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Article
Publication date: 8 October 2018

Holly Blake, Basharat Hussain, Jenny Hand, David Rowlands, Amdani Juma and Catrin Evans

There is a need to increase access to HIV testing in the UK in male migrant communities. The purpose of this paper is to assess the uptake and acceptability of a workplace HIV…

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Abstract

Purpose

There is a need to increase access to HIV testing in the UK in male migrant communities. The purpose of this paper is to assess the uptake and acceptability of a workplace HIV testing intervention aimed at increasing access to testing in non-clinical settings.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 20 health check events were delivered at 11 UK organisations employing male migrant workers. Intervention included HIV testing, cholesterol, BMI, blood glucose, blood pressure; tailored health advice; take-away resources; optional post-event text reminders about HIV and general health. Mixed-methods evaluation included exit questionnaires (n=771), follow-up text messages (n=465) and qualitative interviews (n=35) to assess event acceptability. Qualitative data were analysed thematically.

Findings

Attendees were 776 employees from 50 countries (51 per cent male; 30 per cent migrant workers). A total of 52 per cent of attendees undertook an HIV test (75 per cent were first-time testers). In total, 96 per cent considered HIV testing to be an acceptable element of workplace health checks; 79 per cent reported new health-related knowledge; 60 per cent of attendees opted for follow-up text messaging; 26 per cent of text respondents reported independently taking HIV test post-event. High acceptability and uptake of HIV testing was associated with convenience, opportunity taking (through removal of deliberation and intentional test-seeking), and normalisation of HIV testing within a general health check.

Originality/value

This study is the first to demonstrate that opt-in HIV testing can be successfully delivered in the workplace within a multi-component health check. The workplace is an effective means of increasing access to HIV testing in groups at risk for HIV, including male migrant workers.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 11 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

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Article
Publication date: 4 November 2014

Holly Blake, Eleanor Bennett and Mark E. Batt

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain which employees choose to access occupational health checks (OHCs), their perceptions of the usefulness of information received and…

6202

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain which employees choose to access occupational health checks (OHCs), their perceptions of the usefulness of information received and whether they choose to act on tailored advice provided.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 253 hospital employees attended workplace OHC then completed online questionnaire survey.

Findings

Participants included new cases (80 per cent) and those who had accessed the service previously (20 per cent), all age categories (23-69 years) and all occupational groups, although the vast majority were in office-based sedentary job roles, nursing or allied health professions (AHP) (78.3 per cent). Almost half were overweight or obese (46.7 per cent); many reported existing health problems or family history of chronic disease. Participants perceived OHC s to be convenient, informative and useful for raising their awareness of health issues, reassurance and monitoring, early identification of potential health problems and signposting to appropriate services. Participants reported post-check dietary changes (41 per cent) and increases in physical activity (30 per cent); smokers reported quitting or cutting down (44 per cent) and those exceeding alcohol limits reported cutting frequency or units of consumption (48 per cent). More than half those advised to visit their GP complied (53 per cent).

Research limitations/implications

Future studies should investigate the efficacy of OHCs and whether reported lifestyle changes are sustained in the long-term.

Originality/value

General health checks can be feasibly delivered in a multi-site hospital workplace setting with diverse appeal. Provision of tailored health information can help to raise health awareness and motivate health behaviour change or maintenance amongst hospital employees, including those reporting risk factors for chronic disease. Employees value the investment of healthcare organisations in the health and wellbeing of their workforce.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

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Article
Publication date: 4 November 2014

Marco Bardus, Holly Blake, Scott Lloyd and L. Suzanne Suggs

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons for participating and not participating in an e-health workplace physical activity (PA) intervention.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons for participating and not participating in an e-health workplace physical activity (PA) intervention.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews and two focus groups were conducted with a purposive sample of employees who enrolled and participated in the intervention and with those who did not complete enrolment, hence did not participate in it. Data were examined using thematic analysis according to the clusters of “reasons for participation” and for “non-participation”.

Findings

Reported reasons for participation included a need to be more active, to increase motivation to engage in PA, and to better manage weight. Employees were attracted by the perceived ease of use of the programme and by the promise of receiving reminders. Many felt encouraged to enrol by managers or peers. Reported reasons for non-participation included lack of time, loss of interest towards the programme, or a lack of reminders to complete enrolment.

Practical implications

Future e-health workplace behavioural interventions should consider focusing on employees’ needs and motivators to behaviour change, provide regular reminders for participants to complete enrolment and ensure that procedures are completed successfully. Barriers to participation could be identified through formative research with the target population and feasibility studies.

