Physical activity in health care professionals as a means of primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A STROBE compliant cross-sectional study

Supporting health and wellbeing in health care employees: a documentary review of organizational policies, strategies and frameworks

Background

Health care workers are crucial for a productive and thriving health care system, yet the health and lifestyle behaviour of key groups within this workforce (for example nurses and healthcare assistants/support workers) is typically poor. The extent of health and wellbeing documents that guide action towards improving their health and wellbeing is unknown. Using one health care system, NHS Scotland, as an example, the aim of this study was to assess the number of NHS health boards with workplace documents focused on health and wellbeing of employees, the quality of these documents and the extent to which they reference lifestyle behaviours, namely physical activity.

Methods

Documentary analysis was undertaken on employee health and wellbeing policies (and wider documents). These were sourced through online searches on Google search engine and Freedom of Information Requests sent to all 14 Scottish NHS Health Boards. Titles and content were assessed for relevance to employee health and wellbeing. Content analysis was used to analyse the included documents against eight predefined codes.

Results

Thirteen documents were retrieved with 11 of the 14 Health Boards having at least one relevant document. The content varied greatly between documents with regards to how many reported the eight codes and the quality of content within these. Nine documents mentioned physical activity but mainly in relation to current activities rather than in the context of a future healthy workforce.

Conclusions

Despite the importance of a healthy, health care workforce, more work is needed to ensure high level documents are able to support these efforts, especially with reference to lifestyle behaviours.

Physical activity levels among undergraduate students at the College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh: A prevalence study

Physical inactivity and sedentary behavior pose significant health concerns, particularly among young adults like college students. However, little research exists on the attitudes towards physical activity among Saudi Arabian healthcare students. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of physical activity and determine the reason for being physically inactive among students and interns across all programs in the College of Applied Medical Sciences (CAMS) at King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between March and May 2023. CAMS students aged 18 and above, fluent in Arabic or English, and willing to participate were included. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) was used to measure physical activity. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Out of 433 respondents, 377 met the inclusion criteria (response rate: 89.3%). Physical activity prevalence was 54.60%, with walking being the most common activity (42.70%). Lack of time was the primary reason for inactivity (51.40%). On average, students engaged in 1.5 hours/day of vigorous-intensity activities and 1.3 hours/day of vigorous-intensity sports and fitness activities at work. Sedentary behavior, characterized by continuous sitting, averaged 5.37 hours per day. Approximately half of CAMS students are physically active, while 20% rely solely on short walks due to time constraints, limited activity hours, or sedentary habits. A lack of time was cited as the primary reason for inactivity by most students. Future research should focus on strategies to enhance physical activity among healthcare students. In addition, academicians and policymakers should propose time-efficient initiatives that accommodate the demanding and busy schedules of healthcare students.

What should all health professionals know about movement behaviour change? An international Delphi-based consensus statement

The WHO has called for action to integrate physical activity promotion into healthcare settings, yet there is a lack of consensus on the competencies required by health professionals to deliver effective movement behaviour change support. The objective of this study was to establish key competencies relevant for all health professionals to support individuals to change their movement behaviours. Consensus was obtained using a three-phase Delphi process. Participants with expertise in physical activity and sedentary behaviour were asked to report what knowledge, skills and attributes they believed health professionals should possess in relation to movement behaviour change. Proposed competencies were developed and rated for importance. Participants were asked to indicate agreement for inclusion, with consensus defined as group level agreement of at least 80%. Participants from 11 countries, working in academic (55%), clinical (30%) or combined academic/clinical (13%) roles reached consensus on 11 competencies across 3 rounds (n=40, n=36 and n=34, respectively). Some competencies considered specific to certain disciplines did not qualify for inclusion. Participants agreed that health professionals should recognise, take ownership of, and practise interprofessional collaboration in supporting movement behaviour change; support positive culture around these behaviours; communicate using person-centred approaches that consider determinants, barriers and facilitators of movement behaviours; explain the health impacts of these behaviours; and recognise how their own behaviour influences movement behaviour change support. This consensus defines 11 competencies for health professionals, which may serve as a catalyst for building a culture of advocacy for movement behaviour change across health disciplines.

Physical Activity Habits of Latvian Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

It is important to integrate knowledge about the need for physical activities (PA) in the prevention and care of human health in nursing study programs so that nurses can promote PA among their patients. This study aims to evaluate the PA habits of Latvian nursing students. Participants were students of three universities in Latvia who were enrolled in a four-year bachelor study program, "Nursing", with a total of 341 after the data cleaning (population size n = 1554). The questionnaire contained questions about sociodemographic variables derived from the survey of the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control of Latvia "Health Behaviour among Latvian Adult Population", habits of PA, and International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form. The data were collected between September and November 2021. Both descriptive and inferential statistics (difference between groups, correlation, and association tests) were calculated to analyse the data. Of the study population, 39% did not reach the minimum WHO-recommended PA. Increased PA level in the later study years is related to more frequent engagement in work and fewer table activities in the curriculum study process, but the higher intensity and total PA could be related to the specifics of nurse and nurse assistant work, which could be especially intense due to the overloaded health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prevalence of Physical Activity Among Healthcare Students in King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An Observational Study

Background and Objective

Physical inactivity is 1 of the most important cardiovascular risk factors causing higher morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. Thus, the promotion of physical activity (PA) is 1 of the fundamental pillars in the primary prevention of heart disease. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of Physical Activity among healthcare Students in the Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study using paper-based printed questionnaires was conducted among Emergency medical students (EMS) from the Prince Sultan College for Emergency Medical Services King Saud University. To evaluate the physical activity, Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (16-items) developed by the World health organization was used. The questionnaires talk about activity at work (6 items), travel to and from places (3-items), recreational activities (6- items), and sedentary behavior (1-item). Both binary answers (Yes\No) and continuous scales were used to collect the data. Data were descriptively analyzed using a statistical package for social science version 26 (SPSS).

Results

The prevalence of PA among students was 69.9% (n = 123). The most common type of physical activity was walking, accounted for 51.7% (n = 91), followed by Gym/bodybuilding 25% (n = 44), running 24.4% (n = 43). A total of 7.16 mean hours (SD = 11.23) were spent by students doing vigorous-intensity activities on a typical day, while 4.93(SD = 8.84) of mean hours were spent on moderate-intensity activities. Additionally, more than half of the students 55.7% (n = 98) performed vigorous-intensity sports, fitness, or recreational activities that cause large increases in breathing or heart rate (for at least 10 minutes continuously). The mean time spent by the students in this study performing vigorous-intensity sports, and fitness activity were 4.60(SD = 10.22) mean hours per day. The sedentary behavior, like constant sitting, was reported to be 7.33 (SD = 4.24) mean hours per day.

Conclusion

In conclusion, about 3 in ten EMS students are physically inactive, which could be due to study-related actions. Future research among undergraduates should focus on approaches to increase PA is needed.