Grant: Fellowship - PA: Gender, Work and Health

Canadian men are more likely to suffer from the leading causes of death than women, partly due to men's poor engagement in health promotion programs and activities. There is a lack of research evidence to guide the development of men-centred health promotion services and programs. That said, workplace health promotion programs are known to assist workers to reduce risk behaviours (e.g., smoking) and improve healthy practices (healthy eating and exercise habits); however, women are more likely to participate and benefit from such programs than men. This suggests that we are missing opportunities for engaging men in health promotion activities in the workplace. The proposed project will explore men's needs and recommendations in order to create a workplace health promotion program that will help men improve their health. A needs analysis will assure that the program is grounded in the men's experiences and preferences as a means to engaging men with their health and health promotion activities. The first phase will include conducting one-on-one interviews with managers and focus groups with men working at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). Findings from these interviews and focus groups will inform the second phase, to design a health promotion program for men that will be piloted at VGH. The final phase will involve pilot testing the program and applying for funding to launch a full scale project that will include evaluating the program at a range of venues, including several large employers which have expressed interest in hosting a program. The proposed 3 year project is supported by the Men's Health Initiative and affiliated researchers from UBC, and hosted by VGH and Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.