Association of organizational factors with knowledge of effectiveness indicators and participation in corporate health and productivity management programs

Objectives The working-age population is rapidly declining in Japan, so the government has adopted "health and productivity management" (HPM). This policy initiative aims to encourage corporations to view health promotion activities as an investment in their employees' health. The objective of this study was to examine the association between organizational factors and knowledge of the organization's effectiveness and program participation levels, and to understand the factors that affect effectiveness of corporations' activities. Methods We used data from all corporations that completed the HPM Survey Sheets in 2018 (n = 1800). The explanatory variables were organizational factors: written company-wide policy, agenda item at management-level meetings, regular education for managers, and full-time occupational health staff. The outcome variables were knowledge of the corporation's status on the effectiveness indicators (employees' exercise habits, risk for high blood pressure, visiting hospital after a health examination, and long-term sickness absences) and rates of participation in four areas (health education, exercise program, dietary program, and influenza vaccination). The associations between organizational factors and knowledge on effectiveness indicators and rates of program participation were analyzed using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results All the organizational factors were related to knowledge of effectiveness indicators, but only some were associated with the program participation indicators in the model, including all explanatory variables. Conclusion Enhancing organizational factors may lead to improvement of HPM programs and higher program participation among employees in corporations.