SHINE papers examine secondhand tobacco risks, ways to measure workplace flourishing

Exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke among flight attendants who themselves were not smokers appears to be associated with an increased risk of heart problems, including myocardial infarction and peripheral artery disease, according to new research led by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Sustainability and Health Initiative for NetPositive Enterprise (SHINE).

The study, which examined data collected through the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study, also found that exposure to secondhand smoke was associated with higher risk of pneumonia. The data, however, did not find a link between secondhand smoke and any cancer.

Additionally, SHINE researchers, along with researchers from Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program, recently published a paper examining the validity and reliability of the Flourish Index (FI) and the Secure Flourish Index (SFI) in workplace settings. The indexes are emerging models used to measure well-being among populations at work and in life.

The study collected information via questionnaires from 5,565 office and manufacturing employees of two U.S Fortune 500 manufacturing companies. The findings suggested that both the FI and SFI could be reliable and valid tools for further studying the influence of employee well-being on human performance and productivity.

Read a SHINE article about the study on secondhand tobacco risks: New paper on legacy health effects among never smokers exposed to occupational secondhand smoke

Read a SHINE article about the study on measuring workplace flourishing: New paper on the Flourish Index & Secure Flourish Index as validation in the workplace