Objective: The study determined the effects of corporate wellness programs (CWP) on Filipino workers’ physical, occupational, socio-emotional, intellectual, and spiritual wellness. Methods: The study looked into the components of a CWP, its forms of communication, the respondents’ level of participation, motivation, and their physical, occupational, socio-emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being to determine their wellness status during the pandemic. The study utilized an online survey to examine questions related to the efficacy of such programs, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis to assess the respondents’ sociodemographic profiles, and point biserial correlation to test the association of CWP to their wellness status. Results: The research showed that 90% of the respondents participated in their organization’s CWP, contradicting most studies that state CWP suffers from a low participation rate. CWP initiatives are mostly publicized through electronic mail, printed in memos, then posted on the bulletin board, and shared through the company website and social media. In addition, the study showed that overall wellness mean scores were higher in employees who were aware of their wellness programs than those who were not and in participating vis-à-vis non-participating employees. Conclusion The study’s six assumptions showed positive results, indicating that CWPs are beneficial in improving employees’ overall wellness. However, the per paradigm and overall wellness scores were weakly associated with participation and awareness status based on the point biserial correlation. No adverse effects were recorded in the study. In addition, the study discovered that employees were active in personal wellness initiatives, leading to high scores in their wellness dimensions. The study showed different individual wellness initiatives implying that employees were also proactive about their total well-being.
Health Promotion ; Health Promotion ; COVID-19 ; Philippines ; Preventive Health Services

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Physical activity (PA) and fitness level are considered key factors in public health promotion, and as such, healthcare workers (HCW) need to be physically well because they are not only responsible for themselves, but of their clients as well. Therefore, we aim to determine the PA and health-related fitness (HRF) level of HCW in a tertiary hospital, disaggregated to age, sex, work assignments, and job tenure.

A cross-sectional research design was utilized to assess HCW from the administrative, medical, nursing, and paramedical cohorts. ALPHA-FIT Test Battery was used to assess cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, lower extremity power and strength, upper body muscle endurance, balance, and body composition.

Our study concurred with the results of previous studies on HCW yielding lower PA levels compared with the general population. We tested 282 participants (administrative: 97; medical: 36; nursing: 55; paramedical: 94), mean age 37.4 years, 64.54% females, 52.13% perceived average health status. Ninety percent of the HCW had PA levels below the World Health Organization’s recommended levels. The ALPHA-FIT mean score per category revealed: one-legged stance, 2.67/3; figure-of-8 run, 2.45/3; shoulder-neck mobility, 4.58/5; modified push-up, 2.05/4; hand-grip strength, 2.5/5; jump and reach, 4/4; dynamic sit-up, 2.62/3; six-minute walk test, 475.38 meters covered. There were no significant differences in PA and HRF levels across cohorts except for modified sit-ups (p < 0.001) and figure-of-8 run (p = 0.012). The results showed significant inverse correlation between balance and shoulder-neck mobility and age (p < 0.001), and modified push ups (p = 0.004). Males had significantly higher sit-up scores (p < 0.001), one-legged stance scores (p = 0.001), and faster figure-of-8 run (p = 0.011), while females had better jump and reach scores (p < 0.001).

Physical activity levels of HCW did not meet the World Health Organization’s recommended PA levels. Healthcare professionals who are expected to be aware of the benefits of PA and HRF have shown low to midfit levels of grip strength, upper extremity endurance, core strength, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Information on PA and HRF may aid in policy making on employee wellness that could highly impact health service delivery.

Background and Objective: Hypertension is a major health issue worldwide, with primary schoolteachers possessing several lifestyle risks of the disease. There have not been any health promotion programs yet for primary schoolteachers in Indonesia, especially for blood pressure control. A school-based model of workplace wellness program for teachers was developed. It focused on using screening as feedback in controlling blood pressure by eating a healthy diet, doing physical activity, and having regular checks. This study aimed to assess its clinical and behavioral effects. Methods: This trial was a one group pre- and post-test study design without control. It was implemented purposively in three public primary school locations in Jakarta to 44 eligible teachers for approximately three months from January to March 2022. The workplace wellness program included on-site screening (blood pressure, body mass index/BMI, spot urine sodium-creatinine ratio), knowledge, motivation, and ongoing health behavior (physical activity and the dietary approach to stop hypertension/DASH), online education/training, consultation/counseling sessions with a family doctor, and self-monitoring. All screening measurements were repeated at the end of the program. A paired t-test or Wilcoxon analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0. Results: Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by 5.05 mmHg (p = 0.018) and 6.41 mmHg (p < 0.001), respectively. The spot urine sodium-creatinine ratio and BMI decreased slightly but not significant (p = 0.707; p = 0.761). Knowledge and motivation increased slightly but not significant (p = 0.529; p = 0.175). The DASH behavior significantly increased by 25% (p < 0.001). Though the overall physical activity did not change, the walking activity increased twofold significantly (p = 0.006). This study also showed that the outcome would be achieved when the participant followed the recommendations obediently. Conclusion This school-based workplace wellness program was found to have a potential effect on controlling blood pressure by changing health behaviors. A randomized controlled trial is recommended to provide stronger evidence on its effectiveness before doing a large-scale implementation in primary schools in Indonesia.
Health Promotion ; Hypertension ; Exercise ; DASH diet ; Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Committed to enhancing healthy living, learning, and working conditions, a health-promoting school is a potent influencer of behaviors and habits, reaching families and communities effectively. In the Western Pacific region, the Urbani School Health Kit (USHK) is one of the tools developed to integrate health promotion in schools; however, it needs to be updated to adapt to the evolving health challenges of lifestyle-related diseases. Hence, this study aimed to conduct a pilot training and evaluation of the updated USHK among school teachers in Manila.

