Biomedical subjects

Krzysztof Puchalski

Publications and source records attributed to Krzysztof Puchalski.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Opinions of Polish occupational medicine physicians on workplace health promotion.

OBJECTIVES: According to the current Polish legislation on occupational health services, occupational medicine physicians should perform workplace health promotion (WHP) activities as a part of their professional work. The concept of workplace health promotion or health promotion programs, however, has not been defined in this legislation in any way. Therefore, two essential questions arise. First, what is the physicians' attitude towards workplace health issues and second, what is actually carried out under the label of health promotion? The main objective of the research described in this paper was to answer these questions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The survey was carried out by the National Center for Workplace Health Promotion in 2002. A questionnaire prepared by the Center for the purpose of this survey was sent to a random sample of occupational medicine physicians. RESULTS: The results of the survey showed that 53% of occupational medicine physicians consider WHP just as a new name for prophylactics. On the other hand almost all of the respondents (94%) agree that occupational medicine physicians should perform WHP activities and find them useful in improving patients' health (78%). The main obstacle for the development of this activity in the perception of physicians is the lack of interest in workplace health promotion among employers (86%). CONCLUSIONS: In the modern understanding of workplace health promotion concept this type of intervention includes not only safety measures and health education, but also a profound organizational change that allows employers, employees and social partners to improve wellbeing of people at work. Each of such projects should facilitate changes necessary to create a health promoting workplace. It also needs a skilled leader--well trained and aware of a multidisciplinary dimension of WHP interventions. Occupational medicine specialists should become natural partners of employers and employees. The majority of the occupational medicine physicians, however, are not sufficiently prepared to carry out workplace health promotion programs.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2004

[Health behavior and its rational in the perception of employees in medium-size and large companies].

BACKGROUND: The paper presents beliefs of employees working in Polish medium-size and large enterprises concerning the most essential aspects of healthy lifestyles and reasons for undertaking particular activities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the study, carried out in 2002, questionnaire-based interviews were taken in a group of 1134 employees of 250 Polish enterprises employing 100 or more workers. RESULTS: The following forms of taking care of one's own health were perceived by the respondents as the best ones: healthy nutrition (68%); physical activity and fitness (46%); adequate rest and relaxation (45%); coping with stress (35%); and regular health checkups (34%). There are various reasons why respondents undertake particular activities. Among them willingness to take care of their own good health (79%); maintaining fitness (72%); and enhancing work ability (67%) were most frequently reported. Ill health and illness were less often mentioned (57% and 43%, respectively). Taking care of health is rather motivated by the will to avoid the dependence on negatively perceived health care institutions than by fear of discomfort due to ill health or occurrence of an illness. Health enhancing activities are more often undertaken by better educated, wealthier and younger people, while in case of illness, the opposite groups become more active. CONCLUSIONS: Social differences in motivation for healthy behaviors stress the need to apply various methods in health promotion programs to be able to influence target social groups.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

[Unhealthy behaviors and their reasons in the thinking of employees].

BACKGROUND: This paper outlines the beliefs of Polish employees about adverse effects of their own behavior on the health state along with underlying reasons for its health-damaging forms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research was carried out in 2002 as a questionnaire-based interview. It covered a random sample of 1134 employees working in 250 enterprises that hire over 100 people. RESULTS: More than a half of respondents positively evaluated the influence of their behavior on health, but only 12% of them did avoid any type of health-damaging behavior. The respondents believed that in their conduct the following factors were most detrimental to their health: shortage of rest (50%), neglect of physical fitness (38%), smoking (34%), unhealthy nutrition (33%) and disregard to morbid symptoms (28%). Among the reasons for unhealthy behavior they emphasized various habitual aspects, the wish to derive pleasure, relaxation, and sense of freedom, and also avoidance of thinking about adverse effects of such a behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Health education should to a much greater degree take into account individual motives for health-damaging behavior instead of focusing on dissemination of general knowledge.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

[Requirements and quality of health promotion in the workplace--evaluation study].

This paper presents the results of an attempt to assess the quality of voluntary activities aimed at improving the workers' health in Polish large and medium-sized enterprises in view of the health promotion requirements. Based on the data collected via a questionnaire mailed to enterprises selected at random in 1998 (147 enterprises), 2000 (755 enterprises) and 2001 (215 enterprises) the determinants of the health promotion quality are discussed. A long standing tradition to protect the workers' health was reported by 50% of enterprises as the major reason for undertaking health promotion activities. Only 25% of enterprises described their activities as health promotion understood as a tool for supporting their market strategy through well coordinated voluntary actions aimed at improving health and well-being of their employees, however, 85% of respondents reported the implementation of various health conducive programs. The most frequent failures of health-oriented activities to be of a required standard are: (a) regarding these activities as those of little importance compared with the enterprise priorities; (b) lack of a special section responsible for health promotion issues in an enterprise; (c) ignoring the employees' right to participate in planning and evaluating health promotion programs, which means that they are perceived as passive service recipients or passive performers of tasks assigned to them; (d) lack of cohesive approach towards health problems and strong belief that all the goals can be achieved through restrictions or education without any support; and (e) reluctance of enterprises to evaluate the organization, implementation and outcomes of health conductive activities. The major obstacle to health promotion is lack of money (reported by 60% of enterprises) and lack of statutory obligations (reported by more than 50% of enterprises). The former is usually reported by enterprises that are not active in this field, and the latter is an obstacle to enterprises that have invested in workplace promotion programs.

