Effectiveness of Intervention on Health

描述：这项研究的目的是开发定制的书面材料，并测试它们是否增强了小企业主对改善工作场所健康和安全的努力所产生的结果的信念。增强的信念反过来会提高他们试图改进的态度和意图。书面材料将被设计成强调那些与高尚的所有者高度相关的信念结果，使用被证明对小企业主最具吸引力的书面格式和风格。这项研究是对NIOSH国家职业研究议程所确定的干预措施有效性的更多和更好信息的需求的回应。这项研究将在两年内分两个阶段进行。 在第一阶段，以各种形式(时事通讯、杂志、报纸、小册子等)提供各种书面材料和风格(案例研究、业主和工人的个人故事、卡通等)将通过与小企业主组成的一系列焦点小组进行开发和测试。结果将被用来确定哪些风格和格式在吸引力、可读性和传达特定健康和安全信息方面的有效性方面被所有者评为最高。将编写六到十二篇单独的书面文章，纳入焦点小组的结果。 在第二阶段，将对120名小企业主进行随机对照试验，测试书面材料的有效性。控制组和干预组的业主(每组60名业主)将完成一项关于改善健康和安全的意图、态度和结果信念的基线调查。控制组中的所有者将收到每月或每两个月的贸易通讯或期刊的邮件。干预组的所有者将收到相同的材料以及针对特定健康和安全结果信念的定制书面材料。在今年年底，两组的业主将被要求完成一项后续调查，以衡量他们的意图、态度和结果信念。干预组还将就收到的具体材料征求他们的意见。预计干预组在研究前后的平均结果信念(可能还有意图和态度)的差异将比对照组更大。

DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this research is to develop tailored written materials and test whether they enhance small business owner's beliefs about outcomes that result from efforts to improve workplace health and safety. Enhanced beliefs will, in turn, raise their attitudes and intentions toward trying to make improvements. Written materials will be designed to emphasize those belief outcomes most highly associated with high-intentioned owners, using written formats and styles shown to be most attractive to small business owners. This research is responsive to the need for more and better information on the effectiveness of interventions identified by NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda. The research will take place in two phases over two years. In the first phase, a wide variety of written materials in various formats (newsletters, magazines, newspapers, brochures, etc.) and styles (case studies, personal stories from owners and workers, cartoons, etc.) will be developed and tested using a series of focus groups with small business owners. Results will be used to determine which styles and formats are ranked most highly by owners in attractiveness, readability, and effectiveness in delivering specific health and safety messages. Six to twelve separate written pieces will be developed, incorporating the focus group results. In the second phase, the effectiveness of written materials will be tested in a randomized, controlled trial with 120 owners of small businesses. Owners in control and intervention groups (60 owners in each group) will complete a baseline survey of intentions, attitudes and outcome beliefs toward improving health and safety. Owners in the control group will receive monthly or bi-monthly mailings of a trade newsletter or journal. Owners in the intervention group will receive the same materials along with tailored written materials aimed at specific health and safety outcome beliefs. At the end of the year, owners in both groups will be asked to complete a follow up survey measuring their intentions, attitudes and outcome beliefs. Owners in the intervention group will also be asked for their opinions on the specific materials received. It is expected that the difference in mean pre- and post-study outcome beliefs (and perhaps intentions and attitudes) will be greater in the intervention than the control group.