Healthy Working Environment in Hospital: Interventions with Social Participation for the Incorporation of Healthy Habits

Abstract

NTRODUCTION: Unhealthy lifestyles (sedentary lifestyle, industrial food system, smoking, stress) are typical of modern societies and cause non-communicable chronic diseases, acquired pathologies with high impact on population. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a participatory strategy to develop the ALS program (Healthy Working Environment) in a medical institution (Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires). METHODS: A participatory action research was conducted, including qualitative methodology and measurement before and after intervention (four months) with ALS survey. RESULTS: The feasibility depended on the initial motivation of some actors, which had a positive influence on peers. The participation of the hierarchical midline was a facilitator to define how to incorporate fruits and to regulate physical activity during the work time. The barriers were: difficulty to take the floor and assume active roles in building the workplace. There was a statistically significant decrease in the consumption of candies (1.6 to 0.9 days, p 0.02), tarts and “empanadas” (1.2 to 0.8 days, p 0.03) as well as a significant increase in fruit consumption (2.8 to 3.5 days, p 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In order to increase the feasibility of the ALS program, it is necessary to provide the intervention team with early innovation, start the activities with external support (until the development of internal leaders), and promote a joint analytical reflection.