The USHK was updated with new materials on (1) health-enhancing physical activity; (2) healthy nutrition; and (3) family and community engagement. A two-day training-workshop with 30 school teachers was then conducted to facilitate the integration of the updated USHK in their class activities. We used a multi method evaluation design to assess the implementation of the USHK. Particularly, quantitative data were obtained from the participants’ feedback on the toolkit and their knowledge of health-related practices. One month later, field visits were conducted to assess the participants’ abilities in utilizing the toolkit into their classes or school activities. Qualitative interviews and classroom observations were also collected post-implementation to determine potential facilitators and barriers to program delivery, and suggestions for improvement. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant feedback, while Wilcoxon signed rank test was utilized to determine changes in participant knowledge pre- and post-training. Qualitative data were synthesized through content analysis.

Participants provided high satisfaction ratings for the training they received, as well as high scores for the updated USHK, in terms of its appropriateness and acceptability. Significant improvements in participants’ overall health promotion knowledge were also noted (Z=-4.456, p<0.001), articularly involving the domains of nutrition (Z=-2.972, p=0.003), physical activity (Z=-3.564, p<0.001), and family/community engagement (Z=-2.531, p=0.011). Meanwhile, participants also suggested further improvements in the toolkit to enhance its utilization in the local context. Administrative support was a crucial facilitator for implementing the USHK, while resource limitations were identified as significant barriers.

The updated USHK, which provides a more comprehensive health promotion approach for schools, is potentially feasible for implementation in educational institutions in Manila. The toolkit can be utilized by teachers and school nurses to integrate health promotion activities into the school environment and classroom activities. To facilitate its wider uptake and implementation in other schools, government support and resource availability are crucial.

Background: Wellness implies a balance between the body, mind and the environment that allows optimal functionality, stability, continued productivity and quality of life. It is a dynamism process that requires constant vigilance and remediation. It includes health promotion, specific protection, disease prevention and health maintenance. It may vary based on age and risk factors. This guideline focuses on Adult wellness. Objective: The general objective is to improve the quality of health care of Filipino adults by providing guidance to family and community physicians, and other primary care physicians in advocating for wellness. Methods: The PAFP Clinical Practice Guidelines group on Wellness for adults reviewed existing clinical practice guidelines and medical literature to operationalize the recommendations for the following domains: clinical assessment, diagnostic screening, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions. ADAPTE method was used. Recommendations from guidelines which passed the AGREE II tool were reviewed. The CPG recommendations and summary of evidence were finalized. External review was conducted prior to consensus building. Key Recommendation Statements Recommendations were given for each domain. Clinical assessment includes history, physical examination and screening for risk factors. Diagnostic screening includes evidence-based laboratories and ancillary procedures. Pharmacologic interventions include immunization and chemoprophylaxis. Nonpharmacologic intervention include diet, physical activity and lifestyle modification. Patient-centered, family-focused and community-oriented care were emphasized considering the biomedical and psychosocial factors and interventions.
Health Promotion ; Quality of Life ; Environment

