scholarly journals Health-Promoting Factors Among Students in Higher Education within Health Care and Social Work: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Baseline Data in a Multicentre Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inger Ahlstrand ◽  
Ingrid Larsson ◽  
Margaretha Larsson ◽  
Aimée Ekman ◽  
Lena Hedén ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Work ◽  
General Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Good General Health ◽  
Sleeping Problems ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Background: Educational environments are considered important for strengthening students’ health status and knowledge, which is associated with good educational outcomes. It has been suggested to establish healthy universities based on a salutogenic approach—namely, health promotion. The aim of this study was to describe health-promoting resources and factors among first-semester students in higher education in healthcare and social work.Methods: This cross-sectional study is based on a survey provided to all students in seven healthcare and social work programmes from six universities in southern Sweden. The survey was performed in 2018 using a self-reported, web-based questionnaire focussing on general health and well-being, lifestyle factors and three validated instruments measuring health-promoting factors and processes—the Sense of Coherence (SOC) scale, Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale (SHIS) and Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ).Results: Of 2283 students, 851 completed the survey, where 742 (87.1%) were women; 722 students participated in healthcare programmes, and 129 students participated in social work programmes. Most reported good general health and well-being (88.1% and 83.7%, respectively). The total mean scores for the SOC scale, SHIS and OBQ were 59.09 (SD = 11.78), 44.04 (SD = 9.38) and 26.40 (SD = 7.07), respectively. Well-being and several health-promoting lifestyle factors were related to better general health and higher SOC, SHIS and OBQ scores. Multiple linear and logistic regressions showed that perceived well-being and no sleeping problems significantly predicted higher general health and higher SOC, SHIS and OBQ scores. Being less sedentary and non-smoking habits were significant predictors of higher SOC.Conclusions: Swedish students in higher education within the healthcare and social work sector report good general health and well-being in the first semester, as well as health-promoting resources (i.e. SOC, SHIS and OBQ), and in some aspects, a healthy lifestyle. High-intensity exercise, no sleeping problems and non-smoking seem to be of importance to both general health and health-promotive resources. This study contributes to the health promotive characteristics of students in the healthcare and social work sectors, which is of importance for planning universities with a salutogenic approach.

Violence, bullying and academic performance in higher education students

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-205
Author(s):  
Irma Ramos rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
School Violence ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
First Semester

Violence and bullying affect the physical, mental, social and academic well-being of students. The objective of this work was to analyze the association between violence and bullying, with academic performance in higher education students, a descriptive, cross-sectional, analytical study was carried out in first semester students of different higher level careers, the information was obtained with the application of two questionnaires, the first about Socio-demographic Data and the second one was the questionnaire of School Violence from the Ombudsman (2000). In the results, it was found that 37.4% of the participants showed a grade point average ≥90 points, 47% between 75 to 89 points and 15.6% an average <75 points. Poor academic performance was significantly associated with the type of career, with being ignored, being threatened to scare him, with suffering violence due to social exclusion, harassment in general, harassment due to social, physical and sexual exclusion. In conclusion, violence and bullying are two serious problems that university students frequently face, the effects produced by them affect the physical and mental health of the victims and can affect their academic performance.

scholarly journals High Life Study protocol: a cross-sectional investigation of the influence of apartment building design policy on resident health and well-being

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e029220
Author(s):  
Sarah Foster ◽  
Clover Maitland ◽  
Paula Hooper ◽  
Julian Bolleter ◽  
Anthony Duckworth-Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Study Protocol ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Design Features ◽  
Policy Compliance ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Health And Well Being

IntroductionThe rapid increase in apartment construction in Australia has raised concerns about the impacts of poorly designed and located buildings on resident health and well-being. While apartment design policies exist, their content varies across jurisdictions and evidence on their impact on health and well-being is lacking. This cross-sectional observational study (2017–2021) aims to generate empirical evidence to guide policy decisions on apartment development and help to create healthy, equitable higher-density communities. Objectives include to benchmark the implementation of health-promoting apartment design requirements and to identify associations between requirements and resident health and well-being outcomes.Methods and analysisEligible buildings in three Australian cities with different apartment design guidelines will be stratified by area disadvantage and randomly selected (~n=99). Building architects, developers and local governments will be approached to provide endorsed development plans from which apartment and building design features will be extracted. Additional data collection includes a resident survey (~n=1000) to assess environmental stressors and health and well-being impacts and outcomes, and geographic information systems measures of the neighbourhood. The study has 85% power to detect a difference of 0.5 SD in the primary outcome of mental well-being (Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale) at a 5% level of significance. Analyses will compare policy compliance and health-promoting design features between cities and area disadvantage groups. Regression models will test whether higher policy compliance (overall and by design theme) is associated with better health and well-being, and the relative contribution of the neighbourhood context.Ethics and disseminationHuman Research Ethics Committees of RMIT University (CHEAN B 21146-10/17) and the University of Western Australia (RA/4/1/8735) approved the study protocol. In addition to academic publications, the collaboration will develop specific health-promoting indicators to embed into the monitoring of apartment design policy implementation and impact, and co-design research dissemination materials to facilitate uptake by decision makers.

