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The workplace provides an important delivery point for health promotion, yet many programs fail to engage men. A gender-sensitive 8-week team challenge-based intervention targeting increased physical activity was delivered at a petrochemical worksite. The purpose of this study was to examine men's pre-post physical activity and sleep following the intervention, as well as to explore program acceptability and gather men's recommendations for health promotion. Pre-post surveys assessed physical activity, sleep, program exposure, acceptability, and suggestions for continued support. Overall, 328 men completed baseline surveys and 186 (57%) completed follow-up surveys. Walking increased by 156.5 min/week, 95% confidence interval (61.2, 251.8), p = .001. Men with higher program exposure increased moderate and vigorous activity 49.4 min more than those with low exposure ( p = .026). Sleep duration and quality were higher postintervention, though changes were modest. Program acceptability was high as was intention to maintain physical activity. Men's suggestions to enable physical activity involved workplace practices/resources, reducing workload, and leadership support. These findings suggest that a gender-sensitive physical activity workplace intervention showed promise for improving physical activity and sleep among men. The men's suggestions reflected workplace health promotion strategies, reinforcing the need for employers to support ongoing health promotion efforts.

Sleep health is an important aspect of wellbeing and merits incorporation into workplace health promotion programs for employees. Men are a unique population with whom many traditional workplace health promotion programs have had limited success. This systematic review posed the question do workplace health promotion programs improve sleep among men, and what program design features contribute to improving sleep among working men? Databases searched were MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, CINHAL, Academic Search Complete and Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition and Google Scholar. Empirical research reporting non-pharmacological behavioral sleep programs and/or interventions for working men were eligible for review. 1049 articles were identified; 15 intervention studies were included: 13 interventions were delivered through workplaces, and two recruited workers to programs delivered outside of work. Interventions incorporated health education, stress reduction/relaxation, and/or physical activity components. Eleven studies reported positive findings for sleep health outcome(s) in men. A moderate level of evidence exists for sleep health programs with physical activity and stress management components. Evidence for the effectiveness of sleep health education programs was mixed. That only one study included a gender-sensitized intervention, where men's preferences shaped the content of a stress-reduction program which resulted in improved sleep quality, attests to the insufficient evidence and lack of gender-specific content and analyses. Next research steps should include considering cultural constructions of masculinity in program design in order to strengthen the appeal and engagement of men, and optimize health benefits for working men., (Copyright © 2020 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The workplace health promotion program, POWERPLAY, was developed, implemented, and comprehensively evaluated among men working in four male-dominated worksites in northern British Columbia, Canada. The purpose of this study was to explore the POWERPLAY program's acceptability and gather recommendations for program refinement. The mixed-method study included end-of-program survey data collected from 103 male POWERPLAY program participants, interviews with workplace leads, and field notes recorded during program implementation. Data analyses involved descriptive statistics for quantitative data and inductive analysis of open-ended questions and qualitative data. Among participants, 70 (69%) reported being satisfied with the program, 51 (51%) perceived the program to be tailored for northern men, 56 (62%) believed the handouts provided useful information, and 75 (74%) would recommend this program to other men. The findings also highlight program implementation experiences with respect to employee engagement, feedback, and recommendations for future delivery. The POWERPLAY program provides an acceptable approach for health promotion that can serve as a model for advancing men's health in other contexts.

