PUB705 Health Promotion: Need Assessment, Planning & Sedentary Life

This report focuses on health promotion need assessment and planning, addressing the significant health issue of a sedentary lifestyle in Queensland. It justifies the selected objectives, including increasing worker participation in physical activity by 25% by 2020, irrespective of age and BMI. The report reviews provided articles on active workstations and their impact on reducing sedentary time and improving employee health. It identifies primary stakeholders like employees and HR managers, and secondary stakeholders such as physicians and equipment suppliers. The analysis emphasizes the importance of physical activity in the workplace for healthier employees, improved job performance, and reduced healthcare costs, while also considering the challenges of engaging older and obese individuals in physical activity programs. The report concludes by advocating for activity-permissive workplaces to combat the adverse health effects of prolonged sedentary behavior.

Running head: Health Promotion Need Assessment and Planning
Health Promotion Need Assessment and Planning
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1Health Promotion Need Assessment and Planning
Contents
How Sedentary Lifestyle or Physical Inactivity is a significant health issue or health risk:.....2
Justification of selected objectives:............................................................................................2
Objective 3.................................................................................................................................2
To increase the participation of workers, irrespective of age and body mass index by 25 %
by 2020...................................................................................................................................2
Objective 4.................................................................................................................................4
Review of the articles provided..............................................................................................4
References:.................................................................................................................................6

2Health Promotion Need Assessment and Planning
How Sedentary Lifestyle or Physical Inactivity is a significant health issue or health
risk:
 Sedentary lifestyle or the lack of physical activity has been attributed as the causative
factor for several health conditions such as obesity, cardiac dysfunction (such as heart
attack, coronary artery diseases), hypertension, high blood cholesterol, metabolic
diseases, Diabetes type 2, stroke, osteoporosis, cancer, anxiety and depression (1).
According to WHO, sedentary lifestyle can double the risks of cardiovascular
diseases, obesity, apart from increasing the risks of colon cancer, hypertension, lipid
disorders, osteoporosis and lipid disorders (2; 3).
 According to WHO, sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity is among the 10
biggest causes of mortality, morbidity and disability globally, and approximately 60
to 85 percent of the world population (both from developed and developing countries)
leads a sedentary lifestyle. This makes sedentary lifestyle and the lack of physical
activity as a serious health risk which is not being addressed sufficiently in the public
(3).
 In Queensland, the number of hospitalization for individuals leading a sedentary
lifestyle has increased significantly over the years. According to the 2016 report of
Chief Health Officer of Queensland, the prevalence of obesity has not changed since
2011, one out of every 8 adults lead a sedentary lifestyle with 1.3 million Queensland
adults (39%) not meeting the required amount of physical activity (4).
Justification of selected objectives:
Objective 3
To increase the participation of workers, irrespective of age and body mass index by 25
% by 2020.

3Health Promotion Need Assessment and Planning
Over the past 50 years there had been a huge shift in the life style of the people, from the
physically active to one that it predominantly sedentary. Physical activity at the workplace
makes healthier employees, makes the job performance stronger, boosts the bottom line of
the business, increases the productivity by decreasing the employee turnover and also
decreases the health care costs (11). Physical activity has been found as the natural mood
elevator and has been found to be excellent in managing stress and thereby managing the
occurrence of the chronic illness. According to World health organization, daily physical
activity has been recommended as the corner stone of healthy living (12).
As per the researches, elderly employees of any organization are less likely to
participate in the physical activity sessions, either because , they are not accustomed to the
change or they are too frail to carry out any physical activities. Furthermore the activity
sessions at workplace have been a new trend and hence it can be difficult for them to accept
the changes in relation to that. According to Vic Health, Safe Work Australia and the
Australian government, reducing the amount of workplaces that requires the elderly workers
to sit all day should be reduced, and provides guidelines to workplace administration on
strategies to reduce time spent idly and promote physical activity among the workers, thereby
setting up a positive culture in the office (9; 10). Furthermore, there are obese people who
actually feel shy to participate in any kinds of physical activities. Their poor body image
makes them fear in exercising in public areas (7; 8). Individuals who are obese often have to
face discriminations in the society. The discrimination is often the result of a weight bias, and
stigmatization of obesity. As a consequence of the stigmatization, bias and discrimination, an
adverse effect is imposed on the overall physical, mental and social well being of the obese
individuals. In many countries, this stigma associated with obesity is a socially acceptable
form of prejudice which is rarely challenged (5). Hence, it is necessary to include the obese
people in this activity regimen and it is required to set up the activities suitable for the both