Originality/value

This study combines a qualitative analysis of the reasons why some employees decided to enrol in a workplace PA intervention and why some others did not. This study highlights factors to consider when designing, implementing and promoting similar interventions and that could inform strategies to enhance participation in workplace PA interventions.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

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Article
Publication date: 25 September 2009

Oonagh Meade, Sara Jane MacLennan, Holly Blake and Neil Coulson

Workplace wellness schemes are emerging in NHS settings, including complementary and alternative therapy services aimed at improving employee wellbeing. The aim of this study is…

444

Abstract

Purpose

Workplace wellness schemes are emerging in NHS settings, including complementary and alternative therapy services aimed at improving employee wellbeing. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of one such therapy service on service users based at a large UK teaching hospital.

Design/methodology/approach

In‐depth semi‐structured interviews were undertaken with seven staff members who participated in at least one workplace complementary or alternative therapy. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach was taken in the design of interviews and the analysis of interview data.

Findings

The following themes were elucidated: having positive but tentative expectations of therapies; enhancing health and wellbeing through therapy; appreciation for the “Q‐active” therapy service as part of a workplace wellness programme; and work influencing therapy use and vice versa.

Originality/value

The study adds to the limited research literature evaluating workplace health interventions by using an interview‐based qualitative approach to access employees' experiences of this type of workplace complementary and alternative therapies. Valuable insights were gained about the significance of this particular aspect of a larger workplace health programme. The emergent themes build on the existing literature on individuals' expectations and experiences of complementary and alternative therapies and also on the potential benefits of such a service for workplace health promotion.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 2 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

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Article
Publication date: 26 September 2008

H. Blake, S. Lee, T. Stanton and T. Gorely

Increasing physical activity (PA) is an international public health priority. This study aims to assess the impact of an environmental stair‐use intervention using “point of…

657

Abstract

Purpose

Increasing physical activity (PA) is an international public health priority. This study aims to assess the impact of an environmental stair‐use intervention using “point of decision” prompts with varying messages in an NHS workplace in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

Observational data were collected using a covert method (infra‐red sensors) in an interrupted time‐series design over an eight‐week period. Intervention consisted of posters displaying encouraging messages in the entrance to two stairways of an acute NHS hospital. The hospital site is a public building accessible to patients, staff (n=∼7,000), students and the general public. Questionnaires (n=221) assessed employee self‐reports of and attitudes towards stair‐use.

Findings

Following 24‐hour observational counts (n=143,514) no statistically significant differences were seen in either stair climbing or descent on either stairway through the introduction and removal of promotional posters. A number of determinants and barriers to stair‐use were identified. Posters were reported as “seen” by a low proportion of respondents (7‐25 per cent) and only a small number felt encouraged to use the stairs as a result of the prompts (25‐37 per cent of those who “saw” them, 3‐18 per cent of total sample).

Research limitations/implications

The study evaluates the impact of a stair‐use intervention in a public hospital building, a setting within which research investigations have to date been limited. More research is needed to further investigate determinants and barriers to stair‐use and the impact of different message types and locations of “point‐of‐decision” prompts in a hospital setting.

Practical implications

Environmental interventions to increase stair‐use in this setting may be best placed within a comprehensive workplace programme including health education and multi‐component interventions.

Originality/value

“Point of decision” prompts are inexpensive as a long‐term intervention. As part of a large‐scale workplace health campaign, encouraging even a small percentage of employees to use the stairs in organisations of this size is of significance to workplace health promoters.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 1 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

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Article
Publication date: 30 March 2010

S. Lee, H. Blake and S. Lloyd

The public health argument for developing and maintaining workplace wellness programmes in organisations is well‐documented, particularly within the healthcare sector which aims…

1768

Abstract

Purpose

The public health argument for developing and maintaining workplace wellness programmes in organisations is well‐documented, particularly within the healthcare sector which aims to “set the example” for workplace health. However, workplace wellness also makes good business sense, since it is established that investing in employee health can reduce absenteeism, improve job satisfaction and productivity and enhance corporate image. Organisations often place workplace wellness low in their priorities. The purpose of this paper is to present the case for an initial resource investment and top‐level support to pump‐prime a financially sustainable, and even profitable, programme.

Design/methodology/approach

A discussion is presented based on academic literature and practical applications from the authors' experiences in practice.

Findings

The authors use their own in‐house scheme, “Q‐active” as a case example based in an NHS Trust setting, to demonstrate how such schemes can be developed and successfully implemented and maintained in practice. The paper presents the use of the Business Healthcheck Tool for developing a business case for such schemes.

