Factors associated with the health status of childcare workers in southern Alberta, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: There is growing evidence that the well-being of childcare workers has important implications for the care provided to children attending childcare centers. To add to the growing body of research in this area and to lay the groundwork for further research, we report the results of a pilot study examining factors that are associated with the health status of childcare workers in southern Alberta, Canada. The factors examined include: health control, employer's interest in the childcare worker's wellbeing, and actions that childcare workers are taking to improve their own health. RESULTS: A total of 260 "Workplace Health and Risks Survey 2008" questionnaires were sent to 13 licensed daycare centers in southern Alberta, Canada. Of these, a total of 110 questionnaires were completed by childcare workers at these centers and returned. Regression analysis results show that control over one's health (Standardized Beta = .504, p < .001), employers' knowledge of negative effects of stress (Standardized Beta = - .328, p = .017), employers' interest in employees' well-being (Standardized Beta = .366, p = .008), and actions that are planned to be taken to improve or maintain health in the future (Standardized Beta = .231, p = .005) are all significant predictors of health status among childcare workers.