TY - JOUR
T1 - “I Get That Spirit in Me”—Mentally Empowering Workplace Health Promotion for Female Workers in Low-Paid Jobs During Menopause and Midlife
AU - Verburgh, Marjolein
AU - Verdonk, Petra
AU - Appelman, Yolande
AU - Zanten, Monique Brood-Van
AU - Nieuwenhuijsen, Karen
PY - 2020/9/2
Y1 - 2020/9/2
N2 - During menopause and midlife, female workers, particularly those in low-paid jobs, experience more occupational health problems than other groups of workers. Workplace interventions are often lacking, however. In the Netherlands, a workplace health promotion intervention—the work–life program (WLP)—has been developed to support female workers. Here, we tailored the WLP to the needs of female workers in low-paid jobs working at Amsterdam University Medical Center. In an exploratory mixed-methods study with a convergent design, among 56 participants, we used questionnaires before and after the intervention and semistructured, in-depth interviews to address the following research question: What is the impact of the WLP on the women’s health and work functioning? Our quantitative data showed that menopausal symptoms improved significantly after the WLP. Our qualitative data, derived from 12 participants, showed that the WLP initiated a process of mental empowerment that initiated positive changes in four domains: behavior, physical health, mental wellbeing, and in the workplace. Taken with caution, our findings suggest that the WLP mentally empowers female workers to make choices that enhance their health and wellbeing, both at work and in their private lives, as summarized in the quote of one participant: “I get that spirit in me!”.
AB - During menopause and midlife, female workers, particularly those in low-paid jobs, experience more occupational health problems than other groups of workers. Workplace interventions are often lacking, however. In the Netherlands, a workplace health promotion intervention—the work–life program (WLP)—has been developed to support female workers. Here, we tailored the WLP to the needs of female workers in low-paid jobs working at Amsterdam University Medical Center. In an exploratory mixed-methods study with a convergent design, among 56 participants, we used questionnaires before and after the intervention and semistructured, in-depth interviews to address the following research question: What is the impact of the WLP on the women’s health and work functioning? Our quantitative data showed that menopausal symptoms improved significantly after the WLP. Our qualitative data, derived from 12 participants, showed that the WLP initiated a process of mental empowerment that initiated positive changes in four domains: behavior, physical health, mental wellbeing, and in the workplace. Taken with caution, our findings suggest that the WLP mentally empowers female workers to make choices that enhance their health and wellbeing, both at work and in their private lives, as summarized in the quote of one participant: “I get that spirit in me!”.
KW - Intervention
KW - Low-paid jobs
KW - Menopause
KW - Midlife
KW - Women
KW - Work
KW - Workplace health promotion
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090174205&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186462
DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186462
M3 - Article
C2 - 32899848
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 17
SP - 1
EP - 21
JO - International journal of environmental research and public health
JF - International journal of environmental research and public health
IS - 18
M1 - 6462
ER -