Well-Being and Health-related Interventions in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Meta-Analytic Review

In many countries, the majority of employees work in SMEs, but research on prevention and interventions with regard to occupational health rarely addresses SMEs. The aim is to give an overview of the evidence on person- and work-related interventions. We conducted a systematic literature search. Fifteen studies on health promotion in SMEs are summarized in a systematic meta-analytic review. Interventions that addressed health-related behaviour such as physical exercise or mixed approaches were shown to have a small to moderate effect. Work redesign and other interventions to improve work conditions showed mixed results. Our findings point to the importance of a precise implementation and the consideration of possible side effects. The combination of person- and task-related interventions seems to be promising. To improve health promotion in SMEs, more research on interventions in this context is necessary. Practical Relevance Because of SMEs’ constraints on finances and human resources, the planning and implementation of health-related interventions seems to be harder compared to larger organizations. Research on prevention and interventions in regard to occupational health rarely addresses SMEs. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review on SMEs addressing a variety of person- and work-related interventions and their health- and work-related outcomes. The findings could help in the design and evaluation of health promotion efforts in SMEs.