The workplace is an important setting for successful health promotion because employees today spend more and more time at work. It is also an important setting in which the social environment and the support of colleagues can encourage employees to choose a more healthy lifestyle. The main focus of Inspiration is on physical activity, nutrition, a stop-smoking programme and substance abuse awareness.

The involvement of management is important in inspiring employees to take part in the programme. Meetings with managers in various business areas have been prioritised to inform and inspire them to take part in "Inspiration". Local "inspiration committees" at industrial plants and offices in Norway have been established to achieve local ownership and involvement.

"Inspiration" encourages and involves activities aimed at motivating employees to adopt a healthy lifestyle and engage in physical activity. Physical activity is important to prevent health problems such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. We wish to focus on those who do not have an active lifestyle - not those who run marathons or take part in physical activities during their leisure time. The "inspirers" will organise and lead enjoyable activities with a low threshold - also involving social and cultural aspects.

The nutrition programme is based on a campaign started and led by the offshore catering administration. The results, experience and efforts of this campaign are being transferred to onshore plants and offices in Norway. A user survey at one of the offshore plants shows that almost 100% of the employees are interested in nutrition and a healthy diet. About 55% say that they have changed their eating habits since the process increased the focus on healthy food offshore and that the campaign has increased knowledge and awareness of nutrition and health.

An information campaign to get as many smokers as possible to join the stop-smoking progamme will start on 1 January, when people are making their New Year's resolutions. The smoking programme is an interactive, web-based programme.

Many work-related social activities involve alcohol. It is important to focus on employees' understanding of and knowledge about drinking habits. "Inspiration" does this through a self-assessment on a web page where employees can rate their own drinking habits.

An informative and active web page has been established on the intranet. 

The programme has been introduced in Norway and will be evaluated during 2009.