Health Plan Implementation↗

PubMed2003

[Health promotion benefits and obstacles as perceived by occupational medicine physicians in Poland].

This article presents the views of occupational medicine (OM) physicians concerning the following: (a) whether OM physicians should be involved in workplace health promotion: (b) whether they can benefit (if so in what way) from involvement in this activity; (c) whether they find the existing conditions favorable for launching health promotion projects; (d) what are the major obstacles? This paper is based on a survey carried out in the fall of 2002 in a group of 325 OM specialists who attend large groups of patients. Over 90% of the respondents believe that OM physicians should be involved in health promotion, however, one third of them do not plan any action in this field in the following year. Among the key benefits from health promotion, health gain is indicated by 80% of OM physicians. Only a few respondents perceive their involvement in health promotion as an opportunity to be more competitive in health service market, thereby to increase their income. None of those interviewed thought that involvement in health promotion win them greater respect among peers. Almost 80% of the respondents complained about unfavorable conditions for carrying out workplace health promotion. As the most significant obstacles they reported the lack of interest in health promotion among employers (86% of respondents), unsatisfactory gratification (76%), limited skill to raise funds for health promotion (64%), limited opportunities to advance education in this field (59%), and the lack of interest in health promotion among employees (57%). In general, OM physicians express their willingness to advance their knowledge of health promotion, although 64% of respondents are convinced that they are well trained in this area. According to the respondents, a proper way to promote health is not only to become very active, but to commit employers to assure the development of health promotion at workplace and to allocate more funds for health promotion projects.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2002

[Involvement of Polish enterprises in workplace health promotion. Trends observed in years 1998-2001].

The author presents voluntary activities aimed at improving the workers' health in medium-sized and large enterprises in Poland, as well as the dynamic of changes in this area. The data were collected from enterprises chosen at random in 1998 (147 enterprises), 2000 (755) and 2001 (215). At present, over 60% of enterprises declare that they do more for their workers' health than it is required by legal regulations. Since 1998, the number of such declarations has been constantly growing. It is observed that the larger enterprise and the better economic situation, the more frequent health promotion activities. Two areas of activities are most commonly carried out: (1) medical services, e.g. vaccinations, extra diagnostic examinations and therapeutical services; and (2) investments in the work environment, e.g. ergonomics, improvement of interior designs. Unfortunately, promotion of healthy lifestyles, e.g. non-smoking campaigns or stress management are definitely less frequent. Although a growing number of enterprises becomes involved in health promotion, the range of their activities is diminishing. The programs aimed at promoting health conductive behaviors among workers are in particular given up. As far as smoking cessation is considered, the enterprises disseminate materials on the adverse effects of smoking or related ill-health and punish smokers for breaking smoking bans instead of helping their workers and teach them how to quit smoking or support those who want to give up this habit. In the years 2000 and 2001, the educational and supporting activities decreased whereas the punitive policy was on the rise.

Health Care Surveys↗

PubMed2002

[Workplace health promotion program quality evaluation questionnaire].

There are substantial reasons for undertaking the evaluation of workplace health promotion (WHP) programs. The most important ones are: (a) the need to guarantee a competent organization of programs; (b) the feasibility to evaluate WHP programs, which take the form of medical services offered to employers on the health service market; (c) the need to disseminate the idea and support the workplace health promotion lobby; and (d) the use of evaluation as a tool for analyzing WHP promulgation process. The implementation of the scientifically-based evaluation of health promotion programs carried out in regularly functioning enterprises is very limited, hence the increasing interest in procedures of quality assessment already known and accepted by enterprises. This approach is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In the European Union countries, a questionnaire on the workplace health promotion program evaluation is promulgated within the European Network for Workplace Health Promotion. The National Center for Workplace Health Promotion that coordinates the activities of the National Network for Workplace Health Promotion Centers in Poland has developed a Polish version of the questionnaire adopted to local conditions. The author presents the criteria and the most essential solutions that provided the ground for designing the questionnaire to be used by the organizers of WHP programs in enterprises for self-assessment of their own activities. It reflects the views on the strategy of the WHP evaluation presented by the National Center, and contains a simplified procedure that does not involve control groups so difficult to gather under the concept of "health promoting enterprise". The idea of control groups is usually misunderstood and disapproved by the management of enterprises involved in the implementation of WHP programs.

European Union↗

PubMed2002

[The strategy for supporting anti-tobacco activities in Poland, "Project on tobacco-free workplace"].

This paper presents basic information on the assumptions, goals and progress of the activities under the project "Tobacco-free workplace" implemented by the National Center for Workplace Health Promotion as a part of the "Health and socio-economic policy aimed at the reduction of tobacco consumption", coordinated by the Epidemiology Division, M. Sklodowska-Curie Oncology Center, Warsaw. The main goal of the project, designed for the years 2000-2005, is a gradual increase in the number of enterprises implementing health promotion programs aimed at supporting their employees to quit or reduce smoking. The National Center for Workplace Health Promotion and the National Network of Workplace Health Promotion Centers work together to convince employers that the implementation of anti-tobacco policy in their enterprises is cost-effective and helps to achieve the main goals of the enterprise. They also instruct occupational medicine specialists how to support enterprises, which intend to work out and introduce anti-tobacco policy.

Health Promotion↗