Mark Wilson

• Doctor of Public Health
• Professor (Former Associate) at University of Georgia

The prevalence of chronic health conditions is increasing, with over half the current workforce attempting to manage one or more chronic conditions. The Live Healthy, Work Healthy (LHWH) program is a version of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program translated to the workplace, with the goal of improving and sustaining the health, well-being,...

Purpose Examine the associations of occupational and leisure-time physical activity with job stress, burnout, and well-being among healthcare industry workers. Design Quantitative; cross-sectional. Setting Healthcare Industry. Sample US Amazon Mechanical Turk participants (n = 550) employed in the healthcare industry, worked 35 hours or more per...

Chronic diseases are multi-dimensional and affect numerous aspects of people’s lives, including work. Depending on the chronic condition(s) involved, between 22% and 49% of employees experience difficulties meeting physical work demands, and between 27% and 58% report that they have problems meeting psychosocial work requirements. Work organization...

Objective: To determine associations between work and non-work supports with employee well-being, job stress, and burnout among direct and non-direct care healthcare workers. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 550 full-time (≥35 hours/week), US Amazon Mechanical Turk workers (≥18 years of age) in the healthcare industry, had ≥1 su...

Purpose Report the results of a randomized, controlled trial of Live Healthy, Work Healthy (LHWH), a worksite translation of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). Design 14 worksites were randomly assigned to LHWH, standard CDSMP (usual care) or no-intervention (control) group. Setting The diverse set of work organizations centered...

High energy X-ray diffraction can be combined with containerless techniques to provide information on the atomic arrangements in glass-forming liquids in stable and metastable regimes. The high incident energies provide bulk diffraction data to high values of scattering vector which enables significantly more robust analysis of the local and medium...

Background. FUEL Your Life (FYL) is a worksite translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). In a randomized controlled trial, participants in a phone coaching condition demonstrated greater weight loss compared to participants in a group coaching or self-study condition. The purpose of this article is to describe the differences in partici...

Background: The average worker gains 2-3 lb (0.9-1.4 kg) a year, about half of which is gained during the fall holiday season (Halloween through New Year's). Aim: The aim of the study was to conduct a pilot test of a weight gain prevention program that was implemented in a workplace setting during the fall holiday season. Methods: 239 state go...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between workload, exhaustion, and key health behaviors for weight loss—nutrition and physical activity. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the path coefficients in a sample of 953 employed adults. The results show that workload and exhaustion were positively related to emotio...

The Workplace Health Group (WHG) was established in 1998 to conduct research on worker health and safety and organizational effectiveness. This multidisciplinary team includes researchers with backgrounds in psychology, health promotion and behavior, and intervention design, implementation, and evaluation. The article begins with a brief history of...

Disease management is gaining importance in workplace health promotion given the aging workforce and rising chronic disease prevalence. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) is an effective intervention widely offered in diverse community settings; however, adoption remains low in workplace settings. As part of a larger NIH-funded ran...

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second-most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder. Despite recommendations for a palliative approach, little is known about what palliative needs are unmet by standard care. This study aims to (a) identify palliative needs of PD patients, (b) determine the relationship between palliative needs and health-rela...

Disease management is gaining importance in workplace health promotion given the aging workforce and rising chronic disease prevalence. The Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) is an effective intervention widely offered in diverse community settings; however, adoption remains low in workplace settings. As part of a larger NIH-funded ran...

Objective: Conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of the Fuel Your Life (FYL) program dissemination. Methods: Employees were recruited from three workplaces randomly assigned to one of the conditions: telephone coaching, small group coaching, and self-study. Costs were collected prospectively during the efficacy trial. The main outcome measures o...

Background and objectives. Research investigating participation in workplace health promotion (WHP) programs typically focuses on individual rather than organizational factors. This study identified common and unique organizational factors associated with intentions to participate in three types of WHP programs among government employees. Methods...

(https://apha.confex.com/apha/2017/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/390418) Abstract: Adult weight gain during the holidays (Nov.-Jan.) averages 0.5 kg though it varies as much as -7 to 4.1 kg among individuals. Holiday weight gain may result from excess energy intake and decreased expenditure. This study describes the implementation of a holiday weight mainte...

Background A palliative approach is recommended in the care of Parkinson’s disease patients; however, many patients only receive this care in the form of hospice at the end of life. Physician attitudes about palliative care have been shown to influence referrals for patients with chronic disease, and negative physician perceptions may affect early...

Purpose Examine the moderating role of perceived organizational and coworker support on the relationship between job stress and type 2 diabetes risk among employees. Design A cross-sectional survey was administered to employees at the workplace. Setting One national retail organization. Participants Baseline data were obtained from 1595 employee...

