Date of Award

12-1-2010

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Swanson, Jane

Abstract

The current investigation was designed as an evaluation of a worksite health promotion program with the goal of examining its effectiveness in terms of physical and attitudinal changes over the course of a 12-month evaluation. Because of the call for counseling psychologists to examine health through an interdisciplinary lens, the study examined variables from a variety of disciplines including health psychology, vocational psychology, occupational health, and positive psychology. Using a pretest-posttest design, employees completed measures of job satisfaction, career optimism, perceived stress, optimism, absenteeism, and Presenteeism (on the job productivity). In addition, health screening information was compared from the onset to the completion of the evaluation to determine if health factors improved at the organizational level over time. Results indicated that employees did not significantly improve in terms of health indicators (e.g., cholesterol levels, weight loss), levels of job satisfaction, career optimism, or perceived stress. In addition, results revealed no significant relationship between initial optimism levels and either health or psychological outcomes. Potential explanations for the lack of significant results is discussed including the economic climate in which the evaluation occurred, as well as cultural and organizational issues that may have contributed to a lack of improvement in wellness.

Share

COinS
 

Access

This dissertation is only available for download to the SIUC community. Current SIUC affiliates may also access this paper off campus by searching Dissertations & Theses @ Southern Illinois University Carbondale from ProQuest. Others should contact the interlibrary loan department of your local library or contact ProQuest's Dissertation Express service.