AzTrials
AzTrials

Focus of Study: Work ConditionsWFHSNCT02050204

Evaluating the Health Benefits of Workplace Policies and Practices - Phase II

A study testing Intervention in people with Focus of Study: Work Conditions, run by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Although the prevalence of "family-friendly" policies in US workplaces has increased dramatically, few have been studied using scientifically sound designs. To address this, the NIH and CDC formed the Work, Family, and Health Network (WFHN). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Focus of Study: Work Conditions
What is being tested?
Intervention
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
2,753 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Sep 2009to Dec 2012
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages Any age
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • LEEF: employees and supervisors with at least 22 weekly hours of direct patient care work in selected facilities
  • TOMO: employees and supervisors located in the two data collection cities

Who cannot join

  • LEEF: nightwork schedule
  • TOMO: independent contractor classification

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Harvard School of Public Health

    Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02318

Other trials in United States

About this study

Although the prevalence of "family-friendly" policies in US workplaces has increased dramatically, few have been studied using scientifically sound designs. To address this, the NIH and CDC formed the Work, Family, and Health Network (WFHN). During Phase 1, the WFHN designed and conducted multiple pilot and feasibility studies. For Phase 2, the WFHN implemented an innovative intervention based on Phase I pilot studies that is designed to increase family-supportive supervisor behaviors and employee control over work, and to evaluate the intervention using a group randomized experimental design. Customized interventions were performed separately in workplaces of two separate corporate partners.

Read the detailed description

Although the prevalence of "family-friendly" policies in US workplaces has increased dramatically in recent years, few have been studied using scientifically sound designs. To address this critical gap, the NIH and CDC formed the Work, Family, and Health Network (WFHN). During Phase 1, the WFHN designed and conducted multiple pilot and feasibility studies.

For Phase 2, the WFHN implemented an innovative intervention based on Phase 1 pilot studies that is designed to increase family-supportive supervisor behaviors and employee control over work, and to evaluate the intervention using a group randomized experimental design. The goal of the study is to assess the effects of a workplace intervention designed to reduce work-family conflict, and thereby improve the health and well being of employees. The study intervention is grounded in theory from multiple disciplines and supported by findings from pilot/feasibility studies. The study seeks to inform the implementation of evidence-based, family-friendly policies, and thereby improving the health and well-being of employees and their families nationwide.

The investigators assess the efficacy of the intervention via two independent, group-randomized field experiments, one at each of two employers representing different industries, referred to by alias as "LEEF" and "TOMO". LEEF is an extended care (nursing home) company and facilities were excluded if they were in very isolated settings, if there were fewer than 30 direct patient-care employees, or if facilities were recently acquired. TOMO is an Information Technology company. Within each industry partner, worksites of 50-120 employees each were randomly assigned to intervention or usual practice conditions. All employee and supervisor participants were assessed at baseline and at 6-, 12-, and 18-months post baseline, including survey interviews and health assessments.

Primary health outcomes were comprised of a cardiometabolic risk score using selected biomarkers and sleep duration and quality objectively measured using wrist actigraphy. These primary health outcomes were independently assessed as change from baseline to the 12-month wave, and separately in the two industries.

Being tested
Intervention
Keywords
work to family conflict, supervisor support, long work hours, cardiometabolic risk, sleep duration, insomnia symptoms

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • InterventionBehavioural

    The intervention was a 3-month structural and social change process designed to increase employee control over work time and family supportive supervisory behaviors (Kossek et al., in press). The change process was an integration of two previously evaluated interventions (Hammer et al., 2011; Kelly et al., 2011). A facilitator led 8 hrs of participatory sessions to transition employees from a time-based to a results-based work culture. Supervisors participated in all change activities plus 4hrs of training in supportive supervision. Training in family supportive supervision was implemented with behavioral computer-based training (cTRAIN, NWeta, Lake Oswego, OR) followed by 2 rounds of goal-setting and behavioral self-monitoring using an iPod Touch (Habitrack, OHSU, Portland, OR).

Study groups in NCT02050204
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
LEEF Industry only: InterventionExperimentalCustomized to the "Leef" (alias) workplace: A 3-month structural and social change process designed to increase employee control over work time and family supportive supervisory behaviors.
Receives: Behavioral: Intervention
LEEF Industry only: Usual PracticeNo interventionContinued work conditions and practice as "Usual Practice" in that workplace
TOMO Industry only: InterventionExperimentalCustomized to the "Tomo" (alias) workplace: A 3-month structural and social change process designed to increase employee control over work time and family supportive supervisory behaviors.
Receives: Behavioral: Intervention
TOMO Industry only: Usual PracticeNo interventionContinued work conditions and practice as "Usual Practice" in that workplace

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in total sleep time

    Average 24 hour total sleep time as assessed by ~1 week of actigraphy

    Measured: baseline to one year later

  2. change in wake after sleep onset

    Amount of nightime wake after sleep onset as assessed by ~1 week of actigraphy

    Measured: baseline to one year later

  3. change in cardiometabolic risk score

    The cardiometabolic risk score was created based on modifiable risk factors using an independently validated CVD risk score developed from the Framingham offspring study; including BMI, blood pressure, HbA1C, cholesterol, and tobacco consumption.

    Measured: baseline to one year later

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. change in sleep insufficiency

    Sleep insufficiency was assessed by the following question: How often during the past 4 weeks did you get enough sleep to feel rested upon waking up? Would you say never, rarely, sometimes, often, or very often?

    YES - NEVER/RARELY

    NO - SOMETIMES OFTEN VERY OFTEN

    Measured: baseline to one year later

  2. change in insomnia symptoms

    Insomnia symptoms were assessed by the following question: During the past 4 weeks, how often did you wake up in the middle of the night or early morning? (Would you say never, less than once a week, once or twice a week, or three or more times a week?)

