Sara Namazi

Bio: Sara Namazi is an academic researcher from Springfield College. The author has contributed to research in topics: Participatory action research & Mental health. The author has an hindex of 6, co-authored 15 publications receiving 78 citations. Previous affiliations of Sara Namazi include University of Massachusetts Lowell & University of Connecticut.

Process evaluation of two participatory approaches: Implementing total worker health® interventions in a correctional workforce

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Correctional Officers (COs) have among the highest injury rates and poorest health of all the public safety occupations. The HITEC-2 (Health Improvement Through Employee Control-2) study uses Participatory Action Research (PAR) to design and implement interventions to improve health and safety of COs. METHOD: HITEC-2 compared two different types of participatory program, a CO-only "Design Team" (DT) and "Kaizen Event Teams" (KET) of COs and supervisors, to determine differences in implementation process and outcomes. The Program Evaluation Rating Sheet (PERS) was developed to document and evaluate program implementation. RESULTS: Both programs yielded successful and unsuccessful interventions, dependent upon team-, facility-, organizational, state-, facilitator-, and intervention-level factors. CONCLUSIONS: PAR in corrections, and possibly other sectors, depends upon factors including participation, leadership, continuity and timing, resilience, and financial circumstances. The new PERS instrument may be useful in other sectors to assist in assessing intervention success. Am. J. Ind. Med. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Language: en

Work Characteristics as Predictors of Correctional Supervisors' Health Outcomes.

Abstract: Objective This study examined associations among health behaviors, psychosocial work factors, and health status. Methods Correctional supervisors (n = 157) completed a survey that assessed interpersonal and organizational views on health. Chi-square and logistic regressions were used to examine relationships among variables. Results Respondents had a higher prevalence of obesity and comorbidities compared with the general US adult population. Burnout was significantly associated with nutrition, physical activity, sleep duration, sleep quality, diabetes, and anxiety/depression. Job meaning, job satisfaction, and workplace social support may predict health behaviors and outcomes. Conclusions Correctional supervisors are understudied and have poor overall health status. Improving health behaviors of middle-management employees may have a beneficial effect on the health of the entire workforce. This paper demonstrates the importance of psychosocial work factors that may contribute to health behaviors and outcomes.

Examining a Comprehensive Model of Work and Family Demands, Work-Family Conflict, and Depressive Symptoms in a Sample of Correctional Supervisors.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE This study examined how work and family demands affect depressive symptoms, and the mediating roles of work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict in a sample of correctional supervisors. METHODS Using a cross-sectional design, correctional supervisors working in a Northeastern state (n = 156) participated in an online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and indirect effects between study variables. RESULTS Amount of overtime hours worked significantly predicted work-to-family conflict (β = 0.18, P < 0.05), and work-to-family conflict significantly predicted greater depressive symptoms (β = 0.61, P < 0.01). Overtime work also had an indirect effect on depressive symptoms through work-to-family conflict (β = 0.11 [95% CI 0.001-0.42]). No other statistically significant effects of relevance were found. CONCLUSIONS Working overtime had an indirect effect on correctional supervisors' depressive symptoms, mediated by work-to-family conflict.

Associations Among Work and Family Health Climate, Health Behaviors, Work Schedule, and Body Weight.

Abstract: Objectives:Correctional employees exhibit elevated obesity rates. This study examines interrelations among health behaviors, health climate, body mass index (BMI), and work schedule.Methods:Using survey results from correctional supervisors (n = 157), mediation and moderated-mediation analyses were

Research methods in physical activity.

Abstract: Any book that runs to seven editions over a period of 30 years must be doing something right. The first edition of this book appeared in 1985, and it seems remarkable that the two authors of that e...

Total Worker Health® 2014⁻2018: The Novel Approach to Worker Safety, Health, and Well-Being Evolves.

Abstract: Background: The objective of this article is to provide an overview of and update on the Office for Total Worker Health® (TWH) program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC/NIOSH). Methods: This article describes the evolution of the TWH program from 2014 to 2018 and future steps and directions. Results: The TWH framework is defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being. Conclusions: The CDC/NIOSH TWH program continues to evolve in order to respond to demands for research, practice, policy, and capacity building information and solutions to the safety, health, and well-being challenges that workers and their employers face.

Research Methodologies for Total Worker Health®: Proceedings From a Workshop

Abstract: Objective:There is growing interest in the NIOSH Total Worker Health® program, specifically in the process of designing and implementing safer, health-promoting work and workplaces. A Total Worker Health (TWH) Research Methodology Workshop was convened to discuss research methods and future needs.Me

Obesity in the Workplace: Impact, Outcomes, and Recommendations.

Abstract: Objective:To conduct a comprehensive literature review to develop recommendations for managing obesity among workers to improve health outcomes and to explore the impact of obesity on health costs to determine whether a case can be made for surgical interventions and insurance coverage.Methods:We se

Defining ‘Integration’ for Total Worker Health®: A New Proposal

Abstract: The effects of work and the conditions of employment on health behaviors and intermediate health conditions have been demonstrated, to the extent that these relationships should be addressed in efforts to prevent chronic disease. However, conventional health promotion practice generally focuses on personal risk factors and individual behavior change. In an effort to find solutions to the myriad of health challenges faced by the American workforce, the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) established the Total Worker Health® (TWH) program. Originally organized around the paradigm of integrating traditional occupational safety and health protections with workplace health promotion, TWH has evolved to a broader emphasis on workplace programs for enhancing worker safety, health, and well-being. Among the research programs and approaches developed by investigators at NIOSH Centers of Excellence for TWH and elsewhere, definitions of 'integration' in workplace interventions vary widely. There is no consensus about which organizational or individual outcomes are the most salient, how much to emphasize organizational contexts of work, or which program elements are necessary in order to qualify as 'Total Worker Health'. Agreement about the dimensions of integration would facilitate comparison of programs and interventions which are self-defined as TWH, although diverse in content. The specific criteria needed to define integration should be unique to that concept-i.e. distinct from and additive to conventional criteria for predicting or evaluating the success of a workplace health program. We propose a set of four TWH-specific metrics for integrated interventions that address both program content and process: (i) coordination and interaction of workplace programs across domains; (ii) assessment of both work and non-work exposures; (iii) emphasis on interventions to make the workplace more health-promoting; and (iv) participatory engagement of workers in pivotal ways during intervention prioritization and planning to develop self-efficacy in addressing root causes, skill transfer, building program ownership, empowerment, and continuous improvement. Thus we find that integration requires organizational change, both to engage two managerial functions with different goals, legal responsibilities, and (often) internal incentives & resources, and also to orient the organization toward salutogenesis. Examples from research activity within the Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace illustrate how these criteria have been applied in practice.