Health and Safety Behaviors: Reduced Risks Promote Health

Introduction

Extension employees, working at the local, regional, or state level, are involved in a profession with many rewards. These include working with people of all ages, having the respect of people in the community, helping solve real problems, serving as leaders, and being on the cutting edge of change. Some rewards are immediate, while others come after years of working to build a prosperous community. An often-heard comment about this profession is that no two days are ever the same.

On the other hand, a job with so many varying and interesting aspects can generate very high levels of stress. These stresses include working on long-term problems with limited short-term resources or working with people whose problems are so varied and complex that some of them go beyond the expertise, networking, or resources of the Extension office. Because success generates more demand for Extension services, the most productive staff may quickly create more demand than existing resources can meet. Extension's success may bring stress as well as rewards, as more requests for services requires a more complex process of setting priorities and stretching resources.

A successful and experienced Extension worker finds a constant demand on his/her time. Periods away from home can be extremely difficult, especially on young families (Bowen et al., 1994). Staying up-to-date in so many subject areas requires attendance at numerous training sessions, learning new information, acquiring additional skills, as well as exploring new technologies (Gibson et al., 1994). Because Extension is publicly funded, numerous reports are inevitable, which requires considerable time and energy.

While some amount of stress can be beneficial, when job stressors are combined with individual health risk behaviors, (e.g., smoking, diet, driving practices), the health status and quality of life of Extension personnel may be reduced. Although the particular southern state used for this study remains relatively stable, many states have experienced financial cutbacks that may create feelings of instability that result in additional stress, thereby hampering the ability of staff to help clientele (Smith et al., 1988). Increased pressure to acquire, participate in, and maintain outside (grant and gift) funding also adds stress, as do societal changes such as the increase in single parent families, working couples, and an aging population (Bowen et al., 1994).

Taking effective action to reduce present and future health problems requires that Extension staff members must first recognize job-related and personal risk factors. Second, they must minimize the effect of certain stressors through improvements in personal life-style. Risks can be minimized through changes in behavior. Such changes include proper exercise, improved diet, and reduction in alcohol and tobacco use to improve overall health. This, in turn, will increase the ability of the Extension staff member to deal with other stressors that cannot be eliminated.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this study was to identify the most frequent and serious self-reported health and safety risk behaviors of Extension personnel. A secondary purpose was the development of recommendations for future programs to reduce injury and improve health for Extension staff. Information generated from the study can serve as a guide to focus future programs to support Extension personnel in the area of risk reduction. A greater awareness of the most frequently self-reported risk behaviors can increase the success of future opportunities to reduce risk exposure and adopt healthier lifestyle choices.

Heightened awareness of safety and health risks may generate more opportunities for staff to develop strategies to reduce specific risks affecting their own personal health and safety. The long-term results of such reduced risk behaviors can include a healthier and safer workforce and increased job effectiveness and quality of life for Extension personnel and their families. The health status of Extension employees can improve when health promotion programs are provided. Extension as an organization also benefits when staff reduce health and safety risks.

Method

Information pertaining to health and safety risk behaviors was collected via a questionnaire completed by approximately 50% of the state Extension specialists and county agents in a large southern agricultural state. The questionnaire focused on individual health behaviors and perceptions. Participant responses were optically scanned for analysis. The health risk assessment was created and licensed by Eris Survey Systems of Scotts Valley California. Health and safety data were collected in the following categories: overall physical health status, exercise, alcohol use, tobacco use, seatbelt use, driving habits, dietary intake, personal losses experienced in the last year, and life satisfaction.

Questionnaires were included in the annual state Extension conference registration packet. Participation was voluntary. Respondents filled out a scan card questionnaire and returned the completed form to a designated location at the state conference. No names or identification numbers were required, and all data collected were confidential. Data were gathered and initially analyzed utilizing the ERIS software program, a computerized health risk assessment computer programs. The SPSS statistical program was used for more extensive analysis after responses were optically scanned into a group database.

Of the 400 Extension staff attending the conference, 203 voluntarily completed the 47-item instrument. Questionnaires were analyzed to identify specific risky behaviors affecting health and safety and to isolate key risk areas that might be incorporated in future safety and health risk reduction programs sponsored by either state, regional, or local organizations for Extension personnel.

