PLANT-BASED INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE HEALTHCARE WORKER WELLNESS

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: To increase staff knowledge and improve well-being through plant-based cooking demonstrations and nutrition education sessions at a single health facility in Hawaiʻi.Background: Healthcare workers experience stress from burnout, which has a negative impact on their health. Plant-based nutrition enhances well-being and provides benefits for health promotion and management. Barriers to improved nutrition are lack of accessibility to healthy food and workplace culture that devalues self-care. Methods: At two Wahiawā Center for Community Health (WH) staff meetings, one in July and one in October, participants were asked to complete a Likert-Scale item online questionnaire to assess baseline attitudes and knowledge regarding a plant-based diet. Immediately following the pre-questionnaire, participants viewed a recorded plant-based cooking demonstration/education session and engaged in a virtual Q&A session. Intervention experience and effectiveness were assessed by measuring participants’ change in attitudes, knowledge, and self-perceptions of well-being post-intervention with the same questionnaire and check-ins to assess perceived wellness over time. Results: Twenty-two healthcare workers were included in the study. There was an overall increase in knowledge and improvement in attitudes post-intervention. Increased knowledge and improved perceptions of well-being and staff engagement allowed WH staff members to feel supported in the workplace. Conclusions: The findings indicate increased staff knowledge, positive attitudes toward plant-based diets, and improved well-being over time. These cooking demonstration and education sessions at WH successfully measured healthcare workers’ knowledge and attitudes around plant-based eating and could be used in the evaluation of future work wellness interventions. Implications: To increase knowledge and wellness for healthcare workers, engaging activities and educational programs that support staff health and well-being should be provided.