JOBS Program Germany for Health Promotion Among the Unemployed in the Community Setting With Institutions for Employment Promotion - JobsProgramDtl

Aim Compared to the employed, the unemployed suffer from poorer health, especially in terms of mental health. At the same time, health promotion rarely reaches unemployed people in Germany. The “JOBS Program” is an intervention for the unemployed to promote health and labor market integration and has shown positive effects in the USA and Finland. The aim of this confirmatory study was to investigate whether the JOBS Program produces similar effects in Germany. Subject and methods We applied a multicenter randomized controlled trial to compare an intervention group (IVG) with a waiting control group (WCG) before (T0; n = 94), shortly after (T1; n = 65) the intervention and about 6 months after (T2; n = 43) the intervention. Additionally, JOBS Program Germany trainers and responsible persons were interviewed via voluntary survey (computer-assisted web interviews) after JOBS trainings. Results Concerning our primary outcomes, the JOBS Program Germany was beneficial. We identified following changes in the outcomes from T0 to T1: Compared to the WCG, the regression estimated that the IVG had (1) a 2.736 scale point higher level of life satisfaction (p = 0.049), (2) a 0.337 scale point higher level of general health (p = 0.025), and (3) a 14.524 scale point higher level of mental well-being (p = 0.004). Although not statistically significant, job search-specific self-efficacy also appeared to be positively associated with the intervention. Although the proportion of long-term unemployed (= 12 months) in the intervention group at T2 was high (88.4 %; n = 38), the JOBS Program was beneficial concerning our primary outcomes: Compared to the WCG from T0 to T2, the regression estimated that the IVG had (1) a 3.48-point higher level of self-esteem (p = 0.032; scale range: 10–50 points), (2) a 4.93-point higher level of generalized self-efficacy expectations (p = 0.002; scale range: 10–50 points), (3) a 0.41-point higher level of general health (p = 0.016; scale range: 1–5 points), and (4) a 2.04-point lower level of unemployment-related mental burden (p = 0.028; scale range: 10–40 points). 78.5% and 85.7% of the JOBS Program Germany trainers were rather or very satisfied with the theoretical contents and its practical implementation, respectively. A survey among those responsible for the initiation and organization of the local implementation of JOBS Program provided insights why JOBS trainings have been rarely carried out. The central obstacle was the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of the JOBS Program with respect to the above outcomes, and for older and long-term unemployed, suggesting the benefit of regular implementation for different groups of unemployed people in Germany.