Workplace Health Interventions and Physical Fitness Status among Managers of Small-Scale Enterprises in Norway and Sweden

Background: The ability of managers of small-scale enterprises (SSEs) to prioritize health, working conditions, and their own physical fitness is an important issue for workplace health promotion in Norway and Sweden, where most owner-manager positions are in SSEs. Aim: To assess the physical fitness status of SSE managers compared to a norm population and to study changes in physical fitness status, self-reported physical activity, and sickness outcomes after workplace health interventions. Methods: The study allocated SSE managers to either an intervention or a reference group. The intervention, over twelve months, consisted of motivational input related to lifestyle and physical activity through tests and feedback, individual support, and courses on health and psychosocial working conditions. The participants (N = 28) completed health screening checks, questionnaires and testing before and after the intervention. Results: SSE managers in the study had positive outcomes for BMI levels and strength compared to the norm population, while percentage of fat for both men and women indicated poor results. There were no further improvements in the intervention group after comparison with the reference group. Separately, both groups seemed to improve strength and body composition. Conclusion: Workplace health interventions with essentially motivational components may increase SSE managers’ attention to physical fitness, but appear to have limited effects on objective and subjective physical fitness outcomes.

Progress in the micro-perspective studies of economic geography in China since 1980s

Micro-perspective studies on economic geography in China can be classified into geography of the enterprise, geography of the rural household, and small-scale studies on economic activities. Literature on geography of the enterprise includes spatial expansion of the enterprise, industrial location, firm's networks, industrial relocation, industrial clusters, and the relationship between industrial organizations and the environment. Studies on geography of the rural household(GRH) include the theoretical framework of GRH, the locations of rural economic activities, and the interrelation between rural households and geographical environment. Small-scale studies focus on human-land interaction from a land plot perspective, relations between specialized villages and the environment, and regional sustainable development research at site-specific scale. Micro-perspective studies on economic geography attempt to search for the basic unit of economic-geographical landscape, exploring the geographical process and the formation mechanism of geographical phenomena. The exploration of these three perspectives anticipates new approaches to economic-geographical studies with China's special background.