Chronic disease rates have become more prevalent in the modern American workforce, which has negative implications for workplace productivity and healthcare costs. Offering workplace health interventions is recognized as an effective strategy to reduce chronic disease progression, absenteeism, and healthcare costs as well as improve population heal...

Objective: An accounting of the resources necessary for implementation of efficacious programs is important for economic evaluations and dissemination. Methods: A programmatic costs analysis was conducted prospectively in conjunction with an efficacy trial of Fuel Your Life (FYL), a worksite translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program. FYL wa...

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Fuel Your Life program, an adaptation of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), utilizing implementation strategies commonly used in worksite programs-telephone coaching, small group coaching, and self-study. Methods: The primary outcomes of body mass index and weight were...

(https://apha.confex.com/apha/144am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/353024) Background: Group formats, such as group education or group exercising, are commonly used to deliver health promotion programs in workplace settings. The purposes of the study are to identify and assess factors associated with program participation and completion among group format wo...

Chronic conditions and falls are related issues faced by many aging adults. Stanford’s Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) added brief fall-related content to the standardized 6-week workshop; however, no research had examined changes in Fall-related self-efficacy (SE) in response to CDSMP participation. This study explored relationship...

(https://soph.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SOPH-2015-Program-FINAL.pdf) or (https://soph.uga.edu/conference/2015/) The growing prevalence of chronic diseases among the aging workforce can negatively impact working Americans in terms of work performance, absenteeism, and healthcare costs. This study examines factors associated with employed...

(https://soph.uga.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SOPH-2015-Program-FINAL.pdf) Workplace health interventions are recognized as effective strategies to reduce chronic disease progression, absenteeism, and healthcare costs. This session will present findings from a systematic literature review of workplace health interventions. Using predetermined s...

Disease management is becoming increasingly important in workplace health promotion given the aging workforce, rising chronic disease prevalence, and needs to maintain a productive and competitive American workforce. Despite the widespread availability of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP), and its known health-related benefits, pr...

Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of FUEL Your Life, a translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program for worksites. Design A randomized control group design was conducted in five worksites of a large transportation company. Measures were collected pretest, posttest (6 months), and follow-up (12 months). Setting Railroad maintenance facilitie...

Young adolescents who have little interest in participating in competitive team sports are at an increased risk for physical inactivity. Noncompetitive outdoor physical activity can provide young adolescents with increased opportunities to participate in physical activities that appeal to them and have positive health effects. The purpose of this s...

The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) has been successfully translated to community settings using small groups. FUEL Your Life (FYL) is a worksite translation of DPP focusing on healthier eating and increased physical activity. One study arm is delivery of the program through small groups facilitated by a health coach. Previous DPP translations, a...

Telephone-based health coaching is becoming increasingly popular as a worksite health promotion strategy because of its perceived convenience and low costs. This presentation will share lessons learned from a telephone-delivered worksite weight loss intervention, FUEL Your Life (FYL). Process evaluation data including call participation and related...

Weight management programs are becoming increasingly common in workplace settings; however, few target middle-aged men. The purpose of this article is to describe the process evaluation of a worksite translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program in a predominantly middle-aged male population. The translated program, FUEL Your Life, was largely sel...

This commentary reviews findings from the four previous national surveys of workplace health promotion activities (1985, 1992, 1999, and 2004, respectively) and offers recommendations for future surveys mandated under the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Future surveys should place greater emphasis on assessing program quality, reach, and effectiveness...

This presentation describes the training of health coaches to deliver FUEL Your Life, a worksite translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program. FUEL Your Life is being conducted with three city/county governments in Georgia. Health coaching seeks to facilitate participants' achievement of health-related goals as part of the behavioral intervention...

Protecting the health of the work force has become an important issue in public health research. This study aims to explore potential associations between supportive leadership style (SLS), an aspect of leadership behavior, and self-rated health (SRH) among employees. We drew on cross-sectional data from a cohort of industrial workers (n = 3,331),...

Purpose: Positive leadership behavior can be seen as a determinant of health in the working adult population. The objective of this study was to examine potential associations of perceived supportive leadership behaviors with self-reported physical and mental health, and to explore to what extent these associations are moderated by psychosocial res...

Pressure-induced amorphization (PIA) is a phenomenon that involves an abrupt transition between a crystalline material and an amorphous solid through application of pressure at temperatures well below the melting point or glass transition range. Amorphous states can be produced by PIA for substances that do not normally form glasses by thermal quen...

