Workplace alcohol prevention: are managers' individual characteristics associated with organisational alcohol policy knowledge and inclination to initiate early alcohol interventions?
International Journal of Workplace Health Management
ISSN: 1753-8351
Article publication date: 16 July 2020
Issue publication date: 12 November 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Individual factors associated with managers' organisational alcohol policy knowledge and inclination to initiate early alcohol interventions have been understudied. This study aims to examine differences in managers' policy knowledge and inclination across a range of socio-demographic, work-related and health characteristics, and it aims to examine the association between policy knowledge and inclination to intervene, net of these characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaire data were collected from 430 managers. Organisational alcohol policy knowledge and inclination to intervene were measured using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (very low) to 5 (very high). Socio-demographic, work-related and health characteristics included gender, age, education, managerial responsibility, years in current position, self-rated health and alcohol consumption. Associations were examined using multilevel ordinal regression analysis.
Findings
Managers with a greater number of employees demonstrated the highest level of organisational alcohol policy knowledge and were more inclined to initiate early alcohol interventions. Alcohol policy knowledge was associated with inclination to intervene, net of individual characteristics.
Practical implications
Considering how managers' characteristics might influence efforts to decrease hazardous alcohol consumption is potentially important when designing future workplace alcohol prevention programmes.
Originality/value
Several individual factors related to managers' organisational alcohol policy knowledge and inclination to initiate early alcohol interventions were identified, particularly managerial responsibility. However, the association between policy knowledge and inclination to intervene remained strong after accounting for these individual factors. Future studies should explore alternative explanations at the individual and organisational levels.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
KS is employed part-time by Alna Sweden. The authors would like to acknowledge Alna Sweden for the implementation of the prevention programme and provision of information, and Lauren E. Bishop, MPH for proofreading the manuscript.Funding: This study was funded by the Public Health Agency of Sweden. The funder had no role in study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation, or writing of the manuscript.
Citation
Elling, D.L., Wennberg, P., Almquist, Y.B. and Sundqvist, K. (2020), "Workplace alcohol prevention: are managers' individual characteristics associated with organisational alcohol policy knowledge and inclination to initiate early alcohol interventions?", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 13 No. 5, pp. 543-560. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-09-2019-0118
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited