Why won’t they participate? Barriers to participation in worksite health promotion programmes

Research suggests that worksite health promotion (WHP) programmes, and specifically health risk assessment (HRA) surveys and health education workshops, can be effective in enhancing employees’ health. However, 50–75% of employees choose not to participate when offered the opportunity to do so. The reasons for nonparticipation and the characteristics of nonparticipants have largely been overlooked. Building on premises of Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we hypothesize that nonparticipation results from lack or loss of resources, or from the perceived low value of resources. These barriers to participation are expected to be related to employees’ characteristics and beliefs (termed implicit barriers) and reflected in employees’ self-reported reasons for nonparticipation (termed explicit barriers). We surveyed a large random sample of participants and nonparticipants in a WHP programme (n = 1926 employees), which included two steps: a HRA survey and a health education workshop. Participants completed an anonymous web-based questionnaire. Implicit and explicit barriers that reflect resource availability (e.g., age, health status) and valuation (e.g., low value of making a lifestyle change) were identified. The magnitude and nature of these barriers differed between the HRA survey and the workshop. We discuss how future research on WHP programmes can build on these findings and propose practical implications for reducing nonparticipation.     

Recent studies of near-death experiences

This article consists of a summary of the central points in the work of recent investigators of near-death experiences (NDEs). It considers the work of Moody, Osis, Rawlings, Ring, Sabom, and Grof as well as the criticisms of Noyes and Siegel. The appearance of a common core in the experiences suggests the presence of more than ordinary hallucinations. However, NDEs seem to be not literal experiences of life beyond death but archetypal experiences, the judgment of the validity of which will depend on one's assessment of depth symbolism.     

State-dependent variations in brainstem auditory evoked responses in human subjects

BAERs from 16 subjects during 3 sessions varied in the latency or amplitude of some components depending upon level of arousal as indicated by EEG patterns. There was a general tendency for activation to produce the fastest responses with the largest amplitudes and for drowsiness to produce the slowest responses with the smallest amplitudes. The latency of P2 was significantly prolonged during drowsiness, relative to those during relaxation or activation. For right-ear stimulation, P5 latency was longest during drowsiness, and shortest during activation while for left-ear stimulation the shortest latency occurred during relaxation. The amplitudes of Wave II and Wave VII were significantly smaller during drowsiness than during activation. Although the differences were below the level of clinical significance, the data indicate a modification in the characteristics of brainstem transmission as a function of concurrent activity in other brain areas.