The marked disparity in life expectancy between men and women suggests men are a vulnerable group requiring targeted health promotion programs. As such, there is an increasing need for health promotion strategies that effectively engage men with their health and/or illness management. Programs that promote physical activity could significantly improve the health of men. Although George et al. (Sports Med 42(3):281, 30) reviewed physical activity programs involving adult males published between 1990 and 2010, developments in men's health have prompted the emergence of new sex- and gender-specific approaches targeting men. The purpose of this review was to: (1) extend and update the review undertaken by George et al. (Sports Med 42(3):281, 30) concerning the effectiveness of physical activity programs in males, and (2) evaluate the integration of gender-specific influences in the content, design, and delivery of men's health promotion programs. A search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and the SPORTDiscus databases for articles published between January 2010 and August 2014 was conducted. In total, 35 studies, involving evaluations of 31 programs, were identified. Findings revealed that a variety of techniques and modes of delivery could effectively promote physical activity among men. Though the majority of programs were offered exclusively to men, 12 programs explicitly integrated gender-related influences in male-specific programs in ways that recognized men's interests and preferences. Innovations in male-only programs that focus on masculine ideals and gender influences to engage men in increasing their physical activity hold potential for informing strategies to promote other areas of men's health.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore working men's perspectives about sleep health and the intersecting influences of gender and work, describing participant's views on current and potential programming and organizational support to promote sleep health. Twenty men employed in male-dominated industries in the north-central region of Alberta, Canada, participated in 4 consultation group discussions addressing motivators, facilitators and barriers to sleep health. Participants reported sleeping an average of 6.36 (SD ±1.1) hours per night, and the majority worked more than 40 hours per week. Data were analyzed using an inductive approach. The findings provided important insights. In normalizing sleep deprivation and prioritizing the need to "just keep going" on six or less hours of sleep, the men subscribed to masculine ideals related to workplace perseverance, stamina and resilience. Workplace cultures and practices were implicated including normative dimensions of overtime and high productivity and output, amid masculine cultures constraining emotions and conversations about sleep, the sum of which muted avenues for discussing, let alone promoting sleep. Challenges to good sleep were primarily constructed around time constraints, and worry about meeting work and home responsibilities. Men's preferences for workplace support included providing and incentivizing the use of sleep health resources, designing work for sleep health (e.g., shift schedules, overtime policies) and getting advice from experienced coworkers and experts external to the workplace organization. These findings hold potential for informing future gender-sensitive programming and organizational practices to support sleep health among working men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective was to describe the health literacy of a sample of Canadian men with prostate cancer and explore whether sociodemographic and health factors were related to men's health literacy scores. A sample of 213 Canadian men (M age = 68.71 years, SD = 7.44) diagnosed with prostate cancer were recruited from an online prostate cancer support website. The men completed the Health Literacy Questionnaire along with demographic, comorbidity, and prostate cancer treatment–related questions online. Of the 5-point scales, men's health literacy scores were highest for "Understanding health information enough to know what to do" (M = 4.04, SD = 0.48) and lowest for "Navigating the health care system" (M = 3.80, SD = 0.58). Of the 4-point scales, men's scores were highest for "Feeling understood and supported by health care professionals" (M = 3.20, SD = 0.52) and lowest for "Having sufficient information to manage my health" (M = 2.97, SD = 0.46). Regression analyses indicated that level of education was positively associated with health literacy scores, and men without comorbidities had higher health literacy scores. Age and years since diagnosis were unrelated to health literacy. Support in health system navigation and self-management of health may be important targets for intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Predictors of men's health behaviors and interest in workplace health promotion are not well known. The aim of this study was to describe men's interest in workplace health promotion and associated health behaviors. Method : Male employees (N = 781) at six workplaces in British Columbia, Canada, were invited to complete a survey of their health behaviors, demographics, and interest in health promotion prior to implementation of a workplace health program. Findings : A total of 227 male employees (M age = 43.6 years; SD = 12.1) completed the survey (response rate = 29%). Regarding health behaviors, 62.1% reported 150 weekly minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), 29.3% consumed 5+ servings of fruit/vegetables per day, 56.8% reported 7+ hours sleep/night, 14.4% smoked, and 81.3% consumed alcohol. Men spent 50% of their workday sitting, and higher body mass index (BMI), higher income, and greater hours worked were related to greater hours sitting. Age was inversely related to MVPA. Alcohol consumption was lower among men who were older, had higher income, and worked fewer hours. Most men were interested in being physically active (85%), managing stress (85%), eating healthy (89%), and cancer screening (91%). Higher stage of change for physical activity (β =.20, p =.003) and fruit/vegetable consumption (β =.18, p =.027) were related to interest in these activities. Conclusions/Application to Practice : Occupational health providers should consider worker demographics and could support interventions that target individuals with varying levels of health behaviors given the importance of meeting the needs of often sedentary workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]