Article Critique: The results of a worksite health promotion programme in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia.
Introduction
The research article entitled “The results of a worksite health promotion program in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia” discusses the impact of a worksite health promotion programme on serum cholesterol and dietary changes among employees over a 2 year period in a city in Malaysia. The study is aimed at analysing the success of such a health promotion program and if it is an effective channel for health promotion for the future.
According to the study forty percent of the Malaysian population are employed, but chronic illness is a significant economic burden (Statistics Department, 2004, Ministry of Health, 2002). Therefore the work
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As each subject has different work styles and habits coupled with a diverse psychological perception towards the nature of their work, it is necessary to determine whether their responses to the health promotion program will bring about the same results or not.
Suitability of the Type of Evaluation used
The measureable data in the study which were the anthropometric measurements (weight, height, waist and hip circumference), blood pressure and biochemical measurements (fasting blood glucose and full lipid profiles) were taken from each subject at baseline and at 6-month intervals for 2 years. These results are consistent, stable and dependable and are therefore reliable and valid.
Based on the data presented within the study, there is a noticeable change in health status in all the subjects, but the level of change is varied. The intervention group has significant improvements in lowered cholesterol levels compared to the comparison group. A possible reason for this change was due to the intervention group receiving intensive group counselling on diet, physical activity and cessation of smoking than those from the comparison group. The comparison group was given minimal education on the same lifestyle changes through mail and group counselling. The intervention group showed a statistically
Both the ratio and distribution of fats are crucial in determining an individual’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. This method is used to evaluate both the visceral and subcutaneous fats that are found in the body. The relative risk for men and women increases when the waist circumference exceeds 102cm and 88cm respectively. This method assesses the relationship between girth and percentage of fat as well as the fat distribution. The advantage of using this method is relatively accurate in assessing the fat percentage and distribution of the average population. Also the calculation for the fat percentage and distribution is relatively simple. While the disadvantage of this method is that individuals who are lean will not get an accurate assessment of the percentage and distribution of
Some of the emerging trends in the health promotion are the shift of the diseases from acute diseases to chronic disease. This has yielded a lot of pressure on health promotion and wellness (Future Trends in Health Promotion, 2015). The health promotion is expected to change focus to strategies that will ensure that health promotion will now be focused on long-term interventions that will enhance behavioural change. People need to be more educated on these diseases. Another eminent trend is the privatization of wellness and health promotion (Future Trends in Health Promotion, 2015). Many private entities are now engaging in health promotion, and this has caused a revolution in the health promotion.
Workplace wellness programs are currently unreflective of the multidimensional and holistic nature of the wellness construct. There exists an opportunity for health promoters to move toward models of workplace wellness promotion that more
Prochaska, J. O., Butterworth, S., Redding, C. A., Burden, V., Perrin, N., Leo, M., Flaherty-Robb, M., & Prochaska, J. M. (2008). Initial efficacy of MI, TTM tailoring and HRI’s with multiple behaviors for employee health promotion. Preventive Medicine, 46,
Chronic disease is a burden for the healthcare authorities in U.S. due to the rising cost. Surely, the debilitating costly effects of chronic conditions is preventable. The economic effects of chronic disease extend beyond the cost of health care, evidence-based practice shows that disease prevention starting to all the people who are at risk of developing any chronic disease such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, respiratory diseases, arthritis, obesity, and oral diseases should be a priority for the healthcare authorities. To reduce cost and health disparities, there are certain measures that should be taking by the healthcare authorities. For example, access to a local comprehensive and quality health services is
Because we understand the importance of health, we decided to implement a health and wellness program for our employees. However, we didn’t just want to give boring lectures and hand out
There is a wide spectrum of perspectives on the definition of both health and health promotion. I have determined that there is no “correct” way to describe these concepts, but multiple conceptualizations of each. An individual’s health status can be determined using a wide variety of factors, and there are several different methods of promoting health. This paper aims to identify the concepts that I believe define health and health promotion most accurately, based on my personal opinions and experiences.
