Background: Comprehensive School Health (CSH) approaches to developing a healthy school community can be effective in supporting chronic disease prevention while positively impacting on student behaviour and academic performance. Although a CSH framework provides principles for action, there is a lack of evidence regarding the processes that best facilitate CSH work, and enable action. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the elements of practice-based evidence that contribute to the success and sustainability of healthy school communities, through the identification of positive practices and lessons learned from a sample of projects in Alberta, Canada. Setting: School communities in Alberta, Canada. Design and methods: Key individuals from a list of operating CSH projects were invited for interview. An exploratory, qualitative design examined the perspectives of these 'school health champions'. A total of 12 one-on-one interviews and one focus group with seven participants were completed, resulting in input from 19 individuals in total. Results: Elements to develop and sustain a healthy school community fall into one of two categories: (1) stakeholder buy-in and (2) adequate resources in the form of human resources, partnerships and peer support. Participants identified successful strategies for establishing buy-in from administrators, teachers, parents and students. Conclusion: To effectively mobilise a comprehensive school health framework, practical strategies for implementation are needed. While some of these strategies are context-specific, practice-based evidence that transcends the local context does exist and can be used more widely to support the development of a healthy school community.
The purpose of this research was to evaluate television advertisements targeted at 55-70-year olds that promoted physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption. Awareness of the campaign, perceived credibility of the source, intentions to visit a promoted website, and intentions to perform the healthy behaviors were evaluated using mixed methods research. Results from a population level survey (n = 1600) showed low unprompted and prompted awareness of the campaign and no differences in intentions or behaviors among those who were aware of the campaign. Unprompted recall resulted in a very wide range of responses including the citation of many commercial advertisers. Qualitative themes that emerged from the focus groups included neutral, positive, and negative comments about the advertisements, source credibility, website considerations specific to seniors, and suggestions about appropriate advertising for older adults. This research showed that the increased attention paid to the advertisements was due in a large part to negative reactions to the character used in the advertisements. Another important finding was the government was not considered to be a credible source of health information. Finally, health promoters should be cautious about websites as the primary source of information, particularly for older adults. KeywordsTelevision advertisements; Older adults; Survey; Focus groups BackgroundModifiable lifestyle factors such as consuming a diet that includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and is low in saturated fat and added sugars can improve health (US Department of Health, 2000). Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide (Health Canada, 2007) CIHR Author ManuscriptCIHR Author Manuscript CIHR Author Manuscript also recommends that adults over the age of 50 consume seven servings of fruits and vegetables and seven servings of grains per day; yet on a daily basis, only 59% of men and 52% of women between the ages of 51 and 70 years consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables (Statistics Canada, 2007). In addition to a healthy diet, physical activity is an important factor in achieving and maintaining health. Physical inactivity is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease as well as a number of other negative health outcomes (Warburton, Nicol, & Bredin, 2006). Diseases of the circulatory system are much more prevalent in seniors but these can be improved with physical activity (Taylor et al., 2004). Taylor et al. also provide compelling evidence for the positive role that physical activity can play in bone health and falls prevention in seniors. Although population levels of leisuretime physical activity were on the rise in Canada in the 1980s and 1990s (Craig, Russell, Cameron, & Bauman, 2004), seniors continue to be among the least active, with 50% of men and 65% of women over the age of 65 years classified as inactive (Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, 2005). It is clear that improving diets and increasing levels of physical activity can have...
