Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, 150 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, 02111.
Tufts University School of Medicine, Department of Public Health & Community Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, 02111.
J Sch Health. 2019 Nov;89(11):890-898. doi: 10.1111/josh.12831. Epub 2019 Sep 8.
Employee health promotion in the elementary school setting can support students' health and academic success. School employees can serve as role models, yet evidence suggests poor health in this population. We identified factors that influence school employee health behaviors to inform subsequent development of employee wellness programs.
Focus groups (10 groups, total N = 62) and interviews (N = 5) were conducted with school employees. Participants were recruited from schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged, racially diverse districts in Massachusetts. We used a socioecological framework to identify multi-level factors that influence employee health behaviors. Factors were characterized as supports (+) or barriers (-) to health-promoting behaviors.
Eight themes highlighted the importance of an organizational culture that sustains successful employee wellness programming. Intrapersonal themes included: High Stress (+/-), Desire to Adopt Healthy Behaviors (+), and Sufficient Health Knowledge (+). Interpersonal themes included: Strong Social Network (+) and a Desire to Role Model (+). Organizational themes included: Demanding Job (-), Lack of Wellness Culture (-), and Unhealthy Food (-).
Our findings suggest that this population would be receptive to wellness programming. Promising strategies include supporting a dedicated wellness champion and creating recognizable top down wellness support for employees.
在小学环境中促进员工健康可以支持学生的健康和学业成功。学校员工可以作为榜样，但有证据表明该人群的健康状况不佳。我们确定了影响学校员工健康行为的因素，以便为随后制定员工健康计划提供信息。
我们对学校员工进行了焦点小组（10 组，总 N=62）和访谈（N=5）。参与者是从马萨诸塞州社会经济地位较低、种族多样化的地区的学校招募的。我们使用社会生态学框架来确定影响员工健康行为的多层次因素。这些因素被描述为促进健康行为的支持因素（+）或障碍因素（-）。
八个主题突出了维持成功的员工健康计划的组织文化的重要性。个体间主题包括：高压力（+/-）、渴望采用健康行为（+）和足够的健康知识（+）。人际间主题包括：强大的社交网络（+）和榜样的愿望（+）。组织主题包括：要求苛刻的工作（-）、缺乏健康文化（-）和不健康的食物（-）。
我们的研究结果表明，该人群对健康计划很感兴趣。有前途的策略包括支持专门的健康冠军，并为员工创造可识别的自上而下的健康支持。