scholarly journals Factors associated with musculoskeletal pain among teachers: sociodemographics aspects, general health and well-being at work

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 702-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albanita Gomes da Costa de Ceballos ◽  
Gustavo Barreto Santos
Keyword(s):  
Musculoskeletal Pain ◽  
General Health ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Sociodemographic Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Respiratory Problems ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Health And Well Being

INTRODUCTION: Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most frequent complaints among teachers, compromising their health and quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among teachers, assessing their occurrence according to sociodemographic characteristics, general health and well-being at work. METHODS: An exploratory cross-sectional study conducted with 525 teachers. During activities of continuing education, the teachers completed a self-administered questionnaire containing questions about sociodemographic factors, general health, well-being at work and musculoskeletal pain. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was equal to 73.5%. The most common musculoskeletal pains were localized in the shoulders (31.6%), upper back (27.8%), neck (27.2%) and ankles and/or feet (24.0%). Circulatory and respiratory problems and Common Mental Disorders were associated with pain in the shoulders, upper back, neck and ankles and/or feet. Well- being at work is associated with pain in the shoulders, neck and ankles and/or feet. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to deepen the knowledge about musculoskeletal pain among teachers, exploring the biological, ergonomic, occupational and psychosocial mechanisms of teaching, as well as invest in practices that improve the relationship of coexistence between workers and activities that enhance the comfort and reduce referred pain.

scholarly journals Attitudes of Company Executives toward a Comprehensive Workplace Health Management—Results of an Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study in Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11475
Author(s):  
Achim Siegel ◽  
Aileen C. Hoge ◽  
Anna T. Ehmann ◽  
Peter Martus ◽  
Monika A. Rieger
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
General Health ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Workplace Health ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Workplace Health Management ◽  
Health And Well Being

Workplace health management (WHM) in Germany aims at maintaining and increasing the health and well-being of employees. Little is known about company executives’ attitudes toward WHM. To gain more insight, we conducted a large-scale survey in companies in the German county of Reutlingen in 2017. We sent a standardized questionnaire to 906 companies, containing inter alia 26 self-constructed declarative statements depicting company executives’ opinions on various WHM aspects; 222 questionnaires could be evaluated. By exploratory factor analysis we assigned the 26 items to six factors reflecting different attitudes toward WHM. Factor values were standardized to a scale from 0 to 10. The attitude ‘positive view of general health services in the company’, for example, achieved by far the lowest mean agreement (3.3 points). For the attitude ‘general skepticism toward WHM’, agreement and disagreement were balanced (5.0 points). Using multiple regression analyses, we searched for variables that could partially explain respondents’ agreement with attitudes. In conclusion, a general WHM skepticism was widespread, but not dominant. The idea that general health services should be offered in companies was predominantly rejected. Older respondents and respondents from smaller companies and craft enterprises were more skeptical than average about WHM and its possible extensions.

scholarly journals Examining the Effects of Participation in Leisure and Social Activities on General Health and Life Satisfaction of Older Canadian Adults With Disability

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-232
Author(s):  
Hanieh Chizari ◽  
◽  
Shahin Shooshtari ◽  
Karen Duncan ◽  
Verena Menec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
General Health ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Independent Effect ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Health And Well Being

Background: The Health and well-being of older Canadian adults have been extensively studied; however, less is known about the health and well-being of older Canadian adults with a disability. Objective: This study was done to determine if participation in leisure and social activities has a significant independent effect on the overall health and life satisfaction of older Canadian adults with a disability. Methods: A secondary analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Surveys (PALS) was performed. Respondents were those who reported disability and were at least 65 years of age at the time of the PALS 2006 (n=7,500, representing 1,755,870 Canadians). “Participation in social and leisure activities” was measured based on four types of activities outside the home in 12 months prior to the survey. The single-item measure of self-rated health was used to measure overall health. Life satisfaction was measures based on five items. Weighted data were used to describe the target population. Two sets of multivariate logistic regressions were conducted based on data for the total sample, and separately for men and women using bootstrapped weights. Results: A significant independent effect of participation in leisure and social activities on the general health and life satisfaction of older Canadians with a disability, for both men and women, was confirmed. Conclusion: Participation in leisure and social activities is a potential venue to enhance the health and well-being of older Canadian adults with a disability.

scholarly journals Black women and COVID-19: The need for targeted mental health research and practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 247-255
Author(s):  
Quenette L Walton ◽  
Rosalyn Denise Campbell ◽  
Joan M Blakey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Women’S Mental Health ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
Women's Mental Health ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Health And Well Being

COVID-19 has significantly impacted a substantial number of Black Americans. Black women, in particular, are facing challenges financially, physically, and mentally during this unprecedented time. Between serving as frontline workers, being concerned about contracting the virus, contributing to their families financially, and worrying about their loved ones’ health, Black women are experiencing great strain on their mental health and well-being. These stressors illustrate the need for social work researchers and practitioners to address Black women’s mental health. This paper presents our reflections, experiences, and response to COVID-19 as Black women and scholars. Guided by our reflections and personal experiences, we put forth suggestions and reflexive thoughts for social work researchers and practitioners to prioritize Black women’s mental health during and after these unprecedented times.

