Digital storytelling within the Australian mining industry: worker engagement and health literacy indicator effects.

The mining industry is a demanding context for workplace health education due to a range of factors including productivity targets, workforce diversity and work roster schedules. This project investigated the impact of digital story health communication on worker engagement and its effect on interactive and critical health literacy indicators. The study comprised a quasi-experimental parallel time series research design, with control and intervention groups at each of the mine sites (n = 2). Workers in the intervention group (n = 85) received a 'toolbox talk' presentation incorporating a digital story featuring a mining industry worker and a leading cardiovascular health expert. The control group (n = 90) received equivalent health information communicated in a non-narrative manner, reflective of typical practices within the mining industry. A significantly greater effect was evident for worker engagement within the intervention group, with substantial maintenance over the follow-up period, compared with no significant effect at follow-up within the control group. Significant effects on interactive health literacy indicators (n = 3) were evident for the intervention group with corresponding lower level or nil effects within the control group. The findings highlight the benefits of evidence-based digital stories as an efficient and efficacious worker-centred health communication strategy for complex industrial workplace environments.

This quasi-experimental intervention study sought to test the effectiveness of digital stories featuring mining workers and leading health experts as a workplace health education strategy. The mining industry is a challenging setting for health education due to a range of reasons including productivity targets, workforce diversity and work roster schedules. Workers in the intervention group received a 'toolbox talk' presentation including a digital story. Workers in the control group received the same health information without the digital story, reflecting common health communication practices in the industry. Outcomes of this research demonstrate that digital storytelling was more effective on worker engagement and interactive health literacy, with a promising level of maintenance over a follow-up period. The findings show the benefits of digital storytelling as a worker focused health education strategy for complex industrial settings where time efficient communication methods are required.

Evaluation of a Health Literacy Instrument Designed for the Mining Industry.

BACKGROUND: Health literacy can manifest as an outcome of health education and communication, and it has potential as an antecedent for changes in health-related attitudes, values, and behaviors. Effective communication is vital for the health and safety of mining industry workers, and the ability to accurately measure impact is a necessary advancement in evaluation practices. Higher-risk, production-driven industries require specialized instruments and data collection methods that are sensitive to the workplace environment and capable of generating comprehensive and representative data, with minimal impact on productivity. OBJECTIVE: This research investigated the validity, reliability, and utility of the Health Communication Questionnaire (HCQ), a new instrument for measuring interactive and critical health literacy within the mining industry. METHODS: The applied research methodology included HCQ readability assessment, content validity indexing, substantive validity analysis, and reliability appraisal via a test-retest procedure with regression analysis and Bland-Altman plots to evaluate intra-subject agreement. KEY RESULTS: The results demonstrate content validity, exceeding minimum target values after evidence-based refinement of the instrument via substantive validity analysis. Readability targets were met, and reliability outcomes verify that the HCQ is consistent across two time points when tested under true work conditions. CONCLUSION: This study determined the validity, reliability, and utility of the HCQ as an interactive and critical health literacy data collection instrument and an evidence-based solution to concerns regarding absent or highly variable evaluation of Occupational Health and Safety communication practices within the mining industry. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2020;4(2):e84-e93.] PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: This study sought to develop and evaluate a survey instrument capable of determining health literacy indicators within the complex environment of mining industry work sites. Outcomes of this research demonstrate the Health Communication Questionnaire accurately and consistently measures two forms of health literacy and is suitable for use within the mining industry.