4Health Promotion Need Assessment and Planning
the older and the obese people, as employed adults spends half of their waking hours in the
work site.
Objective 4
Review of the articles provided
Sedentary lifestyle or spending high amount of sedentary time is linked with fewer
metabolisms of the adipose tissues leading to obesity and giving rise to chronic diseases.
According to many researches the consequences of sedentary life style comes from the field
of ergonomics, which has got serious implications on the musculoskeletal outcomes. In most
of the countries the adults spend the highest proportion of timing at the workplace in
sedentary occupations (10). According to studies, it has been observed that the white collar
workers sit for long hours involved in computer works are affected the most. Hence it has
been found from the intervention studies that the activity permissive workplaces can reduce
the sedentary time. These involve use of treadmills, height adjustable work stations, cycle
ergo meters, and pedal devices fitted under the desk can be used while doing computer best
tasks (10). As per the findings from literary searches installation of such equipments at
workplace can lead to the reduction in the sedentary time without affecting the work or the
productivity. There were very few studies that reported that such equipments can be harmful.
A paper by Torbeyns et al. (2014), have also stated the fact that implementation of active
workstation can promote good health in the employees. The study has also provided insight
to the fact, that physical activity is linked to neurogenesis and cognitive development.
Physically active lifestyle can be suitable for certain age groups such as the children and the
elderly. Physically active lifestyle involves better academic performance in the students.
Despite of all the known affects about 31 % of the people aged 15 and older do not abide by
the physical activity guidelines, hence a focus on the physical activity is required (9). In this

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paper, implementation of the active workstations has been found to have positive influences
on energy expenditure and sitting time. All the evidences provides the justification for taking
up this objective to decrease the proportion of workers that sit at work stations for long
periods of time by 25 % by 2020.
Stakeholders
Primary stakeholders: The primary stakeholders are the employees, the HR- mangers, the
head of the organisation.
Secondary stakeholders: The physicians, the company supplying the workout equipment’s,
the organizational head.

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References:
1. Okop KJ, Mukumbang FC, Mathole T, Levitt N, Puoane T. Perceptions of body size,
obesity threat and the willingness to lose weight among black South African adults: a
qualitative study. BMC public health. 2016 Dec;16(1):365.
2. Okely AD, Tremblay MS, Reilly JJ, Draper CE, Bull F. Physical activity, sedentary
behaviour, and sleep: movement behaviours in early life. The Lancet Child &
Adolescent Health. 2018 Apr 30;2(4):233-5.
3. who.int. WHO | Physical inactivity a leading cause of disease and disability, warns
WHO [Internet]. Who.int. 2018 [cited 25 July 2018]. Available from:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/release23/en/
4. health.qld.gov.au. Full CHO report 2016 | Queensland Health [Internet].
Health.qld.gov.au. 2018 [cited 25 July 2018]. Available from:
https://www.health.qld.gov.au/research-reports/reports/public-health/cho-report/
2016/full
5. Jackson SE. Obesity, weight stigma and discrimination. Journal of Obesity and Eating
Disorders. 2016 Jun 20;2(3).
6. Phelan SM, Burgess DJ, Yeazel MW, Hellerstedt WL, Griffin JM, van Ryn M.
Impact of weight bias and stigma on quality of care and outcomes for patients with
obesity. Obesity Reviews. 2015 Apr;16(4):319-26.
7. Okop KJ, Mukumbang FC, Mathole T, Levitt N, Puoane T. Perceptions of body size,
obesity threat and the willingness to lose weight among black South African adults: a
qualitative study. BMC public health. 2016 Dec;16(1):365.

7Health Promotion Need Assessment and Planning
8. Yazdani N, Hosseini SV, Amini M, Sobhani Z, Sharif F, Khazraei H. Relationship
between Body Image and Psychological Well-being in Patients with Morbid Obesity.
International journal of community based nursing and midwifery. 2018 Apr;6(2):175.
9. Torbeyns T, Bailey S, Bos I, Meeusen R. Active workstations to fight sedentary
behaviour. Sports medicine. 2014 Sep 1;44(9):1261-73.
10. Neuhaus M, Eakin EG, Straker L, Owen N, Dunstan DW, Reid N, Healy GN.
Reducing occupational sedentary time: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of
evidence on activity‐permissive workstations. Obesity Reviews. 2014
Oct;15(10):822-38.
11. LyndallStrazdins, Dorothy H. Broom, Cathy Banwell, Tessa McDonald, Helen Skeat;
Time limits? Reflecting and responding to time barriers for healthy, active living in
Australia, Health Promotion International, Volume 26, Issue 1, 1 March 2011, Pages
46–54, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daq060
12. Conn VS, Hafdahl AR, Cooper PS, Brown LM, Lusk SL. Meta-analysis of workplace
physical activity interventions. American journal of preventive medicine. 2009 Oct
1;37(4):330-9.