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Thursday, 28 June 2012

People who work at UWA want to increase their physical activity and they would like to see more healthy food options available at University food outlets.

These are some of the findings of a Staff Health and Wellbeing Survey.Sean Ashton, Injury Management and Wellbeing (Safety and Health) said 1,319 staff responded to the survey.

"We're very pleased with the response and I'd like to thank everyone who took part," he said. "It's invaluable input for planning relevant initiatives."

All UWA staff were invited to participate in the confidential survey from 17 April to 9 May 2012. Mr Ashton said respondents were fairly representative of the total staff population in terms of age, work areas and type of staff (academic and general staff), although females were over-represented.

The survey aimed to get an overview of staff health and wellbeing in relation to key lifestyle factors; to understand use of, and satisfaction with, current services; and to gather input to guide planning for future services at UWA .

The findings indicate that mental health is an important focus area, accounting for six of the 10 most popular possible components of a staff health and wellbeing program; low levels of sufficient physical activity and high levels of sedentariness are worthy of attention; respondents would like to see more healthy food options available on campus, as well as assistance to identify the healthy options that are available; and structural supports (such as end of trip facilities, food preparation areas, health checks on campus) and supportive policies are seen as important.

A report is now available on the Safety and Health website .

If you are keen to stay informed about staff health and wellbeing initiatives you can sign up to receive the monthly eNews by emailing [email protected] with the subject ‘subscribe'.

Published in UWA News , 25 June 2012

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