Comparing Disparities in the Health-promoting Lifestyles of Taiwanese Workers in Various Occupations

Abstract

[[abstract]]In Taiwan, workplace health promotion programs have been designed on an organizational basis, and the specific health needs for workers within different occupational categories have not usually been taken into account. This study describes the various levels of overall health-promoting lifestyles and health-promoting behaviors of workers within different occupational categories, and examines the effects of occupational category, perceived busyness, and BMI level on overall health-promoting lifestyles and health-promoting behaviors. A cross-sectional survey with convenient sampling, comprising a self-reporting questionnaire (which included the Chinese version of the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile), was used to measure the overall HPLP and six health-promoting behaviors (nutrition, health responsibility, self-actualization, interpersonal support, exercise, and stress management). A total of 796 participants were recruited. Multiple regression analysis showed that the various occupational categories sustained significant differences in overall HPLP, nutrition, self-actualization, interpersonal support, and stress management (after controlling for some specific factors). Perceived busyness showed positive effects on the overall HPLP, self-actualization, interpersonal support, and stress management. The obese group had less participation in overall health-promoting lifestyles and stress management when compared with the moderate BMI group. Workplace health promotion practitioners should therefore develop specific strategies to target the laborers and workers who demonstrate obesity

The influence of health-promoting lifestyles on the quality of life of retired workers in a medium-sized city of Northeastern China

“…The results of the study should provide useful information to health professionals when designing health interventions to promote healthy practices for the general public in China. In this study, the subjects achieved higher scores on the N and SG subscales, moderate scores on the SM subscale, and lower scores on the PA subscale; these results are consistent with those reported in the literature [30,31]. Our study is the first to report that retired workers achieved the highest scores on the IR subscale (Table 2), with the highest score being for item 31 (''Touch and am touched by people I care about''; 3.20 ± 0.75), and the second highest for item 13 (''Maintain meaningful and fulfilling relationships with others''; 3.16 ± 0.66).…”

“…However, there was no significant difference for PA between men and women (Table 2), which is also in accordance with previous studies [31,42,43]. This result is probably due to the specialty of the subjected populations who regularly utilize the activity center where they are actively involved in physical training and other activities.…”

Predictors of the Health-Promoting Behaviors of Nepalese Migrant Workers

“…In line with the HPM, the outcome variable in this study was HPB, which included six domains: health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, interpersonal relations, and stress management. Disparities in the various health behaviors among adult workers have been attributed to differences in demographics, whereas higher age and higher income have been positively associated with better HPBs (Beşer, Bahar, & Bü yü kkaya, 2007); similarly, office workers and service workers with higher levels of education have been shown to have better health-promoting practices than manual laborers (Huang, Li, & Tang, 2010).…”

Body image and healthy lifestyle behaviors of university students

“…The transition from high school to college is often accompanied by a significant weight gain [30], [31] with cited reasons including easy access to and large portion sizes of unhealthy food, lack of time for exercise, and eating in response to stress and/or boredom [32], [33]. Overweight and obesity negatively impact body image [24] and weight is inversely related to healthy lifestyle behaviors [35], [36]. It is, therefore, important to understand both body satisfaction and lifestyle habits with respect to eating and exercise [37].…”