The epidemic of obesity has prompted many employers to seek ways to help employees reduce their risk of obesity and related comorbid conditions. At the same time, there has been increased interest in translating effective programs into practice settings. We recently adapted and translated the Diabetes Prevention Program for broad-scale implementati...

Worksites have long been considered as important settings for reaching large number of people with health promotion messages and programs. American business organizations have been generally receptive to these efforts, due in part to the fact that employers provide health insurance for most American workers, and health care expenditures represent a...

This article summarizes formative research and pilot study findings from a workplace translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). The overarching goal was to devise a relatively straightforward weight management intervention suitable for use in a wide array of work settings. This project was conducted in conjunction with Union Pacific Rail...

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is rapidly rising globally, and the relation of psychosocial stress in workplace to diabetes and prediabetes is not well investigated. PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to examine the association of work stress with diabetes and prediabetes in a sample of German industrial workers. METHOD: In this cross-sectional survey of an...

The melting point of Sn was determined between 20-105 GPa using laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments, coupled with in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction studies. In agreement with previous

This presentation will share the results of Fuel Your Life (FYL), a worksite weight management program conducted with Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR). FYL is a translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program that has been adapted to fit the unique characteristics of work organizations. UPRR employees are predominately middle-aged, male, blue collar wo...

There is currently much interest in exploring environmental approaches to combat weight gain and obesity. This study presents process evaluation results from a workplace-based study that tested two levels of environmentally focused weight management interventions in a manufacturing setting. The moderate treatment featured a set of relatively simple...

This study examines the relationships among organizational achievement values, high-involvement work practices (HIWP), and business unit performance. Specifically, we examine whether HIWP mediate or moderate the effect of achievement values on retail store performance. Using data collected at three points in time from more than 1,000 employees, we...

To evaluate the comparative effectiveness of environmental weight loss interventions alone versus in combination with an individual intervention. A quasi-experimental design compared outcomes for two levels of environmental interventions and for participants who did or did not simultaneously self-select into an individually focused weight loss inte...

This research evaluates a healthy work organization intervention implemented in a retail setting. Using a participatory process, employee teams in 11 intervention stores developed customized plans for improving work organization at their sites. Ten comparable stores served as controls. Employee surveys were administered prior to the intervention an...

Per Healthy People 2010, an important setting for reducing obesity is the workplace, which has many nested levels (e.g., individual/worker, workgroup, organization, and external environment). LightenUP (LUP) is an intervention targeting workgroup and organization levels through moderate and intense environmental interventions at the worksite that f...

Purpose This study tested a repeated-measures application of the Leading by Example (LBE) questionnaire, a self-report instrument measuring organizational leadership support for health promotion. Design The efficacy of the LBE was tested in a quasi-experimental health promotion intervention trial. Twelve worksites were assigned to three interventi...

The electronic band structure of inorganic nanotubes (INTs) formed both from percolating hexagonal- and square-net motifs are obtained by density-functional-based methods for a key technological material, CdSe. An energetic crossover from hexagonal- to square-net-based structures is observed at low INT radius indicative of a potential synthetic pat...

The effect of pressure on amorphous Ge was probed by Raman spectroscopy combined with molecular-dynamics simulations. A large jump occurs in the principal peak position due to nearest-neighbor Ge-Ge vibrations at 11–12 GPa and 7–5.5 GPa, respectively, during increasing/decreasing pressure due to a polyamorphic transition occurring between the low-d...

This study tests a conceptual model that focuses on social exchange in the context of safety management. The model hypothesizes that supportive safety policies and programs should impact both safety climate and organizational commitment. Further, perceived organizational support is predicted to partially mediate both of these relationships. Study o...

Evaluate innovative, evidence-based approaches to organizational/supportive environmental interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of obesity among Dow employees after 2 years of implementation. A quasi-experimental study design compared outcomes for two levels of intervention intensity with a control group. Propensity scores were used to wei...

The relationships between worker health and productivity are becoming clearer. However, few large scale studies have measured the direct and indirect cost burden of overweight and obesity among employees using actual biometric values. The objective of this study was to quantify the direct medical and indirect (absence and productivity) cost burden...

To assess the ability of the Environmental Assessment Tool (EAT) to detect changes over time in workplace physical and social environmental supports for physical activity and nutrition; and predict employee engagement, behavior changes, and biometrics. Analyses utilized site-level (n = 12) EAT scores. Differences-in-difference regressions tested ch...

Research objective: To understand the additive impact of worksite environmental interventions (designed to increase physical activity and encourage healthy eating), compared to individually focused interventions alone, in controlling overweight and obesity and in reducing employee absenteeism. With support from the National Heart Lung and Blood I...

