Request for Proposals for Primary Research (RFP 021) - Healthy Communities: Workplace Health Policies and Practices
FUNDING AND GENERAL INFORMATION
- Deadline for applications: January 27, 2005 (must be courier
stamped January 26, 2005 for next day delivery).
- Up to $1,000,000 has been set aside in this competition for
the support of up to six research projects. Maximum funds per
project: $300,000. Contribution funding will not exceed 24 months.
- Applicants should consult the Ineligible Activities section
of the HPRP Guide
to research project funding.
- Applications whose focus is a single setting or organization,
or for pilot, demonstration, implementation or evaluation projects
will not be accepted.
Preference will be given to proposals that:
- link social and economic outcomes;
- improve understanding of how workplace health policies and
practices affect health and health care costs;
- can be generalised to multiple jurisdictions and settings;
and
- take into account issues of gender and diversity and their
impact on policy development(a).
OBJECTIVE
Health Canada is interested in better understanding the impact
of workplace health policies and programs on communities. Research
funded under this competition will look beyond individual and organizational
outcomes to explore and test new hypotheses about how workplace
health policies and practices can improve the health of Canadians,
contribute to the reduction of health care costs and enhance the
productivity of the Canadian economy.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What are the social impacts of workplace health policies and
practices on the larger community?
2. What are the economic impacts of workplace health policies and practices
on the larger community?
3. What are the impacts of workplace health policies and practices on health
care costs?
4. What are the incentives, conditions, and governance instruments that would
encourage employers to adopt and implement workplace health policies and practices?
5. In workplaces characterized by non-standard working conditions, what are
the organizational factors affecting adoption and implementation of workplace
health policies and practices?
6. What sectors or occupations have the greatest potential to benefit from
workplace health policies and practices?
Background
Healthy Communities and Workplace Health Policies and Practices
A growing body of research demonstrates that the social and physical
environments of communities are critical to the health status of
individuals 1, 2, 3, (b).
Research conducted over the past decade has shown that the workplace
is a key contributor to — and perhaps a key determining factor
in — the physical and mental health of individuals4, 5.
Much evidence supports the hypothesis that organizations that adopt
healthy workplace policies and practices improve both the health
of the workforce and the organization's productivity6.
However, in order to further develop health policy, there needs
to be a better understanding of the linkages among work, health,
and economic productivity that extend beyond individual outcomes
and organization-specific initiatives. Little is known about social
impacts(c) of the adoption
or non-adoption of workplace health policies and practices at the
community level. The economic impact(d) of
workplace health policies and practices has been studied in some
sectors5, but most
of this work has explored individual organizations or has been
limited to the public sector. Moving from a focus on the economic
impact at the organization level to the sector or community level
is critical to our understanding of the overall impact of
workplace health policies and practices on the Canadian economy.
Additionally, an important economic impact that has not yet been
fully explored in the Canadian literature is the impact of workplace
health policies and practices on health care costs(e), 7.
Encouraging Adoption
The characteristics of "healthy and unhealthy" workplaces
have been outlined8 and
various studies have made recommendations for implementing workplace
health policies and practices9, 10 at
the organization level with recognition that interactions at the
individual and system levels are critical as well. Building on
existing studies of organizations and the interaction of factors
such as human resource policies and practices, occupational health
and safety standards, and operational decisions, there is a need
to further the understanding of the incentives and conditions that
would encourage employers to adopt and implement workplace health
policies and practices. Also, jurisdictions(f) could
use a wide variety of governance instruments(g) to
encourage adoption. Research that explores the interconnected and
contingent nature of the particular governance choices at the many
jurisdictional levels in Canada would support policy development.
An important subset of this work is to increase understanding of
the constraints in sectors characterized by non-standard working
conditions(h).
At the moment, there is not a widely accepted set of criteria
to determine where government effort should be focussed in the
domain of workplace health policy. Approaches to filling this knowledge
gap could include but are not limited to: economic perspectives
(for example, contribution to GDP),
health and safety perspectives (for example, where accident rates
are highest or where mental health issues are most pronounced),
labour market perspectives (for example, sectors with the highest
number of employees), or a combination of a number of perspectives.
Research in this area will contribute to the evidence base for
determining the relative effectiveness of different types of government
action.
POLICY CONTACT
Applicants must get in touch with the policy contact at least
once during the development of their application. The policy contact
is responsible for ongoing interaction with researchers on the
policy issues and context. Inquiries should be directed to: Susan
Carbone, Manager, Strategic Development, Policy and Workplace Health
Strategies Bureau, Workplace Health and Public Safety Program,
Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, tel.: (613)
948-2015, Email: usan_carbone@hc-sc.gc.ca
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT
Inquiries regarding registration, eligibility/ineligibility, administrative
questions about time frames and budgets, application formatting
and content, the review process, and terms and conditions of the HPRP should
be directed to: Gail McQuaid-Bohémier, tel.: (613) 946-3163;
email: gail_mcquaid-bohemier@hc-sc.gc.ca
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants are required to register in order to obtain an application
form. Applications must be received by January 27, 2005 (must be
courier stamped January 26, 2005 for next day delivery).