BackgroundMen continue to smoke cigarettes in greater numbers than women. There is growing evidence for the value of developing targeted, men-centered health promotion programs. However, few smoking cessation interventions have been designed for men. A gender-specific website, QuitNow Men, was developed based on focus group interview findings, stakeholder feedback, and evidence-based cessation strategies. The website was designed to incorporate a masculine look and feel through the use of images, direct language, and interactive content. Usability experts and end-users provided feedback on navigation and functionality of the website prior to pilot testing.ObjectivesThe objectives of the pilot study were to describe (1) men’s use and evaluations of the interactive resources and information on the QuitNow Men website, and (2) the potential of QuitNow Men to engage men in reducing and quitting smoking.MethodsA one-group, pretest-posttest study design was used. Men who were interested in quitting were recruited and invited to use the website over a 6-month period. Data were collected via online questionnaires at baseline, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up. A total of 117 men completed the baseline survey. Over half of those (67/117, 57.3%) completed both follow-up surveys.ResultsAt baseline, participants (N=117) had been smoking for an average of 24 years (SD 12.1) and smoked on average 15 cigarettes a day (SD 7.4). The majority had not previously used a quit smoking website (103/117, 88.0%) or websites focused on men’s health (105/117, 89.7%). At the 6-month follow-up, the majority of men used the QuitNow Men website at least once (64/67, 96%). Among the 64 users, 29 (43%) reported using the website more than 6 times. The men using QuitNow Men agreed or strongly agreed that the website was easy to use (51/64, 80%), the design and images were appealing (42/64, 66%), they intended to continue to use the website (42/64, 66%), and that they would recommend QuitNow Men to others who wanted to quit (46/64, 72%). Participants reported using an average of 8.76 (SD 4.08) of the 15 resources available on the website. At 6-month follow-up, 16 of the 67 participants (24%) had quit, 27 (40%) had reduced their smoking and 24 (36%) had not changed their smoking habits. Repeated measures general linear model showed a significant decrease in the number of cigarettes smoked between the 3-month and 6-month follow-up ( F 1,63=6.41, P=.01, eta squared=0.09). Number of resources used on the website, quit confidence, nicotine dependence and age significantly predicted number of quit attempts by those still smoking at 6 months ( F 4,45=2.73, P=.04), with number of resources used being the strongest predictor ( P=.02).ConclusionsThe results of this research support efforts to integrate gender-sensitive approaches in smoking cessation interventions and indicate that this novel Web-based resource has potential in supporting men’s smoking cessation efforts.
Many health promotion programs hold little "manly" appeal and as a consequence fail to influence men's self-health practices. That said, the workplace can provide an important delivery point for targeted health promotion programs by supporting positive aspects of masculinity. The purpose of this article is to, a) describe the intervention design and study protocol examining the feasibility of a gender-sensitive workplace health promotion intervention focusing on physical activity and healthy eating in male-dominated rural and remote worksites, and b) report baseline findings. This study is a non-randomized quasi-experimental intervention trial examining feasibility and acceptability, and estimated intervention effectiveness. The POWERPLAY program was developed through consultations with men and key workplace personnel, and by drawing on a growing body of men's health promotion research. The program includes masculine print-based messaging, face-to-face education sessions, friendly competition, and self-monitoring concerning physical activity and healthy eating. Male participants (N=139) were recruited from four worksites in northern British Columbia, Canada. Baseline data were collected via computer assisted telephone interview (CATI) survey which assessed physical activity, dietary behavior and workplace environment. This protocol will also be used to collect follow-up data at 6months. A process evaluation, using semi-structured interviews, will be undertaken to assess feasibility and acceptability among participants and worksites. Study outcomes will guide intervention refinement and further testing in a sufficiently powered randomized control trial.
Objective:To explore physical activity and eating behaviors among men following the implementation of a gender-sensitive, workplace health promotion program.Methods:Using a pre-post within-subjects design, computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) was used to collect health-related information along with physical activity and fruit/vegetable intake at baseline and after 6 months.Results:At baseline, participants (N = 139) consumed 3.58 servings of fruit and vegetables/day and engaged in an average of 229.77 min/week moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). At 6 months, daily fruit/vegetable intake did not increase, whereas MVPA increased by 112.3 min/week.Conclusions:The POWERPLAY program successfully increased weekly MVPA. Engaging men in health promotion can be a challenge; here, the workplace served as a valuable environment for achieving positive change.
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