| Sumario: | Purpose Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) has been indicated not only beneficial for occupational disease and injury prevention but increase health productivity; however, WHP needs among workers may significantly vary by age1-3. Therefore, this study examines age differences in WHP needs to provide empirical evidence for future trend of aging workforce in Taiwan. Method During July 2013, by conducting a self-administered questionnaire survey in a company of accommodation and catering industry in Taipei, a total of 310 effective questionnaires from employees aged from 20 to 65 were collected (return rate 90%). Subjects were asked to provide information regarding demographic/work background, physical/mental health conditions and lifestyle behaviors, occupational injury and burnout occurrence, workplace stressors, and stress-related presenteeism. In addition, 4 young/senior employees and supervisors were invited to participate in in-depth interviews. Results & Discussion As shown in Table 1, compared with younger workers, seniors reported higher percentage of cardiovascular discomfort but more positive health behaviors such as fewer smoking, more regular exercise and dietary. Younger workers experienced more occupational injuries, burnout, mental disturbance and presenteeism, but better adaptability to new information systems or technology importation. After adjustment for gender and employment grades, the above patterns remain similar (Table 2). Results from qualitative interviews showed that design of WHP programs should be tailored to respond to the needs of the respective individuals. This study suggests that elder workers need to make appropriate work arrangements to control or improve physical symptoms, management strategies to tackle difficulties of learning computerapplication are also needed. On the contrary, younger workers need more assistance and guidance to maintain positive life styles. This study has practical implications for management4 and WHP practitioners3.
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