Search

Introduction: Little is known about workplace health promotion for bus drivers. Bus drivers are at-risk of chronic disease because they are exposed to the risk factor combination of poor nutrition, low levels of physical activity, high levels of sedentary time and are often overweight or obese. The purpose of this paper is to situate the quantitative baseline data collected from bus drivers within qualitative findings about the socio-cultural context of the workplace. Materials and methods: Baseline data about physical activity, dietary intake and sedentary hours was collected from 58 drivers employed by a large bus company in southeast Queensland. Ten drivers and seven key workplace informants participated in interviews and discussion groups about driver health behaviours, workplace structure, culture, and resources. Results: The quantitative results of our study reveal bus drivers have a cluster of poor health behaviours—limited physical activity, lower than recommended consumption of fruit and vegetables and high levels of sitting time during working-hours—which contribute to a high prevalence of overweight and obesity and a heightened risk of chronic disease. The qualitative findings suggest there are individual and structural barriers to improving drivers' modifiable health behaviours. Individual barriers include ingrained poor habits and more pressing life concerns, while structural barriers in the context of the workplace include time constraints, shift work, long days, a lack of work amenities and a general disconnect of drivers with their workplace. Conclusion: In this workplace, health promotion strategies for bus drivers should be prioritised as a means of improving drivers' health. To maximise uptake and effectiveness, these strategies should make use of existing workplace resources and consider the context of workplace health behaviour change. Further research is warranted in a broader sample of Australian bus companies to explore the context of workplace health behavior change so targeted strategies to improve bus drivers' health can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite many Australian universities introducing smoke-free policies on campus, there is little information about staff and students understanding of smoking on campus in the context of the implementation of a smoke-free policy. Objective: This research explores the qualitative views of university staff and students about smoking on campus during the implementation of a smoke-free policy. Methods: In 2016, an electronic survey was distributed to all current staff and students of a large university in Queensland, Australia during the implementation of a smoke-free policy. The survey consisted of multiple-choice questions about demographics, tobacco use, attitudes towards smoking, awareness of and attitudes towards the policy, and intentions to quit smoking. The final question asked for a short, open-ended response: "Would you like to comment on the issue of smoking on QUT* campuses?" This question was extracted from the survey and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. This paper reports the findings from this question. *Queensland University of Technology. Results: The survey was completed by 641 staff and students. There were 351 responses to the final question. Five inductive themes emerged about smoking on campus during the implementation of a smoke-free policy: 1) the watering down of the policy, if it is not enforced, 2) the creation of hot spots on campus boundaries affecting those who pass by, 3) concern, especially by those who don't smoke, about the impact on smokers emotional health and welfare, 4) disagreement about the value of designated smoking areas and 5) suggestions about how to better implement the policy. Conclusion: Overall, participants views about smoking on campus during the implementation of a smoke free policy suggest broad agreement but reflect concerns about enforcement, boundaries, non-smokers and designated areas. Consistent and systematic processes for implementation, maintenance and enforcement of policy goals, and cessation support, is needed to create a non-smoking culture on university campuses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Truck drivers are at increased risk of diet- and physical activity-related chronic diseases. Despite this, there is a paucity of data about Australian truck drivers' diet and physical activity behaviors. A multiple choice and short response survey was distributed to truck drivers attending an Australian Truck Show. The survey asked about self-reported health, source of health information, number of serves of fruit, vegetables, unhealthy food, and sugary drink consumed per day, and frequency of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity per week. The survey was completed by 231 truck drivers--almost all were male, with a mean age of 46 (range 20 to 71) years. Over 85% of survey respondents worked more than 9 hrs per day. Nearly 75% acknowledged the need to make changes to improve their health. Half consumed fewer serves of fruit and 88% consumed fewer serves of vegetables than national recommendations. Over 63% consumed at least one serve of unhealthy foods per day, and 65% drank at least one can of sugary drink per day. Most (80%) undertook less than moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity levels provided in national recommendations. Of concern, almost 90% of drivers had above the recommended body mass index--approximately 60% were obese. This is almost double the proportion found in the general population. These findings highlight the importance of health promotion to help drivers make better choices about their health behaviors, which are often underpinned by the limitations of their work environment. Health promotion in transport industry workplaces should be an important topic for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify community pharmacists' perceptions of their role, knowledge and confidence in relation to bowel cancer and breast cancer screening health promotion. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study with community pharmacists and key informants in the Metro South Health (MSH) region of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In Part 1, quantitative data was collected from community pharmacists via an electronic survey. In Part 2, qualitative data was collected from community pharmacists and key informants via in-depth interviews. This paper reports the findings of community pharmacists' perceptions of their role, knowledge and confidence to promote bowel cancer and breast cancer screening in community pharmacies. Results: A total of 27 community pharmacists (13 males, 14 females) completed the survey. Most (71%) either 'agreed' or 'strongly agreed' discussing health advice, such as cancer screening, with their consumers was valuable and integral to their broader role. An average of 60% described their confidence as 'average' or 'good' when discussing bowel and breast cancer screening and prevention with consumers. In eight knowledge questions about bowel and breast cancer and cancer screening, an average of 82% of community pharmacists responded with correct answers (range 52% to 100%). Community pharmacists were consistently more confident and knowledgeable about bowel cancer services than breast cancer services. Five (5) community pharmacists participated in in-depth interviews. The interview findings supported the quantitative findings. Most community pharmacists described their confidence to promote bowel cancer and breast cancer screening as moderate, and consistently reflected they felt more knowledgeable and confident about bowel cancer topics than breast cancer topics. Conclusions: Overall, this research supports the feasibility of promoting bowel cancer screening in community pharmacies. It suggests further training is warranted for community pharmacists to increase their knowledge of breast cancer and their confidence in promoting breast cancer referral and screening services. It highlights the important role community pharmacists have in increasing engagement in the national bowel cancer and breast cancer screening programs, and in potentially decreasing the mortality rates of these cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]