Short-term wellness program for a school staff comparing levels of support

• Main Author: Chilton, Wynferd Ray
• Format: Others
• Published: PDXScholar 1983
• Subjects: School administration; School employees > Health programs; Health education
• Online Access: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/873; https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1872&context=open_access_etds

This study conducted an experiment with 139 staff volunteers from a suburban school district (K-12) who participated in an eight-week program of exercise, nutritional practices, and stress control measures. All participants were pretested and posttested for mental well-being and physical fitness. Two treatment groups set goals, wrote contracts, and met weekly to hear speakers and share experiences, and made weekly reports to a director of the project. One treatment group was provided with leaders who organized supporting activities; the other treatment group was divided into support groups without leaders. A third group was composed of individuals who did not participate in the formal program but were present in the schools where general wellness activities may have affected their health-related activities. The program produced significant changes in mental and physical health, whereas the informal influences on the third group produced no significant change in physical fitness but did, to a lesser degree, produce a significant change in the mental health of its members. Significant relationships were found between the level of health-related behavior sustained in the program and changes in mental and physical health; physical health levels and improvement were not found to be related to mental health levels or improvement. The levels of support produced significant results only when comparing treatment groups with the third group (that did not participate in the formal program); leader-led groups did not produce significantly different results from the leaderless groups. The description of the wellness program and the results of its use provide a model for school administrators who wish to improve the health and productivity of their staff. It also represents a method of introducing wellness into the school curriculum. Staff members become models for wellness and enthusiasts for the benefits of such programs.