The HPLPII was the instrument used in this study to assess the health promotion activities of the nurses. It consists of 52-items that uses a point system that starts at 1 which is never and goes to 4 which is routinely to measure frequency. It consists of six subscales which each have 8-9 items and measure six dimensions: health responsibility, interpersonal relations, nutrition, physical activity, spiritual growth, and stress management (Thacker et al., 2016). The scale has been found to have high internal consistency with an alpha value of 0.94 and the subscales have an acceptable internal consistency with alpha values ranging from 0.79-0.87. This establishes a firm validity making is a reliable instrument to use to assess the health promotion activities in this study. A demographic instrument to describe the sample population was also used (Thacker et al., 2016).
Personal changes are a large factor in maintaining chronic diseases, but started early enough in life it can also prevent them. According to Carol Marak at the Huffington Post there is approximately 39% of people who will reach 80 years or more without the need of a long-term care facility (7 ways, 2015). In her article, “7 Wats to Avoid 7 Common Chronic Diseases,” Carol Marak talks about personal preventions and how to make the positive changes at home. The 7 ways are no junk food, exercise, increase brain health, preserve bone health, stress management, health diet of low sodium and high fiber, and avoiding chemical contact. Each of these ways doesn’t just effect the health of the body in one way,
The continuous rise of health care costs has meant many companies turning toward health and wellness as a potential solution to save money: ‘research is showing that it’s more cost-effective to invest in preventive health practices, such as screenings, immunizations, health risk appraisals, behavioral coaching, and health awareness/education [and] best-practice research is demonstrating the total value of an integrated, population-based strategy that addresses the health needs of all employees, dependents, and retirees across the health care continuum’ (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 2009). Employers should balance providing wellness initiatives that address both lifestyle risk factors (such as physical activity, nutrition and stress) and clinical risk factors (such as obesity, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels). Both of these types of risk factors can be tied to the workplace environment, and both types of risk factors can be positively impacted with an environment that supports health and wellness. Top risk factors like physical activity and nutrition can be greatly supported by improving workplace environments to supplement the programming tied to these initiatives.
The second illustration focused on primary, secondary and tertiary interventions using occupational health activities at a Japanese company for metabolic syndrome to determine changes in lifestyle. Their purpose was to devise the annual health promotion plan. Primary prevention included individual interview, occupational health education for groups of employees several times annually, and health consultations. Secondary prevention included post-screening referrals for those employees with abnormal findings, and tertiary prevention included visits to hospitalized employees and support for their returning to work. Ariyoshi et al. (2010) concluded, “Occupational health activities based on a health promotion philosophy and aimed at primary and secondary prevention are
The Let’s Get Healthy campaign on its face value was indeed laudable and worth undertaking. However, it was unfortunate that after one year, participation in the program was discouraging and that the staff’s interest and enthusiasm fizzled into thin air. What went wrong? For one thing, the organizer of the program apparently conceived the idea on its own without any input from the staff. Also, the program was introduced as a directive from the authority without consideration of the employees right to make their own choices on what goals are best for them and the manner to achieve those goals.
The concept of health promotion initially emerged and continues to gain strength as an approach to improving health status and health condition of people. Health promotion is a key component of the complex relationship between actions, knowledge, attitudes, behaviour, and health outcomes from the individual to the societal level. Health promotion is increasingly applicable and relevant to practice within health care and health research specialty around the world.
The growing burden of various chronic ailments has social and economic implications at both, the micro and macro level. At micro level, these ailments impose significant cost burden on households, particularly those from the lower socioeconomic strata of the society. The chronic and prolonged nature of the diseases contributes significantly to the associated cost burden. Alongside costs of treatment, households also come under severe financial strain due to decrease in functional capacity or inability of an earning member to go to work.
The main purpose of health promotion is to heighten people’s motivation to strive for optimal health, while assisting them in making lifestyle modifications that will help them advance their wellbeing to an ideal state. Modifications of the unfavorable way of living can be enabled through a