BACKGROUND AND AIM: A healthy work environment is one in which workers and managers cooperate in the process of continuous improvement regarding the protection, and promotion of workers' health and well-being, for the sake of work sustainability. The current state of the art shows that an unfavourable work environment contributes to nurses' dissatisfaction, burnout and emotional exhaustion, and the intention to leave the workplace/service. This study aimed to identify the Nurses' Work Environment in a small Portuguese Hospital, diagnose the situation, and focus on a healthy work environment. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This is a quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study, with a convenience sample of 90 nurses. The “Escala de Ambiente de Trabalho da Prática de Enfermagem” (Nursing Practice Work Environment Scale), validated and adapted by Ferreira & Amendoeira (2014) for the Portuguese population, was applied. The statistical treatment was performed using SPSS 27. RESULTS: The sample is mostly composed of female nurses (87%) with an average age of 26 years, and 75.5% are single. The dimension "Management and Leadership of the Head Nurse" had a mean value of x̅ =3.3 (out of 4) and σ=0.5, which was the dimension with the best assessment. The dimension with less encouraging results was "Nurses' Participation in Hospital Affairs" with x̅ =2.8 (out of 4) and σ=0.7. Overall, all domains assessed had a mean value above 2.5, which was considered a favourable work environment by the nurses. CONCLUSION The results, although generally satisfactory, show the need to carefully intervene and assess each dimension in an integrated perspective, to promote a healthy work environment and workers' well-being, since its imbalance may negatively affect quality of their work, impacting the quality of health care provided to the user . In addition, these results should be understood as an important factor to be considered in the design of future care teams. Regardind future research, it would be important to consider large samples and deepen the topic explored among different departments in the health care facilities.
Nurses ; Workplace ; Health Promotion

The impact of soil-transmitted helminthiases on the overall health of an individual may lead to significant morbidity related to the number of worms harbored by the person. Light intensity infections usually present no significant effect on the individual except in times of more massive infections, in which complications may lead to impaired growth and physical development. With this, international and local health programs aim to increase the proportion of community households aware of proper helminthiases prevention and control strategies. Access to potable water, and drainage and disposal or reuse of household water, to safe and sanitary facilities, safe human excreta disposal, and proper management of solid waste appropriate information on prevention and treatment of soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH), and dissemination of key messages to promote safe water storage, hand washing, bathing practices, safe food handling, latrine use and wearing of shoes and regular deworming practices are recommended points of intervention to reduce the prevalence of helminthiases in children and other high-risk population groups. Guided with the principles of health promotion and education and the health program framework of the Department of Health (DOH) and World Health Organization (WHO), community health may be achieved equitably by leveraging accurate information, community mobilization, and sustainable health partnerships.
Health Promotion ; Health Education ; Communicable Diseases ; Public Health

Body mass index (BMI) is widely recognized as an important indicator of physical health. However, the current BMI standard and guidelines primarily focus on children and general adults, neglecting the specific needs of the oldest old aged 80 years or older. To address this gap, this guideline aims to provide recommendations on the appropriate range of BMI and weight management for the oldest old in China, including age calculation, defining the appropriate BMI range, BMI measurement indicators, and weight management strategies. It is intended to be utilized by medical and health organizations at all levels, as well as medical and nursing service institutions, to evaluate the BMI and manage the weight of the oldest old population.
Aged, 80 and over ; Humans ; Asian People ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; China ; East Asian People ; Reference Values ; Health Promotion/standards*

Health impact assessment (HIA) system has been listed in the Outline of the Healthy China 2030 Plan and the Law of Basic Health Care and Health Promotion of the People's Republic of China, however, the technique guideline of HIA needs to be established and improved. This paper summarizes the applications of different epidemiological methods in HIA and focus on the introduction of the application of ecology model of health social determinants as theory basis in the establishment of HIA system along with the introduction of HIA cases in the world. The applications of epidemiological methods in domestic HIA research are limited. Therefore, appropriate applications of epidemiological methods should be strengthened in HIA guideline and system development, especially the applications of big health data, mobile health techniques, systems epidemiology and implementation science, to facilitate data collection and potential health hazard evaluation and surveillance for HIA, establishment and improvement of HIA system and the implementation of Healthy China Strategy.
China/epidemiology* ; Epidemiologic Methods ; Health Impact Assessment ; Health Promotion ; Humans

INTRODUCTION: In view of the important role of the environment in improving population health, implementation of health promotion programmes is recommended in living and working environments. Assessing the prevalence of such community health-promoting practices is important to identify gaps and make continuous and tangible improvements to health-promoting environments. We aimed to evaluate the inter-rater reliability of a composite scorecard used to assess the prevalence of community health-promoting practices in Singapore. METHODS: Inter-rater reliability for the use of the composite health promotion scorecards was evaluated in eight residential zones in the western region of Singapore. The assessment involved three raters, and each zone was evaluated by two raters. Health-promoting practices in residential zones were assessed based on 44 measurable elements under five domains - community support and resources, healthy behaviours, chronic conditions, mental health and common medical emergencies - in the composite scorecard using weighted kappa. The strength of agreement was determined based on Landis and Koch's classification method. RESULTS: A high degree of agreement (almost perfect-to-perfect) was observed between both raters for the measurable elements from most domains and subdomains. An exception was observed for the community support and resources domain, where there was a lower degree of agreement between the raters for a few elements. CONCLUSION The composite scorecard demonstrated a high degree of reliability and yielded similar scores for the same residential zone, even when used by different raters.
Health Promotion ; Humans ; Observer Variation ; Public Health ; Reproducibility of Results ; Singapore