Closing conference for ENWHP PHWork initiative 21/10/2013
The conference in Brussels will conclude the 9th European Network for Workplace Health Promotion (ENWHP) initiative “Work. Adapted for all. Move Europe”, focussing on promoting healthy work for employees with chronic illness (Public Health and Work, PH Work).
Chronic conditions and diseases have a substantial impact on the labour market and working life. This urges the need for effective job retention and workplace-based return-to-work (RTW) strategies and interventions, as a means of preventing employees with a chronic illness of moving into disability or early retirement. The PH Work project contributes towards the implementation of effective workplace health practices within corporate policies of enterprises in Europe
The conference reviewed the evidence in relation to the impacts of economic change on health and concluded that current responses to economic pressures ignore these impacts at the costs of storing up short and long term health outcomes.
The ‘Santiago Declaration’ outlines these impacts and urges political leaders to act to prevent these impacts and to promote a more integrated and humane response to the problems of economic restructuring and unemployment.
Lancet Study Documents Impacts of Financial Crisis on Mental Health 27/03/2013
A new report in The Lancet has shown that the financial crisis has resulted in increases in levels of depression. This is due to a combination of rises in unemployment and reductions in social welfare and health services.
Kick-off meeting of WP 6 of the Joint Action on Mental health and Well-being 05/03/2013
The European Commission has recently launched a Joint Action project on Mental health and Well-being which is addressing a range of aspects of mental health and wellbeing. Workpackage 6 addresses mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
New study on the Presence, Intensity, and Temporal Changes in Generalized Anxiety Disorder Maintenance Factors in Workers Undergoing Rehabilitation for Persistent Musculoskeletal Pain 22/02/2013
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the common causes of work absences, but the majority of affected workers return at the end of three to four weeks. However, in approximately 8% of the cases, the absence lasts longer than 12 weeks. Several studies have attempted to identify the factors explaining prolonged disability, and it is now known that the factor that is associated with MSDs must be considered from a biopsychosocial perspective. For the first time, a study will document, in a context of occupational rehabilitation, the presence and variation over time of the uncertainty-related fears and concerns of workers who have been absent from work for more than 12 weeks due to an MSD. The researchers will use an observational protocol with repeated measures to document the levels of intensity of the components of the subjects’ generalized anxiety and to explore the strength of association of these variables and the biopsychosocial factors of MSDs. The results of this activity will help determine which of these factors should be re-examined in future research.
With this aim in mind, the objective of this study was to provide an economic analysis of mental health promotion and mental disorder prevention programmes at workplaces. Specifically, the study included a review of the existing scientific literature, case studies with Member States and workplaces, and an economic model. In combination, these methods were designed to provide answers to five specific research questions:
1. What are the major past and expected future trends in public and workplace mental health and illness in the EU?
2. What is the economic impact of mental disorders on health and social welfare systems, employment and productivity in the EU?
3. What type of workplace mental health promotion and mental disorder programmes are available? What is their economic return on investment? What is their impact on health and social welfare systems, employment and productivity?
4. What is the role of health and social welfare systems in workplace mental health promotion and mental disorder programmes?
5. What would be the contribution of mainstreamed workplace mental health promotion and mental disorder programmes to realising EU-health, social and economic policy objectives?