Association of workplace support for health with occupational health literacy and illness avoidance: moderated mediation by functioning through a salutogenic lens

Abstract

BACKGROUND: An increase in the proportion of older employees over the coming decades is an outcome of ageing of the world's population. Workplace interventions that enable older employees to maintain work productivity and avoid illness are, therefore, increasingly important. An aspect of these interventions is Workplace Support for Health (WSH), which fosters Occupational Health Literacy (OHL) and encourages health behaviours in an organization. Common health behaviours are healthy diet and physical activity, both of which protect physical functioning and well-being. Employees are more likely to avoid illness and maintain physical functioning if they receive enough WSH and improve their OHL. AIM: This study aimed to investigate whether there is a moderated mediation by functioning in the relationship between WSH, OHL, and illness avoidance. METHODS: A cross-sectional design with sensitivity analyses and measures against common methods bias was adopted. The participants were 1015 middle-aged and older adult employees aged 50 to 85 years. The participants were workers of public and private organizations in Accra, Ghana. The main variables (i.e., WSH, OHL, functioning, and illness avoidance) were measured with Likert-type scales adopted in whole from the literature. Data were analysed with Hayes' Process Model through structural equation modelling. RESULTS: WSH had a positive effect on functioning (β = 0.29; p < 0.001) and illness avoidance (β = 0.25; p < 0.001) in the whole sample. Functioning had a positive effect on illness avoidance (β = 0.45; p < 0.001). A positive indirect effect of WSH (through functioning) on illness avoidance was confirmed. Evidence of a moderated mediation was found, suggesting that the indirect effect of WSH on illness avoidance was stronger at higher OHL. Our sensitivity analysis yielded similar effects in men and women. CONCLUSION: WSH can enable older employees to improve their physical functioning and avoid illness, especially if it fosters higher OHL. WSH can be an appropriate way to protect employee health in response to ageing of the workforce.