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Objective: This study examined how work and family demands affect depressive symptoms, and the mediating roles of work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict in a sample of correctional supervisors., Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, correctional supervisors working in a Northeastern state (n = 156) participated in an online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to examine direct and indirect effects between study variables., Results: Amount of overtime hours worked significantly predicted work-to-family conflict (β = 0.18, P < 0.05), and work-to-family conflict significantly predicted greater depressive symptoms (β = 0.61, P < 0.01). Overtime work also had an indirect effect on depressive symptoms through work-to-family conflict (β = 0.11 [95% CI 0.001-0.42]). No other statistically significant effects of relevance were found., Conclusions: Working overtime had an indirect effect on correctional supervisors' depressive symptoms, mediated by work-to-family conflict.

Objectives: Correctional employees exhibit elevated obesity rates. This study examines interrelations among health behaviors, health climate, body mass index (BMI), and work schedule., Methods: Using survey results from correctional supervisors (n = 157), mediation and moderated-mediation analyses were performed to examine how health behaviors explain relationships between obesity, work health climate (WHC) and family health climate (FHC), and work schedule., Results: Over 85% of the sample was overweight/obese (mean BMI = 30.20). Higher WHC and FHC were associated with lower BMI, mediated by nutrition, and physical activity. The interaction effect between health behavior and work schedule revealed a protective effect on BMI. Overtime shift work may share a relationship with BMI., Conclusions: Findings may have implications for reexamining organizational policies on maximum weekly overtime in corrections. They provide direction for targeted obesity interventions that encourage a supportive FHC and promote healthy behaviors among supervisors working overtime.

Background: Correctional Officers (COs) have among the highest injury rates and poorest health of all the public safety occupations. The HITEC-2 (Health Improvement Through Employee Control-2) study uses Participatory Action Research (PAR) to design and implement interventions to improve health and safety of COs., Method: HITEC-2 compared two different types of participatory program, a CO-only "Design Team" (DT) and "Kaizen Event Teams" (KET) of COs and supervisors, to determine differences in implementation process and outcomes. The Program Evaluation Rating Sheet (PERS) was developed to document and evaluate program implementation., Results: Both programs yielded successful and unsuccessful interventions, dependent upon team-, facility-, organizational, state-, facilitator-, and intervention-level factors., Conclusions: PAR in corrections, and possibly other sectors, depends upon factors including participation, leadership, continuity and timing, resilience, and financial circumstances. The new PERS instrument may be useful in other sectors to assist in assessing intervention success. Am. J. Ind. Med. 59:897-918, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: This study examined associations among health behaviors, psychosocial work factors, and health status., Methods: Correctional supervisors (n = 157) completed a survey that assessed interpersonal and organizational views on health. Chi-square and logistic regressions were used to examine relationships among variables., Results: Respondents had a higher prevalence of obesity and comorbidities compared with the general US adult population. Burnout was significantly associated with nutrition, physical activity, sleep duration, sleep quality, diabetes, and anxiety/depression. Job meaning, job satisfaction, and workplace social support may predict health behaviors and outcomes., Conclusions: Correctional supervisors are understudied and have poor overall health status. Improving health behaviors of middle-management employees may have a beneficial effect on the health of the entire workforce. This paper demonstrates the importance of psychosocial work factors that may contribute to health behaviors and outcomes.

Background: HITEC 2 (Health Improvement through Employee Control 2) is the follow-up to HITEC, a participatory action research (PAR) program that integrates health and work conditions interventions designed by the workforce. HITEC 2 compares intervention programs between two correctional sites, one using a pure workforce level design team and the other using a more structured and time delineated labor-management kaizen effectiveness team., Methods: HITEC 2 utilizes a seven step participatory Intervention Design and Analysis Scorecard (IDEAS) for planning interventions. Consistent with PAR, process and intervention efficacy measures are developed and administered through workforce representation., Results: Participation levels, robustness of participatory structures and sophistication of interventions have increased at each measured interval. Health comparisons between 2008 and 2013 showed increased hypertension, static weight maintenance, and increased 'readiness to change'., Conclusions: The PAR approaches are robust and sustained. Their long-term effectiveness in this population is not yet clear., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.)