Objective: To evaluate the impact of adding worksite environmental changes to reduce obesity-related health risks to standard individual-focused obesity management interventions at a large multi-site employer. Methods: The NHLBI-funded LightenUP program introduced environmental interventions designed to encourage physical activity and healthy eat...

This presentation will share the results of the pilot study of Fuel Your Life (FYL), a worksite weight management program conducted with Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR). FYL is a translation of the Diabetes Prevention Program that has been adapted to fit the unique characteristics of work organizations and revised based on formative research conducte...

This presentation will share the results of a case study of an online physical activity program for employees of a regional medical center. The original intervention program, which was delivered through a printed manual, was initially found effective in a randomized controlled trial of 1442 employees in 16 locations of a large retail organization....

The effectiveness of an intervention depends on its dose and on moderators of dose, which usually are not studied. The purpose of the study is to determine whether goal setting and theory-based moderators of goal setting had dose relations with increases in goal-related physical activity during a successful workplace intervention. A group-randomize...

This study tests the hypothesis that employees with comorbid physical health conditions and mental health symptoms are less productive than other employees. Self-reported health status and productivity measures were collected from 1723 employees of a national retail organization. chi2, analysis of variance, and linear contrast analyses were conduct...

The present study examines anger within a perceived organizational support (POS) theory framework. Using structural equation modeling, the authors explored relationships among POS, anger, and workplace outcomes in a sample of 1,136 employees in 21 stores of a U.S. retail organization. At both individual and store levels, low POS was directly associ...

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and use of management support measures in two worksite health promotion intervention trials. Results from the two intervention trials suggest that management support for health promotion can be assessed and tracked over time using both perceptual and observational measures. These results als...

To determine the accuracy of self-reported health care utilization and absence reported on health risk assessments against administrative claims and human resource records. Self-reported values of health care utilization and absenteeism were analyzed for concordance to administrative claims values. Percent agreement, Pearson's correlations, and mul...

The direct filling of flexible single-walled carbon nanotubes by model molten salts are described. The simulations advance on previous work, in which the carbon nanotubes were treated as fixed atomistic entities, by considering the carbon nanotubes as fully-flexible. The molten salts are described using two potential models, which vary in the relat...

This study sought to understand how high involvement work processes (HIWP) are processed at the employee level. Using structural equation modeling techniques, the authors tested and supported a model in which psychological empowerment mediated the effects of HIWP on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job performance, and job stress. Furth...

The mechanisms for filling carbon nanotubes with molten salts are investigated using molecular dynamics computer simulation. Inorganic nanotubular structures, whose morphologies can be rationalized in terms of the folding, or the removal of sections from, planes of square nets are found to form. The formation mechanisms are found to follow a 'chain...

Workplaces are important settings for interventions to increase physical activity, but effects have been modest. To evaluate the efficacy of Move to Improve, a social-ecologic intervention delivered at the workplace to increase leisure-time physical activity. A group-randomized 12-week intervention consisting of organizational action and personal a...

To examine first-year results from a workplace environmental obesity prevention program at The Dow Chemical Company. A quasi-experimental cohort study was conducted among employees at nine treatment worksites (n = 8013) who received environmental weight management interventions and three control worksites (n = 2269). Changes in employees' weight, b...

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the implementation of the Move to Improve worksite physical activity program using a four step framework that includes the following: (i) defining the active ingredients, (ii) using good methods to measure implementation, (iii) monitoring implementation and (iv) relating implementation to outcomes. The inter...

A growing body of literature supports the effectiveness of individually focused worksite health promotion programs in reducing workers' health risk factors, including overweight and obesity. There is increased interest in studying environmental interventions that support individual change efforts through the creation of more supportive environments...

Obesity is a complex condition involving genetic and environmental influences; however, recent increases in prevalence, now described as epidemic, has heightened the attention given to environmental factors. This presentation summarizes process evaluation findings from a multi-site weight management study that tested a set of environmental interven...

Obesity is a major public health concern and worksites are ideal for reaching large numbers of adults with weight management messages and programs. In 2006, a large chemical company began implementing a combination of individual and environmental interventions to support the prevention and control of overweight and obesity among employees. In 2007,...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine when perceived organizational support (POS) may be more likely to play a mediator versus moderator role in stressor and strain relationships by considering POS relative to challenge and hindrance stressors, cognitive/emotional and physical strains. Design/methodology/approach This cross‐sectional sur...

Although the transtheoretical model (TTM) is good at detecting motivation to alter behavior, one of the frequently cited methodological problems is related to the validity of the staging instruments. Few studies have examined the ability of the TTM constructs (decisional balance, self-efficacy, and processes of change) to predict the stages of chan...

