Location

Virtual Conference

Start Date

12-8-2022 10:50 AM

End Date

12-8-2022 11:10 AM

Description

Background: The unprecedented rates of burnout, stress, and turnover amongst healthcare workers following the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of prioritizing caregiver physical and mental health. Despite a direct correlation between nurses with multiple health problems and turnover intention, literature searched over the last two decades yielded minimal results using terms such as, nurses and diet, fitness or exercise therapy. A recent study, which focused on female nurses, found an improvement in psychological health by addressing diet, while another found a decrease in occupational stress with an aerobics program. There is even less data to support the use of a dual intervention, incorporating both nutrition and physical activity. Further research is warranted using a broader pool of healthcare workers to explore the outcomes of a food and fitness intervention.

Purpose: This pilot study will explore the relationship between participating in a regimented diet and exercise program with impact on self-assessment of quality of life. We hypothesize that a sample of Providence Saint John's Health Center (PSJHC) caregivers, who complete the 28-Day Food and Fitness Challenge will have significantly improved Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scores from baseline.

Methods: This prospective cohort study followed 65 multidisciplinary caregivers, who voluntarily signed-up for the 28-day Food and Fitness Challenge. Participants were recruited from a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., with a de-identified electronic mailing list and printed fliers. They attended a 12-minute, in-person session with a Registered Dietician, including a body composition test to determine starting weight, muscle mass, percent body fat (bioelectrical impedance analysis), and metabolic rate. A 5-minute body composition test was repeated for comparison at the end of 28 days. Participants individually tracked food intake, hydration, sleep, exercise and meditation, with the option to share in a What's App support group. A ProQOL survey, measuring compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary stress, was completed on Redcap at baseline, week four and week eight. Demographics and data were compared with a paired t-test and Mann-Whitney U.

Results: In terms of ProQOL, we found no statistical significance pre-and-post intervention amongst demographic groups, which included white vs. non-white and female vs. male. A notable clinical difference was observed when comparing stress level means, which were remarkably higher in men (32.89) than in women (24.86). Overall compassion scores were moderate at baseline (39.5) and trended upward (42.5). Burnout levels started low (21.2) and trended slightly lower (19) by completion. Secondary stress was similarly low (20.1) and also moved downwards (18.3). Physical metrics for comparison are still pending while body composition data is analyzed.

Conclusions: With strong baseline scores and a lower than expected follow-up rate, additional research is needed to support the 28-Day Food and Fitness Challenge as an effective means to improve caregiver psychological health. Consistent follow-up would be essential in future studies, as well as a more evenly-distributed group demographically, since this pilot study was comprised of a majority of women. Positive preliminary results still provide hospital administration with a feasible option to improve staff burnout and retention.

Event Type

Podium Presentation

Keywords:

california; psjmc

Comments

References:

Das BM, Adams BC. Nurses' physical activity exploratory study: Caring for you so you can care for others. Work. 2021;68(2):461-471. doi: 10.3233/WOR-203386. PMID: 33522994.

Falatah R. The Impact of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic on Nurses' Turnover Intention: An Integrative Review. Nurs Rep. 2021 Oct 19;11(4):787-810. doi: 10.3390/nursrep11040075. PMID: 34968269; PMCID: PMC8715458.

Horton Dias C, Dawson RM. Hospital and Shift Work Influences on Nurses' Dietary Behaviors: A Qualitative Study. Workplace Health Saf. 2020 Aug;68(8):374-383. doi: 10.1177/2165079919890351. Epub 2020 Jan 10. PMID: 31920166; PMCID: PMC7347428.

Ki J, Ryu J, Baek J, Huh I, Choi-Kwon S. Association between Health Problems and Turnover Intention in Shift Work Nurses: Health Problem Clustering. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jun 24;17(12):4532. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17124532. PMID: 32599700; PMCID: PMC7345885.

Mohebbi Z, Dehkordi SF, Sharif F, Banitalebi E. The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Occupational Stress of Female Nurses: A Controlled Clinical Trial. Invest Educ Enferm. 2019 May;37(2):e05. doi: 10.17533/udea.iee.v37n2e05. PMID: 31487442; PMCID: PMC7871488.

Ross A, Touchton-Leonard K, Perez A, Wehrlen L, Kazmi N, Gibbons S. Factors That Influence Health-Promoting Self-care in Registered Nurses: Barriers and Facilitators. ANS Adv Nurs Sci. 2019 Oct/Dec;42(4):358-373. doi: 10.1097/ANS.0000000000000274. PMID: 31299691; PMCID: PMC6832775.

