Association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance: moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lens
Abstract Background An increase in the proportion of older employees over the coming decades is an outcome of ageing of the world’s population. Workplace interventions that enable older employees to maintain work productivity and avoid illness are, therefore, increasingly important. An aspect of the...
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2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21831-3 |
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| author | Nestor Asiamah Isaac Aidoo Etornam Doamekpor Emelia Sarpong Emelia Danquah Cosmos Yarfi Eric Eku Usman Yaw Baidoo Christiana Afriyie Manu Rita Sarkodie Baffoe |
| author_facet | Nestor Asiamah Isaac Aidoo Etornam Doamekpor Emelia Sarpong Emelia Danquah Cosmos Yarfi Eric Eku Usman Yaw Baidoo Christiana Afriyie Manu Rita Sarkodie Baffoe |
| author_sort | Nestor Asiamah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background An increase in the proportion of older employees over the coming decades is an outcome of ageing of the world’s population. Workplace interventions that enable older employees to maintain work productivity and avoid illness are, therefore, increasingly important. An aspect of these interventions is Workplace Support for Health (WSH), which fosters Occupational Health Literacy (OHL) and encourages health behaviours in an organization. Common health behaviours are healthy diet and physical activity, both of which protect physical functioning and well-being. Employees are more likely to avoid illness and maintain physical functioning if they receive enough WSH and improve their OHL. Aim This study aimed to investigate whether there is a moderated mediation by functioning in the relationship between WSH, OHL, and illness avoidance. Methods A cross-sectional design with sensitivity analyses and measures against common methods bias was adopted. The participants were 1015 middle-aged and older adult employees aged 50 to 85 years. The participants were workers of public and private organizations in Accra, Ghana. The main variables (i.e., WSH, OHL, functioning, and illness avoidance) were measured with Likert-type scales adopted in whole from the literature. Data were analysed with Hayes’ Process Model through structural equation modelling. Results WSH had a positive effect on functioning (β = 0.29; p < 0.001) and illness avoidance (β = 0.25; p < 0.001) in the whole sample. Functioning had a positive effect on illness avoidance (β = 0.45; p < 0.001). A positive indirect effect of WSH (through functioning) on illness avoidance was confirmed. Evidence of a moderated mediation was found, suggesting that the indirect effect of WSH on illness avoidance was stronger at higher OHL. Our sensitivity analysis yielded similar effects in men and women. Conclusion WSH can enable older employees to improve their physical functioning and avoid illness, especially if it fosters higher OHL. WSH can be an appropriate way to protect employee health in response to ageing of the workforce. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2a5d2d1ced1a415f86b0c4cbbb9dcb67 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-2a5d2d1ced1a415f86b0c4cbbb9dcb672025-08-20T03:44:07ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-08-0125111310.1186/s12889-025-21831-3Association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance: moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lensNestor Asiamah0Isaac Aidoo1Etornam Doamekpor2Emelia Sarpong3Emelia Danquah4Cosmos Yarfi5Eric Eku6Usman Yaw Baidoo7Christiana Afriyie Manu8Rita Sarkodie Baffoe9Division of Interdisciplinary Research and Practice, School of Health and Social Care, University of EssexDepartment of Building Technology, Accra Technical UniversityFaculty of Business Administration, KAAF University College, Central RegionSchool of Business, Accra Technical UniversityKoforidua Technical UniversityDepartment of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Health and Allied SciencesDepartment of Secretaryship and Management Studies, Dr Hilla Limann Technical UniversityDepartment of Business and Social Sciences Education, University of Cape CoastSchool of Business, Accra Technical UniversitySchool of Business, Accra Technical UniversityAbstract Background An increase in the proportion of older employees over the coming decades is an outcome of ageing of the world’s population. Workplace interventions that enable older employees to maintain work productivity and avoid illness are, therefore, increasingly important. An aspect of these interventions is Workplace Support for Health (WSH), which fosters Occupational Health Literacy (OHL) and encourages health behaviours in an organization. Common health behaviours are healthy diet and physical activity, both of which protect physical functioning and well-being. Employees are more likely to avoid illness and maintain physical functioning if they receive enough WSH and improve their OHL. Aim This study aimed to investigate whether there is a moderated mediation by functioning in the relationship between WSH, OHL, and illness avoidance. Methods A cross-sectional design with sensitivity analyses and measures against common methods bias was adopted. The participants were 1015 middle-aged and older adult employees aged 50 to 85 years. The participants were workers of public and private organizations in Accra, Ghana. The main variables (i.e., WSH, OHL, functioning, and illness avoidance) were measured with Likert-type scales adopted in whole from the literature. Data were analysed with Hayes’ Process Model through structural equation modelling. Results WSH had a positive effect on functioning (β = 0.29; p < 0.001) and illness avoidance (β = 0.25; p < 0.001) in the whole sample. Functioning had a positive effect on illness avoidance (β = 0.45; p < 0.001). A positive indirect effect of WSH (through functioning) on illness avoidance was confirmed. Evidence of a moderated mediation was found, suggesting that the indirect effect of WSH on illness avoidance was stronger at higher OHL. Our sensitivity analysis yielded similar effects in men and women. Conclusion WSH can enable older employees to improve their physical functioning and avoid illness, especially if it fosters higher OHL. WSH can be an appropriate way to protect employee health in response to ageing of the workforce.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21831-3Workplace support for healthFunctioningIllness avoidanceOccupational health literacySexOlder adults |
| spellingShingle | Nestor Asiamah Isaac Aidoo Etornam Doamekpor Emelia Sarpong Emelia Danquah Cosmos Yarfi Eric Eku Usman Yaw Baidoo Christiana Afriyie Manu Rita Sarkodie Baffoe Association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance: moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lens BMC Public Health Workplace support for health Functioning Illness avoidance Occupational health literacy Sex Older adults |
| title | Association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance: moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lens |
| title_full | Association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance: moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lens |
| title_fullStr | Association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance: moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lens |
| title_full_unstemmed | Association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance: moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lens |
| title_short | Association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance: moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lens |
| title_sort | association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lens |
| topic | Workplace support for health Functioning Illness avoidance Occupational health literacy Sex Older adults |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21831-3 |
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