TY - JOUR
T1 - Technology-Enabled Intervention to Enhance Mindfulness, Safety, and Health Promotion Among Corrections Professionals
T2 - Protocol for a Prospective Quasi-Experimental Trial
AU - Elliot, Diane
AU - Kuehl, Kerry
AU - DeFrancesco, Carol
AU - McGinnis, Wendy
AU - Ek, Susanna
AU - Van Horne, Allee
AU - Kempany, Katherine Ginsberg
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2023 Atta et al.
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - Background: Correction professionals are a highly stressed workforce with heightened risks for depression, suicide, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and injury. These professionals, largely hidden from view, have received little study concerning means to improve their safety, health, and well-being. In other settings, mindfulness has resulted in lowered stress, along with other benefits. We hypothesized that a program that promoted mindfulness combined with more typical health and safety components could uniquely benefit corrections professionals. Objective: This project will assess a novel scalable, self-administered program to enhance the mindfulness, safety, and health of a vulnerable worker group. Methods: In partnership with the Oregon Department of Corrections, we are conducting a prospective quasi-experimental trial of a safety, health, and mindfulness program among 100 corrections professionals from 2 institutions. Survey and physiologic data will be collected at enrollment, upon weekly program completion (3 months), and at 9 months after enrollment. Primary outcome behaviors promoted by the program are being mindful, healthier eating, more physical activity, and greater restorative sleep. Secondary downstream benefits are anticipated in stress level, mood, positive feelings about the organization, vascular health, and cellular aging, along with job performance, injuries, and economic costs. Participants will meet in-person or in a Zoom-type meeting as 3- to 5-member coworker groups during their usual work hours for 30-minute sessions once a week for 12 weeks. The program uses self-guided web-based learning modules that include brief mindfulness practice, and it is accessible by smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Daily mindfulness practice is encouraged between sessions, which is facilitated by the study website and group format. The modules’ structure emphasizes prerequisite knowledge, peer support, skill practice, self-monitoring, and enhancing self-efficacy for change. The program continues through self-directed use of the Headspace app following the 12 weekly sessions. Results: Participants are being enrolled, and the intervention is ready to launch. Conclusions: Although mindfulness training has gained traction for worker well-being, its usual format requires a skilled trainer, an initial retreat, and weekly 2-hour meetings for several weeks. The content is limited to mindfulness without safety or health promotion aspects. The need for skilled trainers and time commitment limits the scalability of the usual mindfulness interventions. The planned program is an innovative combination of technology, e-learning, and a group format to add mindfulness to a safety and health curriculum. If acceptable and effective, the format would facilitate its widespread use.
AB - Background: Correction professionals are a highly stressed workforce with heightened risks for depression, suicide, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and injury. These professionals, largely hidden from view, have received little study concerning means to improve their safety, health, and well-being. In other settings, mindfulness has resulted in lowered stress, along with other benefits. We hypothesized that a program that promoted mindfulness combined with more typical health and safety components could uniquely benefit corrections professionals. Objective: This project will assess a novel scalable, self-administered program to enhance the mindfulness, safety, and health of a vulnerable worker group. Methods: In partnership with the Oregon Department of Corrections, we are conducting a prospective quasi-experimental trial of a safety, health, and mindfulness program among 100 corrections professionals from 2 institutions. Survey and physiologic data will be collected at enrollment, upon weekly program completion (3 months), and at 9 months after enrollment. Primary outcome behaviors promoted by the program are being mindful, healthier eating, more physical activity, and greater restorative sleep. Secondary downstream benefits are anticipated in stress level, mood, positive feelings about the organization, vascular health, and cellular aging, along with job performance, injuries, and economic costs. Participants will meet in-person or in a Zoom-type meeting as 3- to 5-member coworker groups during their usual work hours for 30-minute sessions once a week for 12 weeks. The program uses self-guided web-based learning modules that include brief mindfulness practice, and it is accessible by smartphone, tablet, or laptop. Daily mindfulness practice is encouraged between sessions, which is facilitated by the study website and group format. The modules’ structure emphasizes prerequisite knowledge, peer support, skill practice, self-monitoring, and enhancing self-efficacy for change. The program continues through self-directed use of the Headspace app following the 12 weekly sessions. Results: Participants are being enrolled, and the intervention is ready to launch. Conclusions: Although mindfulness training has gained traction for worker well-being, its usual format requires a skilled trainer, an initial retreat, and weekly 2-hour meetings for several weeks. The content is limited to mindfulness without safety or health promotion aspects. The need for skilled trainers and time commitment limits the scalability of the usual mindfulness interventions. The planned program is an innovative combination of technology, e-learning, and a group format to add mindfulness to a safety and health curriculum. If acceptable and effective, the format would facilitate its widespread use.
KW - cardiovascular disease
KW - cop
KW - correction
KW - corrections professionals
KW - depression
KW - detention
KW - digital
KW - health promotion
KW - healthy eating
KW - injury
KW - mindfulness
KW - mood
KW - obesity
KW - occupational safety
KW - penitentiary
KW - physical activity
KW - police
KW - prison
KW - remand
KW - safety
KW - security
KW - state correctional
KW - state corrections
KW - stress
KW - suicide
KW - survey
KW - total worker health
KW - undercover
KW - vascular health
KW - well-being
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85176362227&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2196/45535
DO - 10.2196/45535
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85176362227
SN - 1929-0748
VL - 12
JO - JMIR Research Protocols
JF - JMIR Research Protocols
IS - 1
M1 - e45535
ER -