Originality/value

Workplace wellness schemes are financially viable and can become a vital part of a large organisations' infrastructure embedded within policies and internal “health culture”.

Details

International Journal of Workplace Health Management, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8351

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 1991

David Blake

The different types of estimators of rational expectations modelsare surveyed. A key feature is that the model′s solution has to be takeninto account when it is estimated. The two…

749

Abstract

The different types of estimators of rational expectations models are surveyed. A key feature is that the model′s solution has to be taken into account when it is estimated. The two ways of doing this, the substitution and errors‐in‐variables methods, give rise to different estimators. In the former case, a generalised least‐squares or maximum‐likelihood type estimator generally gives consistent and efficient estimates. In the latter case, a generalised instrumental variable (GIV) type estimator is needed. Because the substitution method involves more complicated restrictions and because it resolves the solution indeterminacy in a more arbitary fashion, when there are forward‐looking expectations, the errors‐in‐variables solution with the GIV estimator is the recommended combination.

Details

Journal of Economic Studies, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3585

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Article
Publication date: 10 June 2020

Sarah W. Beck, Karis Jones, Scott Storm, J. Roman Torres, Holly Smith and Meghan Bennett

This study aims to explore and provide empirical evidence for ways that teachers can simultaneously support students’ literary reading and analytic writing through dialogic…

457

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore and provide empirical evidence for ways that teachers can simultaneously support students’ literary reading and analytic writing through dialogic assessment, an approach to conferencing with writers that foregrounds process and integrates assessment and instruction.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses qualitative research methods of three high school teachers’ dialogic assessment sessions with individual students to investigate how these teachers both assessed and taught literary reading moves as they observed and supported the students’ writing. An expanded version of Rainey’s (2017) scheme for coding literary reading practices was used.

Findings

The three teachers varied in the range and extent of literary reading practices they taught and supported. The practices that they most commonly modeled or otherwise supported were making claims, seeking patterns and articulating puzzles. The variation we observed in their literary reading practices may be attributed to institutional characteristics of the teachers’ contexts.

Research limitations/implications

This study illustrates how the concept of prolepsis can be productively used as a lens through which to understand teachers’ instructional choices.

Practical implications

The descriptive findings show how individualized coaching of students’ writing about literature can also support literary reading. Teachers of English need not worry that they have to choose between teaching writing and teaching reading.

Originality/value

This study presents dialogic assessment as a useful way to guide students through the writing process and literary interpretation simultaneously.

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Article
Publication date: 18 April 2024

Anton Salov

The purpose of this study is to reveal the dynamics of house prices and sales in spatial and temporal dimensions across British regions.

40

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to reveal the dynamics of house prices and sales in spatial and temporal dimensions across British regions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper incorporates two empirical approaches to describe the behaviour of property prices across British regions. The models are applied to two different data sets. The first empirical approach is to apply the price diffusion model proposed by Holly et al. (2011) to the UK house price index data set. The second empirical approach is to apply a bivariate global vector autoregression model without a time trend to house prices and transaction volumes retrieved from the nationwide building society.

Findings

Identifying shocks to London house prices in the GVAR model, based on the generalized impulse response functions framework, I find some heterogeneity in responses to house price changes; for example, South East England responds stronger than the remaining provincial regions. The main pattern detected in responses and characteristic for each region is the fairly rapid fading of the shock. The spatial-temporal diffusion model demonstrates the presence of a ripple effect: a shock emanating from London is dispersed contemporaneously and spatially to other regions, affecting prices in nondominant regions with a delay.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this work is the betterment in understanding how house price changes move across regions and time within a UK context.

Details

International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, vol. 17 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8270

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Article
Publication date: 1 January 1976

Larry E. Pate and Kendrith M. Rowland

In a recent issue of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Blake strongly criticised an article on organisational change by Blumberg and Wiener for the authors' failure…

356

Abstract

In a recent issue of the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Blake strongly criticised an article on organisational change by Blumberg and Wiener for the authors' failure thoroughly to review the literature and for missing important material relevant to their study. In response, Blumberg simply stated that they were not aware of the material, because it had appeared in a relatively obscure journal. Indeed, a later writer (Zurcher) criticised one of Blake's papers on the same grounds, and then suggested that an event such as this might easily happen to any of us. Despite their apparent conflict, each of these individuals did agree, of course, that a thorough review of the literature on any given topic is necessary to good research and reporting. Our purpose here is not to pour salt on wounds, but rather to illustrate our raison d'être for presenting the material below.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 14 no. 0
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

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