Results

Approximately 50% of the conference attendees participated by returning completed questionnaires. A descriptive profile of the participants revealed that 29 (14.3%) were in the 20-29 age group, 45 (22.2%) were in the 30-39 age group, 77 (37.9%) were in the 40-49 age group, and 50 (24.6%) were more than 50 years of age. Two respondents, or 1%, did not report their age.

Safety and Health assessment responses revealed that 146 (71.9%) exercised fewer than three times per week, 122 (60.1%) ate food high in cholesterol, 97 (47.7%) drove more than 5 miles above the speed limit, 37 (18.2%) never or sometimes used a seatbelt, 10 (5.4%) had driven or ridden drunk as a passenger in the last month, 17 (8.4%) used smokeless tobacco, and 14 (6.9%) smoked cigarettes.

Data analysis revealed that 4.9% reported having diabetes, 19 (8.9%) reported taking high blood pressure medication, 7 (3.4%) had high blood pressure, 17 (8.4%) used smokeless tobacco, and 14 (6.9%) were current cigarette users (see Table 1).

Table 1.

Self-Reported Health and Safety Risk Behaviors.

When responding to a question concerning perceived overall physical health, 48 (23.6%) reported being in excellent health, 126 (62.1%) in good health, and 27 (13.3%) in fair or poor health. When a question was asked concerning whether a respondent had suffered losses or misfortunes, 50 (29.6%) reported 1 or more serious losses or misfortunes within the last 12 months. When asked about satisfaction with life, 49 (24.2%) reported being partly or not satisfied with life. One hundred fifty-one (74.4%) reported being mostly satisfied with life (see Table 2).

Table 2.

Self-Reported Perceived Health Status and Life Satisfaction

Through the application of the Chi square test and analysis, a significant difference at the .05 level was found between respondents in the age group 20-39 and the 40 and over age group in the following health and safety risk areas.

1) A significantly higher number of active smokers were among respondents over the age of 40. Of those between the ages of 20-39, 98.6% did not currently smoke, and 1 (1.4%) reported current smoking behavior. Of those in the age group of 40 or more years, 90.4% (113) reported not smoking at the present time, and 9.6% (12) reported current smoking.

2) A significantly higher number of respondents (57%) reported driving five or more miles over the speed limit. In those under 40 years of age. 42% reported this behavior. Of those reporting driving not more than 5 miles over the speed limit, 31 (41.9%) were in the age group 20-39, and 71 (56.8%) were in the age group of 40 or more.

Using a Chi Square test to statistically analyze aggregate data, a significant difference at the .05 level was also found for the following health and safety risk areas.

1) Of those participants eating foods high in cholesterol, 18.3% reported also having a fair or poor health status. Only 5.3% of individuals reporting not eating foods high in cholesterol or fat indicated fair or poor physical health status.

2) When responses of those reporting always or nearly always wearing seatbelts and those never/seldom or sometimes wearing seatbelt were compared, to those responding "yes" to foods high in fat or cholesterol, 30 (25%) reported never/seldom or sometimes wearing seatbelts. The remaining 75% of respondents eating foods high in fat reported nearly always or always wearing their seatbelt. Of those responding "no" to eating foods high in fat or cholesterol, only 5 (6.6%) reported never/seldom or sometimes wearing seatbelts, and 93.4% reported always or nearly always wearing seatbelts.

3) Seventy-seven percent of participants reporting eating foods high in fat also reported exercising fewer than 3 times per week. Of those respondents reporting consumption of food, 23% reported exercising at least 3 times a week. Of participants not eating foods high in fat or cholesterol, 48 (63.2%) reported exercising fewer than 3 times a week, and 28 (36.8%) exercised at least 3 times a week.

4) A significantly higher percentage (55%) of those over 40 years of age reported high fat intake, compared to 45% of those reporting high fat intake in the under-40-years-old group. Concerning dietary fat intake, 55 (45.1%) of respondents in the 20-39 age group reported high fat intake, compared to 67 (54.9%) in the 40 years of age and older group. There was a significant difference between the 20-39 and 40 and over group in the reporting of not eating high amounts of cholesterol. Seventeen (23%) were in the age group 20-39, and 75 (77.0%) were in the age group of 40 or more.

