00:19:44Z
dc.date.available	2016-08-26
dc.date.available	2022-08-11T00:19:44Z
dc.date.issued	2016
dc.identifier.citation	Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2016, 27, (3), pp. 251-258
dc.identifier.issn	1036-1073
dc.identifier.issn	2201-1617
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/159883
dc.description.abstract	Issue addressed The Australian National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health (NPAPH) charged states and territories with the development and implementation of the Healthy Workers Initiative (HWI) to improve workplace health promotion. Most evaluation efforts focus on the setting (micro) level. In the present study the HWI at the meso-level (state program development) was examined to understand how jurisdictions navigated theoretical, practical, and political priorities to develop their programs, and the programmatic choices that support or hinder perceived success. Methods Interviews with HWI program coordinators and managers across seven Australian jurisdictions explored decisionmaking processes related to developing and implementing the HWI and the impact of defunding. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Results Despite taking a variety of approaches to the HWI, jurisdictions had common goals, namely achieving sustainability and capacity for meaningful change. These goals transcended the performance indicators set out by the NPAPH, which were considered unachievable in the given timeframe. Four ways jurisdictions sought to achieve their goals were identified, these were: 1) taking an embedded approach to workplace health promotion; 2) ensuring relevance of the HWI to businesses; 3) engaging in collaborative partnerships with agencies responsible for implementation; and 4) cultivating evolution of the HWI. Conclusions This meso-level evaluation has provided valuable insights into how health promotion program coordinators translate broad, national-level initiatives into state-specific programs and how they define program success. The study findings also highlight how broader, contextual factors, such as jurisdiction size, political imperatives and funding decisions impact on the implementation and success of a national health promotion initiative. So what? When evaluating the translation of complex initiatives, a meso-level analysis can reveal valuable principles for informing program effectiveness and sustainability. It can also identify alignment between macro- and meso-level goals and where macro-level specifications may hinder or assist those goals.
dc.format	Print
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Australian Health Promotion Association
dc.relation.ispartof	Health Promotion Journal of Australia
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1071/HE16049
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess
dc.subject	1117 Public Health and Health Services
dc.subject.classification	Public Health
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Decision Making
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Goals
dc.subject.mesh	Health Promotion
dc.subject.mesh	Healthy People Programs
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Interviews as Topic
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Occupational Health Services
dc.subject.mesh	Program Evaluation
dc.subject.mesh	Workplace
dc.subject.mesh	Humans
dc.subject.mesh	Program Evaluation
dc.subject.mesh	Goals
dc.subject.mesh	Decision Making
dc.subject.mesh	Adult
dc.subject.mesh	Workplace
dc.subject.mesh	Health Promotion
dc.subject.mesh	Healthy People Programs
dc.subject.mesh	Occupational Health Services
dc.subject.mesh	Australia
dc.subject.mesh	Female
dc.subject.mesh	Male
dc.subject.mesh	Interviews as Topic
dc.title	Beyond fun runs and fruit bowls: An evaluation of the meso-level processes that shaped the Australian Healthy Workers Initiative
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	27
utslib.location.activity	Australia
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health/Public Health
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2022-08-11T00:19:43Z
pubs.issue	3
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	27
utslib.citation.issue	3

Abstract:

Issue addressed The Australian National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health (NPAPH) charged states and territories with the development and implementation of the Healthy Workers Initiative (HWI) to improve workplace health promotion. Most evaluation efforts focus on the setting (micro) level. In the present study the HWI at the meso-level (state program development) was examined to understand how jurisdictions navigated theoretical, practical, and political priorities to develop their programs, and the programmatic choices that support or hinder perceived success. Methods Interviews with HWI program coordinators and managers across seven Australian jurisdictions explored decisionmaking processes related to developing and implementing the HWI and the impact of defunding. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Results Despite taking a variety of approaches to the HWI, jurisdictions had common goals, namely achieving sustainability and capacity for meaningful change. These goals transcended the performance indicators set out by the NPAPH, which were considered unachievable in the given timeframe. Four ways jurisdictions sought to achieve their goals were identified, these were: 1) taking an embedded approach to workplace health promotion; 2) ensuring relevance of the HWI to businesses; 3) engaging in collaborative partnerships with agencies responsible for implementation; and 4) cultivating evolution of the HWI. Conclusions This meso-level evaluation has provided valuable insights into how health promotion program coordinators translate broad, national-level initiatives into state-specific programs and how they define program success. The study findings also highlight how broader, contextual factors, such as jurisdiction size, political imperatives and funding decisions impact on the implementation and success of a national health promotion initiative. So what? When evaluating the translation of complex initiatives, a meso-level analysis can reveal valuable principles for informing program effectiveness and sustainability. It can also identify alignment between macro- and meso-level goals and where macro-level specifications may hinder or assist those goals.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/159883