Background: Employee health promotion in the elementary school setting can support students' health and academic success. School employees can serve as role models, yet evidence suggests poor health in this population. We identified factors that influence school employee health behaviors to inform subsequent development of employee wellness programs.
Methods: Focus groups (10 groups, total N = 62) and interviews (N = 5) were conducted with school employees. Participants were recruited from schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged, racially diverse districts in Massachusetts. We used a socioecological framework to identify multi-level factors that influence employee health behaviors. Factors were characterized as supports (+) or barriers (-) to health-promoting behaviors.
Results: Eight themes highlighted the importance of an organizational culture that sustains successful employee wellness programming. Intrapersonal themes included: High Stress (+/-), Desire to Adopt Healthy Behaviors (+), and Sufficient Health Knowledge (+). Interpersonal themes included: Strong Social Network (+) and a Desire to Role Model (+). Organizational themes included: Demanding Job (-), Lack of Wellness Culture (-), and Unhealthy Food (-).
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that this population would be receptive to wellness programming. Promising strategies include supporting a dedicated wellness champion and creating recognizable top down wellness support for employees.
Keywords: child & adolescent health; employee health promotion; nutrition & diet; physical fitness & sport; program planning; school employees.
© 2019, American School Health Association.