scholarly journals Perceived Sensory Dimensions of Green Areas: An Experimental Study on Stress Recovery

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5419
Author(s):  
Sanaz Memari ◽  
Mahdieh Pazhouhanfar ◽  
Patrik Grahn
Keyword(s):  
Social Sustainability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Film Clip ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
Health And Well Being

Natural environments have been shown to promote health, and are, therefore, important for achieving social sustainability in cities. As cities grow and become denser, it is important to develop knowledge about the characteristics of natural environments that work to promote health. Perceived Sensory Dimensions (PSDs) is a tool that defines eight different cultural ecosystem services. They correspond to different human needs (rest, exercise, socialising, pleasure, or security) resulting in rehabilitation and health and well-being promotion. An experiment was conducted to study the potential of PSDs to restore people who experienced stressful accidents. One hundred and fifty-seven participants were recruited and asked first to watch a film clip of serious accidents, then to look at the pictures, depicting one particular type of PSDs, while listening to its respective audio recording. Their stress levels were measured before exposure to the stressor (baseline), after exposure to the stressor (pre-test), and after exposure to a particular type of PSDs (post-test). The results show that all eight PSDs effectively provide mental recovery, but there are statistical differences in their potentials. As such, it is proposed that the combined potential of the PSDs is needed, and should be used to increase the capacity and supply of health-promoting urban green areas.

scholarly journals The Neoliberal University in Ireland: Institutional Bullying by Another Name?

Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Margaret Hodgins ◽  
Patricia Mannix McNamara
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
New Public ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

New managerialism and the pervasive neoliberalisation of universities is by now a well-established phenomenon. Commentaries explore the political and economic drivers and effects of neoliberal ideology, and critique the impact on higher education and academic work. The impact on the health and well-being of academic staff has had less attention, and it is to that we turn in this paper. Much academic interest in neoliberalism stems from the UK, Australia and the United States. We draw particularly on studies of public Irish universities, where neoliberalism, now well entrenched, but something of a late-comer to the new public management party, is making its presence felt. This conceptual paper explores the concept of neoliberalism in higher education, arguing that the policies and practices of new public management as exercised in universities are a form of bullying; what we term institutional bullying. The authors are researchers of workplace culture, workplace bullying and incivility. Irish universities are increasingly challenged in delivering the International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles of decent work, i.e., dignity, equity, fair income and safe working conditions. They have become exposed in terms of gender imbalance in senior positions, precariat workforce, excessive workload and diminishing levels of control. Irish universities are suffering in terms of both the health and well-being of staff and organisational vibrancy. The authors conclude by cautioning against potential neoliberal intensification as universities grapple with the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper reviews neoliberalism in higher education and concludes with insight as to how the current pandemic could act as a necessary catalyst to stem the tide and ‘call out’ bullying at the institutional level.

scholarly journals Perceived Control and Aging: A Mini-Review and Directions for Future Research

Gerontology ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 435-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie A. Robinson ◽  
Margie E. Lachman
Keyword(s):  
Sex Education ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reciprocal Relationship ◽  
Control Beliefs ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Health And Well Being

This brief review on perceived control and aging is organized according to 3 perspectives of research involving description, explanation, and modification. An extensive body of literature has utilized cross-sectional and correlational methods to describe the sociodemographic variations and outcomes associated with perceived control. This work has focused on differences in perceived control as a function of age, sex, education, socioeconomic status, and culture and has identified positive associations with many aging-related outcomes involving health and well-being. With growing evidence regarding the health benefits of perceived control in the context of a declining sense of control with aging, there has been an increased effort to uncover the mechanisms involved, with the hopes of developing methods to maintain and/or promote adaptive control beliefs throughout adulthood. Through longitudinal and experimental work, researchers are beginning to clarify the directionality and elucidate the mechanisms to explain the associations. Recent evidence from longitudinal studies shows that control beliefs have an impact on subsequent changes in health. Yet, the findings suggest that it is not a unidirectional relationship. A conceptual model suggesting an ongoing reciprocal relationship between perceived control and health and well-being is discussed. Research examining the mechanisms that link perceived control to aging-related outcomes can help to inform and to develop effective interventions that are tailored to the individual's specific barriers and goals. We consider new directions for research, including more attention to intraindividual variability and reactivity to daily challenges, such as stress, with the goal of advancing our understanding of how perceived control contributes to aging-related outcomes. More work is needed to develop strategies to enhance control beliefs in later life. Although it will not always be possible to modify control beliefs, researchers can take these beliefs into account when developing interventions. A personalized approach is recommended as a way to tailor interventions that are compatible with individuals' beliefs about control to facilitate adaptive behavior change. Conclusions focus on selected issues and considerations for future research.

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