    YES - THREE OR MORE TIMES A WEEK

    NO - NEVER/LESS THAN ONCE A WEEK/ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK

    Measured: baseline to one year later

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted30 Jan 2014 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2009
  3. Primary completionDec 2012
  4. Study completionDec 2012

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Investigator
Enrolment
2,753 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02050204
Sponsor's protocol ID
P16633
Other IDs
U01AG027669, U01HD051218, U01HD051256, U01HD051276, U01HD051217, R01HL107240, U01OH008788, U01HD059773
Acronym
WFHS
Status last verified
Dec 2017
First submitted
28 Jan 2014
Last updated
15 Dec 2017
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Okechukwu CA, Souza K, Davis KD, de Castro AB. Discrimination, harassment, abuse, and bullying in the workplace: contribution of workplace injustice to occupational health disparities. Am J Ind Med. 2014 May;57(5):573-86. doi: 10.1002/ajim.22221. Epub 2013 Jun 27.

    PubMed 23813664
  • Hammer LB, Ernst Kossek E, Bodner T, Crain T. Measurement development and validation of the Family Supportive Supervisor Behavior Short-Form (FSSB-SF). J Occup Health Psychol. 2013 Jul;18(3):285-96. doi: 10.1037/a0032612. Epub 2013 Jun 3.

    PubMed 23730803
  • Liu S, Rovine MJ, Klein LC, Almeida DM. Synchrony of diurnal cortisol pattern in couples. J Fam Psychol. 2013 Aug;27(4):579-88. doi: 10.1037/a0033735.

    PubMed 23978320
  • Cunningham TJ, Seeman TE, Kawachi I, Gortmaker SL, Jacobs DR, Kiefe CI, Berkman LF. Racial/ethnic and gender differences in the association between self-reported experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination and inflammation in the CARDIA cohort of 4 US communities. Soc Sci Med. 2012 Sep;75(5):922-31. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.04.027. Epub 2012 May 23.

    PubMed 22682683
  • O'Donnell EM, Berkman LF, Subramanian SV. Manager support for work-family issues and its impact on employee-reported pain in the extended care setting. J Occup Environ Med. 2012 Sep;54(9):1142-9. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3182554af4.

    PubMed 22892547
  • Nelson CC, Li Y, Sorensen G, Berkman LF. Assessing the relationship between work-family conflict and smoking. Am J Public Health. 2012 Sep;102(9):1767-72. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300413. Epub 2012 Jun 21.

    PubMed 22720765
  • Hurtado DA, Sabbath EL, Ertel KA, Buxton OM, Berkman LF. Racial disparities in job strain among American and immigrant long-term care workers. Int Nurs Rev. 2012 Jun;59(2):237-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1466-7657.2011.00948.x. Epub 2011 Dec 7.

    PubMed 22591096
  • Sembajwe G, Wahrendorf M, Siegrist J, Sitta R, Zins M, Goldberg M, Berkman L. Effects of job strain on fatigue: cross-sectional and prospective views of the job content questionnaire and effort--reward imbalance in the GAZEL cohort. Occup Environ Med. 2012 Jun;69(6):377-84. doi: 10.1136/oem.2010.063503. Epub 2011 Aug 17.

    PubMed 21849345
  • Wahrendorf M, Sembajwe G, Zins M, Berkman L, Goldberg M, Siegrist J. Long-term effects of psychosocial work stress in midlife on health functioning after labor market exit--results from the GAZEL study. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2012 Jul;67(4):471-80. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbs045. Epub 2012 Apr 29.

    PubMed 22546992
  • Okechukwu CA, El Ayadi AM, Tamers SL, Sabbath EL, Berkman L. Household food insufficiency, financial strain, work-family spillover, and depressive symptoms in the working class: the Work, Family, and Health Network study. Am J Public Health. 2012 Jan;102(1):126-33. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300323. Epub 2011 Nov 28.

    PubMed 22095360
  • Sabbath EL, Melchior M, Goldberg M, Zins M, Berkman LF. Work and family demands: predictors of all-cause sickness absence in the GAZEL cohort. Eur J Public Health. 2012 Feb;22(1):101-6. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckr041. Epub 2011 May 9.

    PubMed 21558153
  • McHale SM, Blocklin MK, Walter KN, Davis KD, Almeida DM, Klein LC. The role of daily activities in youths' stress physiology. J Adolesc Health. 2012 Dec;51(6):623-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.03.016. Epub 2012 May 16.

    PubMed 23174474
  • Blocklin MK, Crouter AC, McHale SM. Youth Supervision While Mothers Work: A Daily Diary Study of Maternal Worry. Community Work Fam. 2012;15(2):233-249. doi: 10.1080/13668803.2011.639169. Epub 2011 Dec 2.

    PubMed 23109814
  • Almeida DM, Davis KD. Workplace Flexibility and Daily Stress Processes in Hotel Employees and their Children. Ann Am Acad Pol Soc Sci. 2011 Nov;638(1):123-140. doi: 10.1177/0002716211415608.

    PubMed 23833321
  • Hammer LB, Kossek EE, Anger WK, Bodner T, Zimmerman KL. Clarifying work-family intervention processes: the roles of work-family conflict and family-supportive supervisor behaviors. J Appl Psychol. 2011 Jan;96(1):134-50. doi: 10.1037/a0020927.

    PubMed 20853943

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Intervention in people with Focus of Study: Work Conditions, run by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Dec 2017. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in total sleep time (time frame: baseline to one year later). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02050204, which also lists 25 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Dec 2017; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in