Healthy Leadership for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-term objective of the project is to develop an electronically-based (Internet) management tool that facilitates delivery of health promotion programs to workplaces and reduces manager and employee risks for cardiovascular disease. Workplace managers and executives can present significant medical savings to an organization through three positive paths of influence: (1) they can provide supportive supervision and positive leadership, a known health protective factor in the work environment; (2) they can model heart healthy life-styles to associates (role modeling); and (3) managers and executives make decisions about whether employees will receive health promotion programs. The Internet program will be designed to enhance positive changes within each of these paths of influence. To appeal to executives, the program integrates and aligns health messages within a business-relevant leadership development program. Program content will draw on the empirical relationship between healthy life-style and known behavioral risks in leaders (stress, social isolation, power motivation). Interactive exercises will feature expert opinions and integrate leadership tips with tools for recognizing/addressing psycho-social risks for cardiovascular disease (CVD). As part of the integration of leadership with health promotion, the program includes a series of e-health modules on stress, diet, nutrition, and active lifestyle that can be used by managers and that managers can provide to workers. A prototype web-site was developed and pilot-tested in Phase I. Executives and managers were interviewed, and provided Internet access along with evaluation instruments to assess potential usefulness of the program. Favorable ratings and extensive evaluation data provide the basis for Phase 2 development of a program designed to train leaders to self-assess risks, select health programs, and utilize strategies to disseminate similar programs for workers. The Phase II research trial entails randomly assigning 150 senior managers within five different organizations (representing different industries) to receive the program or a no-training control condition. Pre-test and follow-up measures will assess outcomes of changes in CVD biometrics (e.g., BMI), health behavior, leadership style (interpersonal effectiveness) and stress. A primary outcome is manager interest and utilization of the e-health modules for themselves and workers. The research design will include a pretest posttest survey of 200 employees of some managers who receive the intervention. Outcome measures for employees will assess the indirect impact of the intervention on employee health, stress, and CVD risk. Accordingly, the study will assess both the direct effect of the intervention on managers (improvements in supportive leadership and health) as well as the indirect effect on workers.