Before registering, applicants should consult the HPRP Guide
to research project funding, which can be found at: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iacb-dgiac/arad-draa/english/rmdd/guide/eguide.html
Endnotes
(a) Applying a diversity/sex and gender lens to
research acknowledges: (1) the biological differences between men
and women that often translate into different occupational health
risks and profiles; (2) the gender roles that they play in societies
and the existence of gendered workplaces; and (3) the multicultural
nature of Canada.
(b) In the 1990's the Population Health Approach
was endorsed by Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of
Health (1994). The Ministers acknowledged the "determinants
of health", factors and conditions that influence health status
(i.e., Income and Social Status, Social Support Networks, Education
and Literacy, Employment/Working Conditions, Social Environments,
Physical Environments, Personal Health Practices and Coping Skills,
Healthy Child Development, Biology and Genetic Endowment, Health
Services, Gender, Culture).
(c) The term social impact refers to the outcomes
of policies or practices that alter the way social life is organised.
For example, a social impact might be a change in local culture
and customs, education, family formation, levels of social cohesion,
or migration patterns.
(d) Economic impact can be conceived broadly to
include such concepts as productivity, innovation, competitiveness,
and sustainable development.
(e) The recent study by Higgins et al.7 makes
a number of estimates regarding the impact of work-life conflict
on health care costs across the entire Canadian economy and is
a body of evidence to be built upon. For the purposes of this RFP,
health care costs can include both public spending on health care,
private sector costs (for example, supplemental health plans, drug
costs), and expenses incurred by individuals (for example, out-of-pocket
expenses).
(f) Workplace health issues cross traditional
jurisdictional boundaries. At the federal level, legislation and
regulations that influence workplace health are found in the Canada
Labour Code (a responsibility of Human Resources and Skills Development
Canada) and the Canada Health Act (a responsibility of Health
Canada), while at the provincial/territorial level, Employment
Standards and Occupational Health and Safety legislation play an
important role. Municipal by-laws such as smoking bans in public
places also have an influence on the health of employees.
(g) Governance instruments include both voluntary
and mandatory codes and standards; accountability and reporting
mechanisms; tax and trade policy; leadership and coordination strategies;
self-regulation regimes; fiscal and other incentives; and opportunities
for consumer or public involvement.
(h) These sectors might include small organizations
and workplaces characterised by non-standard (part-time, home-based
and contingent) employment.
References
1. Evans, R., Barer, M., and Marmor, T. (Eds).
(1994). Why are Some People Healthy and Others Not? The Determinants
of Health of Populations. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
2. Frank, J. (1995). Why population
health? Canadian
Journal of Public Health, May-June, 162-164.
3. Wilkinson, R. (1996). Unhealthy Societies:
The Afflictions of Inequality. New York: Routledge.
4. Jackson, A., and Polanyi, M. (2002). Working
Conditions as a Determinant of Health. Prepared for The Social
Determinants of Health Across the Life-Span Conference, Toronto,
November 2002. Retrieved November 12, 2004, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/phdd/overview_implications/05_working.html
5. Lesage, A., et al. (Ed.). (2004). New Models
for the New Healthcare. Healthcare Papers, 5 (2).
6. Lowe, G. (2003). Healthy Workplaces and
Productivity: A Discussion Paper. Prepared for Health Canada.
Retrieved November 12, 2004, from http://www.grahamlowe.ca/documents/48/
7.
Higgins, C., Duxbury, L., and Johnson, K. (2004). Exploring
the Link Between Work-life Conflict and Demands on Canada's Health
Care System. Prepared for the Public Health
Agency of Canada. Retrieved November 12, 2004, from
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/work-travail/report3/index.html
8. Bachmann, K. (2000). More than Just Hard
Hats and Safety Boots: Creating Healthier Work Environments.
Prepared for the Conference Board of Canada. Retrieved November
12, 2004, from http://www.conferenceboard.ca/boardwiseii/Signin.asp
(Registration required).
9. Duxbury, L., and Higgins, C. (2001). Work-life
Balance in the New Millennium: Where Are We? Where Do We Need
to Go? Prepared for the Canadian Policy Research Network.
Retrieved November 12, 2004, from http://www.cprn.org/en/doc.cfm?doc=52
10.
Lowe, G. (2004). Healthy Workplace Strategies:
Creating Change and Achieving Results. Prepared for Health
Canada. Retrieved November 12, 2004, from http://www.grahamlowe.ca/documents/93/
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