Sajid Rahman Khattak, Imran Saeed, Shams Ur Rehman & Mohammad Fayaz (2021) Impact of Fear of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Mental Health of Nurses in Pakistan, Journal of Loss and Trauma, 26:5, 421-435, DOI: 10.1080/15325024.2020.1814580

Speroni KG, Williams DA, Seibert DJ, Gibbons MG, Earley C. Helping nurses care for self, family, and patients through the nurses living fit intervention. Nurs Adm Q. 2013 Oct-Dec;37(4):286-94. doi: 10.1097/NAQ.0b013e3182a2f97f. PMID: 24022282.

Stanulewicz N, Knox E, Narayanasamy M, Shivji N, Khunti K, Blake H. Effectiveness of Lifestyle Health Promotion Interventions for Nurses: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Dec 18;17(1):17. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17010017. PMID: 31861367; PMCID: PMC6981404.

Terada T, Mistura M, Tulloch H, Pipe A, Reed J. Dietary Behaviour Is Associated with Cardiometabolic and Psychological Risk Indicators in Female Hospital Nurses-A Post-Hoc, Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2019 Sep 2;11(9):2054. doi: 10.3390/nu11092054. PMID: 31480696; PMCID: PMC6770286.

Torquati L, Kolbe-Alexander T, Pavey T, Leveritt M. Changing Diet and Physical Activity in Nurses: A Pilot Study and Process Evaluation Highlighting Challenges in Workplace Health Promotion. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2018 Nov-Dec;50(10):1015-1025. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2017.12.001. Epub 2018 Apr 9. PMID: 29650395.

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Aug 12th, 10:50 AM Aug 12th, 11:10 AM

Health Promoting Self-Care: Evaluating the Impact of Food and Fitness Challenge on the Physical and Psychological Health of Healthcare Workers

Virtual Conference

Background: The unprecedented rates of burnout, stress, and turnover amongst healthcare workers following the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of prioritizing caregiver physical and mental health. Despite a direct correlation between nurses with multiple health problems and turnover intention, literature searched over the last two decades yielded minimal results using terms such as, nurses and diet, fitness or exercise therapy. A recent study, which focused on female nurses, found an improvement in psychological health by addressing diet, while another found a decrease in occupational stress with an aerobics program. There is even less data to support the use of a dual intervention, incorporating both nutrition and physical activity. Further research is warranted using a broader pool of healthcare workers to explore the outcomes of a food and fitness intervention.

Purpose: This pilot study will explore the relationship between participating in a regimented diet and exercise program with impact on self-assessment of quality of life. We hypothesize that a sample of Providence Saint John's Health Center (PSJHC) caregivers, who complete the 28-Day Food and Fitness Challenge will have significantly improved Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scores from baseline.

Methods: This prospective cohort study followed 65 multidisciplinary caregivers, who voluntarily signed-up for the 28-day Food and Fitness Challenge. Participants were recruited from a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif., with a de-identified electronic mailing list and printed fliers. They attended a 12-minute, in-person session with a Registered Dietician, including a body composition test to determine starting weight, muscle mass, percent body fat (bioelectrical impedance analysis), and metabolic rate. A 5-minute body composition test was repeated for comparison at the end of 28 days. Participants individually tracked food intake, hydration, sleep, exercise and meditation, with the option to share in a What's App support group. A ProQOL survey, measuring compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary stress, was completed on Redcap at baseline, week four and week eight. Demographics and data were compared with a paired t-test and Mann-Whitney U.

Results: In terms of ProQOL, we found no statistical significance pre-and-post intervention amongst demographic groups, which included white vs. non-white and female vs. male. A notable clinical difference was observed when comparing stress level means, which were remarkably higher in men (32.89) than in women (24.86). Overall compassion scores were moderate at baseline (39.5) and trended upward (42.5). Burnout levels started low (21.2) and trended slightly lower (19) by completion. Secondary stress was similarly low (20.1) and also moved downwards (18.3). Physical metrics for comparison are still pending while body composition data is analyzed.

Conclusions: With strong baseline scores and a lower than expected follow-up rate, additional research is needed to support the 28-Day Food and Fitness Challenge as an effective means to improve caregiver psychological health. Consistent follow-up would be essential in future studies, as well as a more evenly-distributed group demographically, since this pilot study was comprised of a majority of women. Positive preliminary results still provide hospital administration with a feasible option to improve staff burnout and retention.