To examine the distribution of the stages of change for exercise among individuals living with HIV as well as to identify the differences between the transtheoretical model (TTM) constructs. Cross-sectional self-report data were collected from 208 individuals accessing HIV-related care services. More than half of the sample was in the action and ma...

Purpose The paper seeks to describe the evolution of an integrated approach to health and productivity management that combines the disciplines of worksite health promotion and occupational safety and health, and to offer advice on how to implement such an integrated approach. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes the form of a review of the...

The energetics of inorganic nanotubes (INTs) are investigated using both atomistic and continuum models. A relatively simple (Tersoff-II) potential model is used to study the energetics of carbon nanotube (C-NT) formation for use as a well-understood reference system. INTs formed by folding sections of MX stoichiometry constructed from both percola...

Purpose Describe the development of the leading by example (LBE) instrument. Methods A total of 135 responses from employees of a private corporation working at 11 different worksites were factor analyzed in 2005. Exploratory factor analysis was used to obtain an initial factor structure. Factor validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor ana...

To describe the development, reliability, and validity of the Environmental Assessment Tool (EAT) for assessing worksite physical and social environmental support for obesity prevention. The EAT was developed using a multistep process. Inter-rater reliability was estimated via Kappa and other measures. Concurrent and predictive validity were estima...

This paper presents the formative research phase of a large multi-site intervention study conducted to inform the feasibility of introducing environmental and ecological interventions. Using mixed methods that included an environmental assessment, climate survey, leadership focus groups and interviews, and archival data, information was collected o...

Workplace health interventions have traditionally focused on individual behavior change. However, there is an increasing interest in developing multi-level interventions based on a social-ecological approach to health promotion. This presentation will discuss the results of a randomized trial of a physical activity intervention that used a multi-le...

Public health practitioners recognize the need to use evidence-based interventions. Public health researchers are well aware that evidence-based interventions should be disseminated broadly. But the events occurring between efficacy research and local use are frequently treated as a black box leaving both groups unaware of the impact each of their...

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, HIV-related care services have focused on treating the physical and mental side effects of HIV and HAART therapy. However, since individuals are living longer, they are beginning to focus on the prevention of side effects through self-care behavior, including physical activity. The transtheoretical model (TTM) for...

Health behavior change is very difficult without access to the appropriate tools and supports. Vending machines with healthy food and beverage options are one support for dietary behavior change. A large manufacturing company implemented a healthy choice vending intervention as a diet and nutrition component of a broader environmental behavior chan...

In the current career climate characterized by change and turbulence, employees may demonstrate limited organizational commitment to their employers. Rousseau (1998) suggests that two key ways to elicit loyalty from employees today are to reinforce perceptions of organizational membership and demonstrate organizational care and support for employee...

The structural origin of intermediate-range order in two archetypal network-forming liquids, Ge Se2 and Zn Cl2 , is investigated via molecular dynamics computer simulation. Relatively simple ionic models, in which a proper description of ion polarization effectively controls the network connectivity, are shown to be capable of showing a first-sharp...

This paper presents an initial test and validation of a model of healthy work organization. A questionnaire based on the proposed model was completed by 1,130 employees of a national retailer. The instrument measured 29 first-order constructs underlying the six higher-order domains of the model. The overall model fit and relationships among the sec...

To examine how social support at work affects depression and organizational productivity in a work-stress framework. A self-administered survey for 240 workers in a public hospital in the southeastern United States. Social support at work was directly related to high job control, low depression, and high job performance. Social support did not buff...

This study examined ethnic group differences in the effectiveness of a healthy work organization intervention on organizational climate and worker health and well-being. Our sample consisted of employees from 21 stores of a large national retail chain. The intervention involved establishing and facilitating employee problem-solving teams in 11 of t...

Simulation models, based on an ionic description of closed-shell species and which incorporate many-body polarization effects, are derived for both yttrium and lanthanum aluminates using physically transparent mixing and scaling arguments. Three compositions (20% Y2O3/80% Al2O3, 25% Y2O3/75% Al 2O3, and 25% La2O3/75% Al 2O3) are studied in detail....

Although there has been considerable interest in safety climate, relatively little attention has been given to the factors that determine safety climate or to testing the hypothesized mediating role of safety climate with respect to safety-related outcomes. Questionnaire responses were obtained from 2,208 employees of a large national retail chain...

The purpose of the study was to examine what work factors were significantly different between a high strain group and a low strain group. The participants were 373 male factory workers at four manufacturing companies producing household appliances in Puchon, Korea. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on psychological strain,...