5) Responses concerning cholesterol and fiber consumption were analyzed. Of those responding "yes" to foods high in fat or cholesterol, 106 (87.6%) reported that they ate high fiber foods. The remaining 15 (12.4%) respondents reported eating foods low in fiber. When comparing those 72 (63%) responding "no" to eating foods high in fat or cholesterol, 96% reported eating food high in fiber, and 4.0% reported eating food low in fiber.

Implications for Extension

An analysis of the overall aggregate data provided by 203 Extension agents and specialists revealed that 122 (60%) respondents reported eating food high in cholesterol and fat. Sixty-nine (34%) reported exercising less than once a week, 77 (37.9%) reported exercising 1 to 2 times per week, and 57 (28.1%) reported exercising at least 3 times per week. These health risk behaviors reported by a majority of Extension respondents, specifically eating high cholesterol or fat and a lack of frequent exercise, can greatly increase the potential of experiencing future health problems such as cardiovascular disease, heart attack, or stroke.

This study supports strengthening efforts to improve the health status of Extension agents at the state, regional, and local levels. The strongest new programmatic emphases should be given to the most serious health risk factors identified. These include excessive levels of stress, elevated fat consumption, insufficient exercise, and excessive speed while driving. If left unchecked, these risk behaviors may have a significant impact on job effectiveness, performance, and quality of life.

Extension offices at the state and local levels must focus on reducing individual health risk factors to assist agents in reducing these risks through behavior change. Employees may at first be resistant or hesitant to make and sustain changes in lifestyle for a variety of reasons. These include time, costs, and comfort. Employee incentives can sustain risk-reduction efforts initiated by individual employees. A successful incentive used by other employers is to cost share expenses for employees and immediate family members to join local wellness or fitness centers.

Extension offices at the state level may also take a cue from business and industry for a second incentive. For years, business and industry have rewarded employees with lower health insurance premiums for participating at local wellness or fitness centers. An exercise plan for each employee is prescribed by the fitness center personnel, based on the worker's health needs. Extension employees would receive a reduced premium based on their level of activity and on reaching health-improvement goals set forth in the prescribed program. Because each agent serves as a role model within the community, more agents taking advantage of fitness programs and adopting additional health promoting behaviors will support health promotion in the community. While providing service to adults, adolescents, and children, agents can exemplify that "each person can enhance the quality of his or her life through a continual process of lifestyle improvement and balanced living" (Storlie, Baun, & Horton, 1992).

Because a significant self-reported risk factor for Extension agents was high fat intake, local, regional, and state offices should provide employees with access to healthy, low-fat dietary alternatives. Vending machines can provide food selections that are low in fat, sodium, processed sugars, and calories. Vending machines can provide healthier choices such as juices, bottled water, and other low-fat, nutritious snacks for agents to ensure that those with heavy travel schedules have access to nutritious foods.

An increased program focus by state and local organizations on safe driving practices of Extension personnel, including appropriate scheduling to reduce the need for high-speed driving, could reduce future injuries and fatalities caused by excessive speed and fatigue. Future state meetings and in-service training should be directed toward the improvement of individual health and well-being. Training sessions (individual sessions or workshops) can provide stimulating, complementary additions to current programming efforts at statewide conferences and in-service training. Improved health behaviors of each agent should become one of the goals for each Extension employee working at the state, regional, and local level.

Health and safety risk behaviors will continue to be a major factor affecting the personal and professional lives of Extension personnel in the next century. The results of this study serve to focus and support the need for an on-going dialogue to identify strategies to minimize health and safety risk behaviors of those working as a part of the Extension Service at the local, regional, and state level. This research also supports the need for a proactive approach to maintaining optimal health and a productive career for this valuable group of committed workers.

References

Bowen, C. F., Radhakrishna R., & Keyser R. (1994). Job satisfaction and commitment of 4-H agents. Journal of Extension [Online]. 32(1). Available: <http://www.joe.org/joe/1994june/rb2.html>.

Gibson, J. D., & Hillison, J. (1994). Training needs of area specialized Extension agents. Journal of Extension [Online]. 32(3). Available: <http://www.joe.org/joe/1994october/a3.html>.

Smith, Keith L., Denton, G. (1988). Dynamics of change. Journal of Extension [Online]. 26(4). Available: <http://www.joe.org/joe/1988winter/iw1.html>.

Storlie, J., Baun, W., & Horton, W. (1992). Guidelines for employee health promotion programs. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books.